Athlete wealth management demands a new advisor mindset, says UBS sports head

The NBA's 2026–27 season opened with 125 international players from 43 countries on opening-night rosters - the sixth consecutive season the league has surpassed 120.

For wealth managers, that number represents far more than a basketball statistic. It signals a rapidly globalizing client base that is arriving in the US with existing financial lives already built elsewhere.

Wale Ogunleye, Head of Sports and Entertainment at UBS Global Wealth Management in New York, says that where international athlete clients once came to the US earlier in their careers, with the bulk of their wealth and financial needs concentrated domestically, that profile is changing.

He told InvestmentNews that many now arrive with businesses, investment portfolios, trusted advisors, and banking relationships already established in their home countries.

"What's changing is that we're increasingly meeting athletes who already have a financial life established across several countries – not just a playing contract in the US," Ogunleye said. "The advisor must understand the whole person and the whole financial picture, rather than lead with a product or a US account."

Ogunleye knows this dynamic from both sides. A former Pro Bowl defensive end with the Chicago Bears, he joined UBS in 2019 and now leads the firm's Athletes and Entertainers Strategic Client Segment across the US.

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Why onboarding is where advisors lose the plot

The first window with a new international athlete client is, Ogunleye notes, where many advisors make their most consequential mistake: treating onboarding as an account-opening exercise rather than the beginning of a long-term relationship.

"It starts with listening and understanding what's already in place," he said. "Who are their banking partners and advisors? Where are their assets and businesses? What currencies do they use, what does their family need, and what are their immediate priorities as they move to the US?"

Cross-border onboarding is operationally complex and international players may have domestic banking relationships that cannot be used in the US, assets denominated in foreign currencies, and regulatory requirements that vary by jurisdiction.

Advisors who skip the questions in a diagnostic phase and skip straight to opening accounts and pitching products risk building a relationship on a foundation that doesn't reflect the client's actual situation.

UBS's US athletes and entertainers group has earned approval from the NFL Players Association to work with current and retired players, joining Goldman Sachs, Bessemer Trust, Morgan Stanley, and Bernstein Private Wealth in a program the NFLPA has expanded to include firms alongside individual advisors.

That institutional validation speaks to the increasing formalization of athlete wealth management as a distinct discipline that rewards firms willing to invest in coordination rather than convenience.

The entrepreneur athlete changes the conversation

The complexity compounds as more international players arrive not just as contract earners, but as entrepreneurs. Endorsement deals, brand partnerships, ownership stakes, and investment portfolios have become standard components of a modern athlete's financial life – and each one raises the stakes for advisors who fail to see the full picture.

"We're not just talking about a playing contract," Ogunleye said. "We're talking about someone who may also be a founder, investor or brand owner. Their personal wealth and business interests are connected, and the advice needs to reflect that."

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For UBS, that intersection of personal wealth and business advisory is a deliberate differentiator. The firm draws on capabilities across its Wealth Management, Investment Bank, and Asset Management divisions to serve clients whose financial needs have outgrown what a single advisor – or a single product set – can address.

Ogunleye also emphasized the importance of working closely alongside agents, business managers, and existing advisors rather than displacing them.

Starting with the person, not the transaction

Ogunleye's own NFL career shapes how he trains and coaches advisors within UBS. The experience of navigating finances as a professional athlete – often without adequate guidance – has become central to how he thinks about what good advice looks like for this client segment.

"Start with the person, not the transaction," he said. "For an international athlete, that means listening to what matters to them: their family, the relationships they already trust, what they want to build and what life might look like after their career."

UBS uses what it calls a Liquidity, Longevity and Legacy framework to structure those conversations – organizing advice around immediate financial needs, long-term planning, and the impact a client wants to leave.

For international athletes whose career timelines are compressed and whose financial decisions cross multiple currencies and legal systems, that structure gives advisors a way to bring discipline to what can otherwise become an unwieldy set of competing priorities.

The NBA's growing international footprint will only push more of these clients toward US-based advisors in the years ahead. Those advisors who understand that the relationship begins long before the first account is opened – and extends well beyond US borders – will be best positioned to serve them.