The list of investors for CLMBR — the connected climbing machine and workout class company — is turning into a who’s who of top athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs.

CLMBR closed on a $13.5 million funding round last month that included investments from tennis star Novak Djokovic, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, and music artists Pitbull and Jay-Z, according to The Denver Post. 

The company will use the funding to double its staff and invest in inventory and technology. It will also open a new headquarters in Denver.

After hitting the market in April 2020 with a $2,499 price tag, CLMBR is now sold to both consumers and commercial gyms. It faces stiff competition in a $10.7 billion home fitness market that’s surged due to the pandemic. 

• Ergatta, a connected rowing company that gamifies workouts, raised $30 million at a $200 million valuation in April.
• Tonal, a wall-mounted system, raised $250 million in March with contributions from Drew Brees, Sue Bird, and Mike Tyson. 
• Home fitness startup Tempo raised $220 million in April and has more than tripled its $250 million valuation from last June.

Jay-Z appears to be particularly fond of the space. The Grammy-winning rapper and business mogul also invested in LIT Method, a low-impact training system, back in April through his VC firm Marcy Venture Partners.

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore reached an agreement to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx from Glen Taylor in a mid-May deal worth $1.5 billion.

Now, they’re reportedly interested in moving the Timberwolves to Seattle, the previous home of the Supersonics-turned-Oklahoma City Thunder, and where Rodriguez began his MLB career in 1994.

Minority owner Meyer Orbach sued Taylor for $300 million late last month over a potential move — breaking the team’s Target Center lease ending in 2035 alone would cost $50 million. Taylor has said the teams would stay in Minnesota, but legal language in the existing agreement doesn’t guarantee it. 

If the Timberwolves do end up moving, what happens to the Lynx?

No city currently has two WNBA teams, and it may not be feasible. The league has lost $10 million a year since its inception, though viewership jumped 74% this season.

• The Lynx are more successful on the court than the Timberwolves, winning four titles in the past decade while the Timberwolves haven’t won any. 
• The Seattle Storm has stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart on their roster. The team’s won four championships total, including two in the last five years.

Rodriguez has made no indication that the Lynx are a priority — he failed to mention the team in his opening press conference — whereas Taylor treated the teams with equal regard, pushing for a “co-branded” Target Center, according to Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.

Top athletes are getting paid record amounts, and endorsements are the driving force.

The 50 highest-paid athletes from the one-year period ending May 1 made more than they ever have, according to Forbes.

Conor McGregor topped the list with his $180 million year. Lionel Messi ($130 million), Dak Prescott ($107.5 million), LeBron James ($96.5 million), and Naomi Osaka ($60 million) set the respective records for soccer, football, basketball, and female athletes.

• Most of the top 50 play either football (18) or basketball (13). The listed NBA players all had at least $7 million in endorsements, but NFL players not named Brady or Mahomes were much more dependent on their salaries.
• With the pandemic canceling events and trimming event purses, golf and tennis stars were highly reliant on sponsorships. Tiger Woods and Roger Federer made a relative pittance, $200,000 and $30,000, respectively, for their play, but raked in $60 million and $90 million in endorsements.
• Naomi Osaka ($55 million in endorsements), Phil Mickelson ($40 million), Serena Williams ($40 million), and Novak Djokovic ($30 million) each made between $1-5 million on the court or golf course.

No baseball players made the top 50, but they might have in a normal year. The league prorated 2020 salaries to around 37% of their original value because the season was shortened to 60 games. Six players, led by Mike Trout’s $37.7 million, would have made the list just based on their 2021 salaries.

No NHL or NASCAR athletes crossed the list’s $34 million threshold — the highest it’s ever been.