![\"Simon](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-simon-gebrelul-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-2-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>An avid sports fan, Gebrelul always dreamed of working in the NBA. He managed basketball players independently in the mid-2010s on a day-to-day basis but felt pulled toward something more. \u201c[Basketball] was my first love,\u201d Gebrelul says. \u201cThat\u2019s where I started a lot of my business relationships. But I always had an admiration for the music space. I had friends making music at the highest levels, and artists and producers would lean on me for advice for their music and beats. I saw a lane on the music business side, so I entered that world first.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a roster of just music clients initially, Gebrelul has led with a family-first approach \u2014 he\u2019s never recruited clients, nor does he plan to. In fact, he and EK met through a mutual friend at a party in 2017. At the time, EK worked in banking, and she saw that while Gebrelul \u201chad all the tools to be great,\u201d he needed \u201ca bit more structure and formality in how he was operating.\u201d She quit her job to co-found ISLA with him, and now sees the value in its family atmosphere. \u201cSimon forced me to look at things through his lens by leading with love, compassion and doing things for the people you love,\u201d EK says. \u201cSometimes that means putting them ahead of yourself, and sometimes even ahead of the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSports and music are huge parts of the culture,\u201d says Gebrelul, sitting alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and GIV\u0112ON center court at Paycom. \u201cThere\u2019s so much overlap in both of those worlds. It\u2019s not easy to make them coexist all the time. Sometimes it comes across inorganic, but if you do it the right way, you can bring the best of both worlds together.\u201d <\/p>\n
Gebrelul met Gilgeous-Alexander in 2016, when he was just a teenager with hoop dreams playing at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, a high school with a nationally recognized basketball program in Tennessee. Their first in-person meeting occurred when Gilgeous-Alexander was representing Team Canada during the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Finding that they shared both lofty ambitions and a fondness for childish humor, their bond deepened over time when they started working together during his rookie year with the Los Angeles Clippers. A turning point for Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s career came in 2019, when he was traded from the Clippers to the Thunder \u2014 and morphed into a full-fledged superstar.<\/p>\n
Last year, Gilgeous-Alexander \u2014 long known in NBA circles simply as \u201cSGA\u201d \u2014 had a historic season. The four-time All-Star won his first MVP award after leading the Thunder to a league-best 68 wins, a franchise record. His nimbleness and lethal midrange skills helped him average 32.7 points per game en route to an NBA championship and his first scoring title.<\/p>\n
![\"Shai](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-shai-gilgeous-alexander-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-1-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>As he racked up those accolades over the past year, Gilgeous-Alexander has quietly redefined how a reserved athlete (albeit one with modelesque presence) playing in one of the nation\u2019s smallest markets can position themselves in mainstream media. In tandem with his client\u2019s rise in the NBA, Gebrelul says he took a \u201chighly intentional and carefully curated approach\u201d to building his off-court portfolio, staying \u201cdisciplined in our willingness to say no\u201d and securing brand partnerships for Gilgeous-Alexander with everyone from AT&T and Converse to Audemars Piguet and YSL Beauty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 27 years old. There\u2019s a lot of games to be played, a lot of game to be learned,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander says. \u201cThat\u2019s my motivation. I would be wasting the opportunity if I didn\u2019t see how good at this game I could become. Wherever that takes me, it takes me. It\u2019s taken me places so far, I\u2019d say.\u201d <\/p>\n
