Alexis Ohanian is back at it, proving once again why he’s a game-changer! Known as Serena Williams’ biggest cheerleader and a business mogul with a vision, Ohanian has also become a leading advocate for women’s sports—and his latest move is nothing short of extraordinary.
This time, he’s turning his attention to his alma mater, making a big play for their women’s basketball team – garnering immense praise.
In a remarkable step, the 41-year-old has vowed a multi-year transformational donation for the Virginia Women’s Basketball.
This also marked the second-highest gift ever received by any of the University’s athletic teams in general, per the press release issued by the UVA Basketball team.
While the press release did not detail the exact amount of the donation, it revealed that the funds will be used to “elevate Virginia Women’s Basketball recruiting and retention of championship level talent.”
And what followed after the announcement of this gift, was a stirring ode to Ohanian from the official Instagram page of the University’s Basketball team.
Speaking in the video, a member of the team can be heard making heartfelt remarks.
“Thank you thank you thank you Alexis! This is a game-changer. This is the transformation of game which is the first of its kind, in history of women’s basketball here at UVA that will help us recruit, retain, and also close the gap between current and future student-athletes.
Thank you for all you do, you are someone who champions women’s sports and women in general. So Blessed to have you in our corner and in our family!” she said, adding that Ohanian’s contributions will not go in vain.
Ohanian graduated from the UVA McIntire School of Commerce in 2005 soon after which he co-founded Reddit.
His association with his alma mater has continued to remain strong since then as was witnessed in the last month as well, when Ohanian sat courtside at John Paul Jones Arena for the Virginia women’s basketball season opener against American back.
As the UVA athletes, emerged victorious in a 104-68 game, Ohanian also visited the locker room and lauded the players.
“This is the era of excellence of women in sports. So no matter how you are thinking like ‘how, well, should I do it now,’ like You all DESERVE EVERY BIT OF THIS! There is a new bar, there is a new standard Accept nothing less,” he said.
And now, as he made a huge contribution, the Reddit co-founder yet again exuded his admiration for women’s sports and his alma mater.
Taking to his X, Ohanian shared a heartfelt post about the investment and wrote, “I’m very blessed — I had a great year.
There’d be no @reddit without @uva so it’s only fitting my first big investment into women’s basketball would be a multi-year commitment to @UVAWomensHoops #GoHOOS.”
For the unversed, Ohanian’s admiration for women’s sports is not new. He has created waves with his unconventional investments in several women’s sports, the latest of which is the ATHLOS NYC, an all-woman track meet with the largest prize pool to date.
In the event, Athletes from the United States and abroad competed for a total purse of at least $500,000, with the winner securing $60,000.
The second and third-place holders received $25,000 and $10,000 respectively, and yet again, Ohanian is proving his determination to bring a positive change.
Alexis Ohanian looks up to his wife as much as the world does. He has highlighted on several occasions the influence that Serena Williams has on him and one of these positive influences is the awareness he started to develop about women’s sports after meeting her.
When Alexis Ohanian revealed how Serena Williams inspired him to work for women’s sports
He highlighted that he started developing more awareness about women’s sports ever since he met Serena Williams and lauded his iconic wife.
“The core phenomenon here probably came from a certain someone I’m married to, right? Serena Williams is the prototype for how you can show what women’s sports is and can be and should be on the same level as men’s,” he said.
Continuing further, he revealed how his views changed due to Williams’ contributions. “To be clear, I jumped on this bandwagon really when I met my wife. That was the first time I really watched tennis as a sport. But I really went whole hog in 2019; now I’m really into it.”
Now, as Ohanian continues to make waves for his good works, it would be interesting to see what more he has in store for women’s sports and what new initiatives he takes to boost the same.
