Coco Gauff Invests In Women's Basketball In Latest Move As Highest-Paid Female Athlete
NewsFriday, 10 January 2025 at 03:00
Updated at Friday, 10 January 2025 at 07:21
WTA World No. 3 player Coco Gauff made another business move, which saw her invest in women's basketball.
The 20-year-old American player is enjoying more and more success on the tennis courts, and the same applies also to her off-court endeavors. On the courts, Gauff led Team USA to a triumph at the 2025 United Cup.
She won all of her matches at the competition, which earned her almost a million dollars in prize money. That amount was 25 times larger than what she won in Auckland last year.
With this opening win worth almost a million dollars, it wouldn't be surprising to see Gauff as the best-paid female athlete also in 2025. In 2024, she dominated the list of highest-paid female athletes.
On top of that, earlier in the year, Gauff was also declared the most marketable tennis player, which shows her incredible marketing power. Her sponsors include New Balance, Barilla, Baker Tilly, and Bose.
But the 2023 US Open champion is not always only on the receiving end of such deals, as she's also an investor, starting to build her business portfolio early in her career.
In her latest move, Gauff invested in women's basketball, which is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the rise in popularity of the WNBA, thanks to players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Gauff invested in Unrivaled Basketball, which is a 3x3 basketball league created by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The likes of Alex Morgan, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, and Gary Vaynerchuk have already invested in the project.
It has also raised $28 million in Series A on top of the $7 million that were raised during the seed round. As the latest investor, Gauff was delighted to join the Unrivaled family.
"I’m thrilled to be joining Unrivaled as an investor. Basketball is one of my favorite sports, and the chance to support a league that’s redefining the game is exciting. I look forward to being part of this movement and continuing to help elevate women’s sports to new heights."
Gauff also shared the official announcement on her X (formerly Twitter) profile, joking that her dad, Corey Gauff, who is a former Georgia State University basketball player, always wanted her to follow in his footsteps.
Gauff certainly made her dad happy with this move but also supported women's sports, which are growing every day, especially basketball.
"My dad always wanted me to follow in his footsteps and play basketball. Haha, sorry, Dad, but this is as close as it will get. In all seriousness, I’m incredibly grateful to get the opportunity to uplift women’s sports, and I am super excited to join the Unrivaled family! I can’t wait to watch."
On the tennis courts, where she's more comfortable, Gauff will start her 2025 Australian Open campaign against fellow compatriot Sofia Kenin, who eliminated her in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships in 2023.
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