Athletic excellence has translated to impact off the court for Gilgeous-Alexander, who\u2019s now a part-owner of the newly renovated TD Coliseum in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Following a renovation led by Oak View Group, the venue reopened in November with a concert by Paul McCartney and currently hosts both concerts and home games for the professional box lacrosse team the Toronto Rock. As a kid, Gilgeous-Alexander used to travel to Toronto with his younger brother and mother to attend concerts; now, he has helped to bring mainstream music back to Hamilton itself as an investor in the venue, with artists like Nine Inch Nails, Charlie Puth and GIV\u0112ON slated to perform there this year. Last August, Hamilton offered its prodigal son the key to the city and named a street in his honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic has always been a huge part of my life,\u201d Gilgeous\u2013Alexander says. \u201cI want this arena to be a place where artists feel excited to come through, where fans don\u2019t have to leave the city for world-class shows, where some of my friends who are musicians can perform and where we\u2019re truly investing back into the local economy. This is about creating opportunities and putting Hamilton on the map in a bigger way.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"GIV\u0112ON](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-giveon-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-2-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>ISLA\u2019s influence, too, extends well beyond the hardwood. In 2018, Gebrelul met R&B artist GIV\u0112ON at the home of his longtime collaborator Sevn Thomas, a producer who also happened to be a Gebrelul client. Known for his baritone voice and understated bravado, the musician immediately stood out to Gebrelul, EK and Gilgeous-Alexander, who was present the night they all met.<\/p>\n
At the time, GIV\u0112ON was working as a server at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Long Beach, Calif., and walking dogs while quietly honing his craft alongside Thomas. With Gebrelul in the fold, GIV\u0112ON continued to work toward his breakthrough opportunity \u2014 and his patience paid off when, in 2019, he landed a deal with Epic Records; in March 2020, he appeared on Drake\u2019s \u201cChicago Freestyle,\u201d which became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry. <\/p>\n
Even amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, his career quickly picked up momentum: His 2020 single \u201cHeartbreak Anniversary\u201d became his first top 20 Hot 100 hit as a solo artist, and he secured his first chart-topper in 2021 as a featured artist on Justin Bieber\u2019s \u201cPeaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last July, GIV\u0112ON released his second album, Beloved<\/em>, debuting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. A deeply felt R&B album rooted in heartbreak, solace and hope, for which Thomas produced on every track, the project was inspired in large part by the work of iconic Philadelphia Sound pioneers and production duo Gamble and Huff. Beloved<\/em> was nominated for a best R&B album Grammy, and last November GIV\u0112ON sold out New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to always tell the story of how I was a server, but now I\u2019ve been in music longer than I was a server, so I can\u2019t even say that story anymore,\u201d says GIV\u0112ON, now 30. \u201cI used to be like, \u2018Can you believe that it worked out?\u2019 Now it\u2019s like, \u2018Bro, you can\u2019t keep saying that story. We all know it worked.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s now one among many marquee names in hip-hop and R&B on the ISLA roster, along with producers and songwriters like Thomas, Boi-1da, OZ, Jahaan Sweet and, in his capacity as a producer-songwriter, Grammy winner Leon Thomas (who just took home two awards as an artist at the 2026 ceremony). OZ earned a No. 2 debut on the Hot 100 with Drake\u2019s \u201cWhat Did I Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose guys are massive hit-makers in their own regard,\u201d Gebrelul says of that pool of behind-the-scenes talent. \u201cWe manage a really special group and they\u2019re obviously a lot more low maintenance. They\u2019re at the point in their careers where they can be selective with who they work with, which is probably the No. 1 blessing as a producer.\u201d <\/p>\n And with ISLA thriving in both sports and music, Gebrelul feels like his own blessings are coming together. \u201cIn my first year of music, I got Forbes <\/em>30 Under 30 and Billboard<\/em> 40 Under 40,\u201d Gebrelul says. \u201cEven though my first love was sports, I\u2019m now able to exist in these worlds simultaneously \u2014 and at the perfect time.\u201d<\/p>\n Shai and GIV\u0112ON, how has Simon helped shape not just your careers, but the way you think about career longevity and legacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>When I met Simon and Sevn Thomas, I was still a server. I was kind of antsy about everything when it came to deals and how everything worked. I wanted to do things right away. The biggest thing Simon taught me about longevity was building up your leverage. That comes with quality, being patient and having some business acumen, too.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>Simon came to my life as a friend first, and our relationship was organic. I had an approach on the court that I hadn\u2019t really homed in with longevity and being professional. He showed me how to take that approach on the business side of life. From there, everything skyrocketed. He unlocked a bunch of doors that I hadn\u2019t even seen. He changed my life.