Giannis Antetokounmpo took an ownership stake in Kalshi through Ante Inc. and will appear in its commercials and at live events, according to the report. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the investment was below 1% and allowed under the league’s rules for prediction markets.
The partnership combines an NBA player’s investment in a prediction-market company with promotional appearances.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
US users aged 18–21 traded approximately $5.4bn on Kalshi during 2026. Kalshi said this age group represented 3.14% of platform transactions. Approximately $3.9bn of their trading involved sports contracts and parlays, as sports leagues called for a minimum trading age of 21.
The NBA, PGA Tour and NCAA asked the CFTC to set a minimum age of 21 for sports prediction markets in letters to the regulator. The NCAA focused its request on college sports markets, while the NBA said advertising should at least be restricted for users aged 18 to 20 if the CFTC does not impose the higher age threshold.
Player unions representing the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL asked the CFTC to bar contracts based on negative outcomes or events manipulable by one person. In a submission to the agency, they cited athlete safety and sports integrity risks; the CFTC’s comment period drew more than 1,500 submissions.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal asked the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and NCAA to provide details of their gambling partnerships by 1 May 2026. He said the information would support a review of relationships between sports leagues and gambling stakeholders, amid concerns about sports betting and prediction markets.
The NBA submitted comments to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission on 30 April, urging regulation of sports-event contracts to protect competition integrity, according to the league’s letter. It called for trading restrictions on athletes and sports personnel, cooperation with league investigations, trader-identity disclosure and use of official league data for settlement.