After Managing Music Heavyweights, Founder of ISLA MANAGEMENT Simon Gebrelul is Making Waves in Sports

ISLA MANAGEMENT founder Simon Gebrelul vividly remembers being in the Philippines for the 2016 Canadian national team’s Olympic qualifiers, joining the three week trip as Tristan Thompson’s longtime manager and close friend. It was in Manila where Simon met current style icon and frontrunner for NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was then just a 16-year-old playing for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. 

The two have built a big brother, little brother type of bond ever since Simon invited Shai to his nightly dinners with Tristan out in the Philippines. “We immediately connected over laughter,” Simon says. Fast forward nearly 10 years, and Simon and Shai still share that same brotherhood, only now in a more official capacity, as ISLA MANAGEMENT represents the All-Star.

“When Shai got drafted to the NBA, we had already started ISLA on the music side. As both of our careers progressed, we organically found an amazing way for our businesses to intersect,” Simon says. “And the rest is history.”

Alongside his partner EK, Simon founded ISLA MANAGEMENT in 2018. It is one of the few companies that operates in the music and basketball industries simultaneously. ISLA doesn’t recruit its clients. The relationships, both working and personal, materialize naturally, from discovering R&B artist Giveon to representing Boi-1da, OZ, Jahaan Sweet and more. Shai brings yet another multidimensional layer to the company’s roster of hitmakers. And Simon knows
this is just the beginning.

“What excites me most is knowing this is the tip of the iceberg for Shai. He is honestly just getting started,” Simon says. “I don’t see a boundary or limit to where Shai can take it. Maybe I’m being biased, but I believe he can be one of the greatest ever, on and off the court.”