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>He\u2019s a wizard.<\/p>\n Simon, what\u2019s the hardest part of managing superstardom across two industries where the pressure, pace and public expectations sometimes differ?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>It\u2019s two different types of pressure. In Shai\u2019s field, he\u2019s on the court and that\u2019s where his results come from. I can\u2019t really [influence] that. Whereas in GIV\u0112ON\u2019s world, it\u2019s more subjective. You got to have more input. You got to think about your rollout, the creative and how the songs sound because music is subjective. Your whole circle at the table can say, \u201cThis is a perfect album,\u201d but if the world doesn\u2019t receive it like that, there\u2019s nothing we can do.<\/p>\n Both [Shai and GIV\u0112ON] make it real easy by being amazing at what they do. They love their craft.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>I\u2019d think it would be easier for Simon because [for him] it\u2019s the same standard to reach success no matter what you\u2019re doing, and he holds you to that. We\u2019ve gone into deals and Simon will think higher than what I would think about myself, and I\u2019m a very confident dude.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>[When it came to my record deal], I thought it was a nice number and then [Simon] 10x\u2019d it. That\u2019s why I\u2019m also able to take time with my creative process, because we don\u2019t say yes to anything and everything. We\u2019re financially healthy.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON, you\u2019ve checked major career boxes already, from earning multiple Grammy nominations to selling out Madison Square Garden. From a competitive standpoint, what still drives you?<\/strong><\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>I want to do a full arena tour. That\u2019s one of the main things that drives me, just because the quality of the show could be higher for each and every city. The MSG show, we added a couple more pieces, so I want everyone to get the same experience all across the board. And I want a Grammy. Please. I\u2019m at eight nominations now. I would like one, please. (Laughs<\/em>.) (GIV\u0112ON lost out in the best R&B album category to his ISLA mate Thomas.)<\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>Shai actually met GIV\u0112ON the same time we did. He was a rookie on the [Los Angeles] Clippers. Me, Shai and EK were chilling and were about to pull up at Sevn\u2019s house. I think Shai just finished a game and GIV\u0112ON was there and that ascension kind of happened at the same time. Shai was a rookie in the NBA, and Giv was [starting out] too. <\/p>\n Also, he was one of the artists that I called \u201cCOVID babies.\u201d There\u2019s a couple of artists that popped during COVID that didn\u2019t have a live experience. His first festival performance was Lollapalooza, main stage. He kind of had to jump right into the deep end with Lollapalooza, Wireless, Coachella and Met Gala. It was a quick ascension.<\/p>\n Shai, you just had the kind of season most players chase their entire careers, winning MVP, an NBA championship and Finals MVP. How do you stay motivated after a year like that, and what\u2019s left for you to chase?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>I always say this: When I was a kid, I picked up a basketball to see how good I could become. My goals and aspirations were on a list \u2014 and were things that happened along the way \u2014 but my final [goal] has always been seeing what I can become. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019m far from that.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve drawn Michael Jordan comparisons over the past year because of your style of play Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>I\u2019d be lying if I said it wasn\u2019t flattering. Being in conversations with a guy like that \u2014 who is the face of basketball \u2014 is pretty insane. Honestly speaking, I don\u2019t really love them just because he\u2019s three-peated twice, what he did for the sneaker business \u2014 and everything he\u2019s been to the game \u2014 I think it\u2019s a disservice to compare me seven years in to what he\u2019s been. So, I don\u2019t love them, but I appreciate them. That\u2019s what I\u2019m after, that\u2019s what I\u2019m chasing, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m striving for.<\/p>\n What does being ONE OF the best in R&B and music look like for you right now, GIV\u0112ON?<\/strong> <\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>As much as there\u2019s similarities between sports and music, that\u2019s one of the things I don\u2019t compare. I look at it more like a garden \u2014 there\u2019s different types of flowers that are there. Some flowers are going to be bigger than others; it\u2019s just a different thing, especially knowing that my sound is just a cocktail of all the music I grew up listening to.