Gilgeous-Alexander fiscal push to TD Coliseum

Article posted by Coliseum, February 25^th, 2026

Image: TD Coliseum, Nhl4hamilton, Public Domain

Basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has invested in his hometown of Hamilton Ontario (Canada).

‘cbc.ca’ stated that the Oak View Group (OVG), the developer behind the TD Coliseum in Ontario (Canada), announced the investment recently. The financial terms were not released.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association team – the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City (US). The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a Member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.

The 18,203-capacity Paycom Center is an arena located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It opened in 2002 and since 2008 has served as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oak View Group, LLC (OVG) is an American professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Denver. It manages several sports venues including the 18,300-capacity Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington (US) which was constructed under the company’s supervision. The OVG was formed in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and his business partner Irving Azoff.

The TD Coliseum (formerly the FirstOntario Centre) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985 as the Copps Coliseum it has a capacity of accommodating 18,000 spectators. It primarily operates as a concert venue while historically having hosted the various professional and junior hockey teams throughout its history.

‘cbc.ca’ further stated that the 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander plays for the NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Last August, Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the keys to Hamilton at a celebration rally after he won the NBA Championship, was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the regular-season MVP and took the league-scoring title.

New York (US)-based the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and one (1) in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.

The NBA Finals is the annual Championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference Champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion.

The investment is framed as a long-term commitment to Hamilton’s economic and cultural growth, according to Oak View Group.

Opined Gilgeous-Alexander in a statement, “Becoming a part of the ownership group at the TD Coliseum is really personal for me. Growing up in Hamilton shaped who I am, so having the opportunity to help build something special in my hometown means everything.”

Gilgeous-Alexander said music is also a “huge part” of his life in addition to sports.

Added Gilgeous-Alexander, “I want this venue to be a place where the artistes are excited to perform, where the fans can experience the world-class shows right here in the City, where some of my friends in music can perform, and where we’re truly investing back into the local economy.”

According to a statement from the Oak View Group there are plans for community programming and events at the TD Coliseum in collaboration with Gilgeous-Alexander’s charitable organization, the SGA Foundation.

The SGA Foundation is a Federal corporation in Toronto incorporated with the Corporations Canada, a division of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada. The entity was incorporated on November 4^th, 2025 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the Directors.

The partnership also includes naming the Ares Atrium (an atrium located along York Boulevard) inside the venue – a tribute to Gilgeous-Alexander’s son. A mural for the atrium is in the works.

The 18,000-seat TD Coliseum, originally the Copps Coliseum and then the FirstOntario Centre, was renamed in November after a $300-million renovation of the arena which opened in 1985.

It reopened its doors late November with the English musician and Member of the Beatles Paul McCartney concert.

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