Virginia WCBB Gets Multi-Year Donation from Serena Williams' Husband Alexis Ohanian
The Virginia women's basketball team received a sizable donation from Alexis Ohanian, the husband of retired tennis legend Serena Williams.
The exact dollar amount wasn't released but the multi-year gift is the largest in the history of the Virginia women's basketball program, according to ESPN's Michael Voepel. It also represents the second-largest gift to women's athletics in the university's history, per a press release.
The donation will help the school become "a premier destination for female student-athletes while addressing the financial and competitive demands of this new era of college athletics," via the release.
Ohanian, who graduated from Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce in 2005 and co-founded the social media platform Reddit, explained how his status as one of the founding control owners in the NWSL's Angel City FC and the recent growth of women's basketball affected the donation decision.
"Starting Angel City and seeing the wave of investment in women's sports really has been inspiring," Ohanian said, per Voepel. "Women's basketball has popped up constantly on my radar, and lots of folks have been asking me about it."
"I am in New York a lot for work and I live in Florida, so Charlottesville is an easy stop in between, so I'll be catching quite a few games," he added.
Ohanian has been present at Cavaliers games prior to his donation, as he was spotted sitting courtside during the team's season-opener on Nov. 4.
While Virginia is still attempting to replicate the immense success it experienced under legendary head coach Debbie Ryan from 1981 through 2011, the team is off to an encouraging start in 2024.
The Cavaliers sit at 6-5 through 11 games as they attempt to secure their first NCAA Tournament spot since the 2017-18 season.