<\/p>\n People are comparing my upbringing to someone else\u2019s upbringing and my personal stories to someone else\u2019s stories. So, I don\u2019t actually rank [myself], but there are technical abilities that you could rank, like how well you put on a show, how well you tell a story [and] your uniqueness. I will say if we\u2019re going off technical and not just subjectiveness, I feel like I rank among the top.<\/p>\n Simon, how do you feel about R&B today?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>I feel like there\u2019s been a resurgence in R&B \u2014 not to dis the genre because I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been dead. I don\u2019t even like when they say, \u201cR&B is back.\u201d Objectively speaking, there\u2019s been a resurgence the last couple of years. I think it\u2019s in a great space. So many great, foundational R&B artists. Some of the older artists are still dropping music that resonates with a lot of people. A lot of artists are dipping into R&B and are dropping R&B projects that aren\u2019t R&B artists first, like Drake with the [$ome $exy $ongs 4 U<\/em>] album. Then, you have a lot of new R&B artists on [the come up]. Accessibility is at an all-time high. You can get a mic and make crazy melodies and you\u2019re an R&B artist at that point, right?<\/p>\n Who was on your playlist in 2025, Shai?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>I listen to four artists religiously: Giv, Drake, [Lil] Yachty and Justin Bieber. Two rappers and two singers. Those are my defaults. And then I just mix rappers in every now and then. If we\u2019re on the plane, the vibes are a little different. So I have to work the room and not just play what I want to play. (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>Shai and GIV\u0112ON are very notorious for being early on artists. That\u2019s what I appreciate most. Shai\u2019s list is super mainstream, but he has that layer of him like Giv. They\u2019ll listen to artists, and we\u2019re like, \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d Three months later, [they blow up].<\/p>\n Simon, what was the preparation like on a day-to-day basis when GIV\u0112ON was on tour and Shai was gearing up for an NBA season?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>It was a lot. We do a great job of staying together. I remember during the Western Conference Finals [in May 2025], and Giv had his Billboard<\/em> playback in New York. EK stayed with Giv. I was [in Oklahoma City] the day Shai won Western Conference Finals MVP. I couldn\u2019t miss that moment. We do a good job of trying to be everywhere together but also realizing that Giv is an artist \u2014 he moves around a lot. He has a great team that corresponds with us on the highest level and if there\u2019s any type of hiccup, it gets corrected right away. Shai is a hooper, so he has his literal team around him. So it\u2019s not like we have to be there in that regard.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the toughest internal battle each of you has faced in your careers so far, and how did you overcome it?<\/strong><\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>I can start by saying how the ascension was so quick. I was always aware of my ability and talent, but as I started to break through that ceiling, at a certain point it becomes impostor syndrome. You have to walk around like, \u201cYeah, I can sell out MSG in presale\u201d; otherwise, you\u2019re going to make yourself smaller than you actually are.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>Telling people no and standing for what I actually want. By nature, I\u2019m just a very laid-back guy. I live my life, do what I\u2019m supposed to do on a daily basis and take care of who I need to take care of. In the past, I\u2019d just go with the flow and not really care. If it wasn\u2019t massive or detrimental [to me], I would let it slide. I was being taken advantage of because of my passive personality. I\u2019ve just grown to understand the people that I want around me \u2014 whether I tell them no or yes \u2014 will just clear the room for the people that you really want around you. That will make life simpler in the end. Simon and EK have helped me with that tremendously through this process. I\u2019ve definitely grown in that area the most. <\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>Simon will definitely tell somebody no.<\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>That\u2019s definitely my favorite thing, but for me, I think my No. 1 battle since I started has been complacency. It\u2019s something that\u2019s not front-facing, because as a manager, you can\u2019t show that, especially when you\u2019re preaching to clients not to be. (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n EK would tell me that I\u2019m not where I should be and I would look at her crazy kind of in the beginning of my career. When you look back at it, you\u2019re like, \u201cYou weren\u2019t that crazy.