When the media tried to label Alexis Ohanian as his wife Serena Williams’ umbrella holder at the Paris Olympics, he leaned into the joke instead of reminding people that he made millions as a recent college graduate years before ever meeting the sports icon.
The doting father of the couple’s two daughters, Olympia and Adira, even managed to flip rapper Drake’s attempt at dissing the Reddit co-founder after being reduced to being Williams’ groupie.
Ohanian clapped back at slight in 2022’s “Middle of the Ocean,” tweeting, “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.”
“They call Serena Williams husband, Serena Williams husband so much i don’t even know his name- i just know he successful and never had a problem with it!” wrote a fan on Twitter.
Now, weeks after the tennis phenom’s fans attempted to accuse the entrepreneur of marrying Williams for financial gain, the tennis champ has blasted to the world that her man is in fact making another money move of his own.
“Have you heard about this @athlos? @alexisohanian does it again. The biggest supporter and advocate of women’s sport now bringing the biggest check to women’s track,” Williams tweeted along with an interview Ohanian recently did with “CBS Mornings.”
His latest venture is helping to raise awareness and increase funding for female competitors in track and field with the upcoming Athlos meet, formerly known as the 776 Invitational.
Have you heard about this @athlos ? @alexisohanian does it again. The biggest supporter and advocate of women’s sport now bringing the biggest check to women’s track. Check it out: https://t.co/g7uycRtDbK
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 16, 2024
The event will host top sprinters like Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes when it takes place on Sept. 26 in New York. Aside from its purpose, what sets the event apart from other track meets are the prizes, which include $60,000 for the first-place winner and Tiffany crowns.
One of the reactions to her post read, “You guys have become one of my favorite power couples.” Someone also replied, “YOUR MAN IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ALLIES.” While a third chimed in with, “Your fella is a keeper, Ms Serena.”
As Ohanian revealed in a Twitter post while in Paris, the venture capital investor also is giving the athletes competing at Athlos $60,000 of his own money for winning a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. In total, 36 women are scheduled to race in Athlos. Thus far, only nine have been announced, and of them, six earned gold in Paris.
Olympic Track & Field starts today (good luck, @vmfraley!) 🥇And to the 36 women running my @athlos NYC event Sept 26 for a record-breaking top prize of $60K — I'll *also* pay you $60K if you win a gold medal here in #Paris2024💪 pic.twitter.com/ZF9pauU1QV
— Alexis Ohanian 🇦🇲 (@alexisohanian) August 2, 2024
A heckler attempted to derail the announcement when they claimed his message translated to “I am going to use Serena’s money because me have no money to spend like that.”
Ohanian hit back, “You created an entire Twitter account just to say something that stupid?”
Estimates of the tech leader’s net worth place him at about $150 million, whereas Williams is believed to be worth at least $300 million. Through his VC firm, 776, Ohanian and partners have created a purported portfolio of 108 known startups with 222 investments equaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
This most recent clapback arrives weeks after fans suspected the two were separated or going through a divorce. In early July, many noticed Serena galavanting all across Europe though her husband of seven years was absent from photos she shared online. Speculation grew even further after Serena was spotted without her wedding ring. But it seems that all is good within the Williams-Ohanian household.