\u201d It\u2019s easy to be complacent when you\u2019re young and you meet a certain level of success. It\u2019s kind of human nature to be a little bit complacent, but that\u2019s why there\u2019s a small percentage of people who touch greatness. It\u2019s a different gear you have to kick into to erase complacency.<\/p>\n What does accountability mean to the three of you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>The truth at all times. That\u2019s how I\u2019d sum it up. No matter what, no matter how it\u2019s going to make you feel, it\u2019s always the truth.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>I\u2019m a little more emotional. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Sometimes, I\u2019d need to go away and write it out. Then, I\u2019ll look at it objectively. I get stubborn. <\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>That\u2019s a good question because that\u2019s \u201cthe artist\u201d versus \u201cthe athlete.\u201d Shai can take the harsh truth, but he\u2019ll dish it too.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>I need something sugarcoated.<\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>It\u2019s not even sugarcoated. [GIV\u0112ON] might be super defensive when he first hears it, but he\u2019ll sit, let it register and be like, \u201cYou know, you\u2019re right.\u201d That\u2019s the biggest difference between the two worlds in terms of accountability.<\/p>\n GIV\u0112ON: <\/strong>(To Gilgeous-Alexander<\/em>.) I don\u2019t know how you develop that. Sometimes I\u2019ll watch some of your postgames before I go on [stage].<\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>Shai\u2019s postgame [interviews], he\u2019ll take accountability for things that were legit not his fault. (Laughs<\/em>.) He\u2019s overaccountable. It\u2019s good to be at fault, sometimes.<\/p>\n Shai, where did you get this thick-skinned mentality from?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander: <\/strong>My parents. We couldn\u2019t come home and make excuses for whatever it was. Whether we got in trouble at school or played badly at a tournament on the weekend, everything was, \u201cDid you do what you could control?\u201d That\u2019s all that they cared about. That\u2019s what was taught to me and my brother at a really young age.<\/p>\n I remember coming home from a basketball game [with my cousin] and we could lose by 20. Both of us can have like 20 and 15 [points] at 9 years old \u2014 which was like 40 [then] \u2014 and it was our faults being the best players on the team. Things like that are instilled in us now. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.<\/p>\n Simon, when you think back to when you started ISLA, is this what you envisioned?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Gebrelul: <\/strong>Yeah, for sure. Shai has the hottest sneaker out right now [in collaboration with Converse]. A basketball sneaker you can wear off the court. GIV\u0112ON just sold out MSG. He\u2019s turning into an arena artist. He\u2019s growing in his own regard.<\/p>\n Our team has to be bigger to support both things. I don\u2019t think scaling means adding 10 more clients or 15 new managers. I get a lot of DMs, but growing comfortably is more my goal. Individual growth for everybody is more important than adding a bunch of people. ISLA is a very family-oriented company. My clients are my friends.<\/p>\n This story appears in the Feb. 7, 2026, issue of <\/em>Billboard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s mere days before Christmas, and Paycom...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entretenimiento"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-giveon-sga-simon-gebrelul-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-1800.jpg?w=300\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>![\"Simon](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-simon-gebrelul-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-1-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>
and success. How do you balance the weight of those comparisons with your desire to define your own legacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Shai](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-shai-gilgeous-alexander-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-2-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>![\"GIV\u0112ON](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-giveon-billboard-2026-bb2-diwang-valdez-1-1200.jpg?w=200\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>![\"Shai](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cover-sga-giveon-simon-gebrelul-billboard-2026-bb2-1500.jpg?w=231\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n