JAY-Z’s iconic 40/40 Club in partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook officially returned to Fanatics Fest this weekend, beginning on Friday, June 20 and extending through Sunday, June 22.
Over the last two days, celebrities, athletes, and luminaries such as LeBron James, Hailey Bieber, Kevin Costner, Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, Quavo, Meek Mill, Tiffany Haddish, Ciara, Russell Wilson, Odell Beckham Jr., Micah Parsons, Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Malik Nabers, Davante Adams, Logan Paul, Aaron Donald, Cam Newton, Draymond Green, Bryce Young, Gayle King, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Lil Uzi Vert, Charlotte Flair, Dave East, Dez Bryant, and Johnny Manziel packed the recreation of JAY-Z’s famed bar and lounge – creating a star-studded Blue Carpet that only Roc Nation and Fanatics could bring to life.
The club once again featured framed sports jerseys from the 40/40 archive, as well as grand chandeliers, stadium seating, and food inspired by the club’s original menu. The guest list was comprised of athletes, influencers, and entertainers personally invited by JAY-Z and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, culminating in a uniquely rarified atmosphere.
The 40/40 Club in partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook, Fanatics Games, The Theater, and the event’s impressive array of high-profile panels, such as The Shop Live with Tom Brady, Kai Cenat, and Victor Wembanyama hosted by LeBron James, Paul Rivera, and Maverick Carter, The QB Playbook with Jayden Daniels, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino hosted by Taylor Rooks, Catching Fire with CeeDee Lamb, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill hosted by Keegan-Michael Kay, and many more. A shirtless Tom Brady, Victor Wembanyama and Ja’Maar Chase each took cold plunges with Kevin Hart on the Cold As Balls Stage in front of a packed house.
Guests at The 40/40 Club included: LeBron James, Tom Brady, Hailey Bieber, Kevin Hart, Odell Beckham Jr., James Harden, Quavo, Micah Parsons, Meek Mill, Ja’Marr Chase, Draymond Green, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Davante Adams, Malik Nabers, Cam Newton, Georges St-Pierre (GSP), Taylor Rooks, Charlotte Flair, Rich Paul, Murda Beatz, Damar Hamlin, CC Sabathia, Miles ‘Deuce’ McBride, Tiffany Haddish, Dave East, Druski, Darrelle Revis and more.
JAY-Z and LeBron James shared a legendary moment at Fanatics Fest NYC, swapping autographed basketball jerseys with personal messages for each other inside the iconic The 40/40 Club—an unforgettable exchange between two of the greatest to ever do it.
During Trade Night at Fanatics Fest NYC, Jayden Daniels, Michael Rubin and Josh Harris joined a a room full of thousands of collectors participating in 1-on-1 trades. During the event, Rubin and Harris challenged the crowd to produce the most valuable Jayden Daniels card they could find while compelling nominations poured in from across the room. Josh Harris ended up cutting a deal with one fan for $500,000 and a signed Jayden Daniels jersey to purchase the card with intent to display it at Northwest Stadium this season.
Roaring ovations were heard throughout the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff event, with fans chanting the entrance themes for Superstars such as Randy Orton, Jey Uso, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and CM Punk. At one point a member of the audience held up a baby dressed exactly like CM Punk and the crowd began chanting, dubbing the child “Baby Punk”. Triple H closed out the session by congratulating fans for coming out in support of the WWE and Fanatics Fest and remarking on how fandom bleeds across sports, citing Tom Brady’s CM Punk entrance and Rob Gronkowski’s rendition of the DX chop during their WWE walkouts.
Victor Wembanyama took Fanatics Fest NYC by storm—one chessboard at a time. The NBA superstar faced off against 100 fans in a jaw-dropping chess tournament, with every surprise move and clutch checkmate, Wemby turned the room electric, proving he’s not just a basketball star—he’s a king of chess, too.
Fanatics Games continued electric fashion as fans swarmed around popular streamer IShowSpeed, who wowed the crowd with a backflip during his WWE Entrance. IShowSpeed’s livestream drew over 40 million viewers as he went through the gauntlet of Fanatics Games.
A special taping of The Shop Live from Fanatics Fest with Tom Brady, Kai Cenat, and Victor Wembanyama hosted by Lebron James, Paul Rivera, and Maverick Carter.Brady said fans are “witnessing the greatest ever” when referring to James for all the intensity that he has endured throughout his career and how he’s always done things the right way while continuing to deliver.
NFL WRs Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and CeeDee Lamb interrupted their hilarious panel with Keegan-Michael Key to shout out the sign language interpreter for keeping up with the discussion. They then proceeded to test his skills and observe how he’d react to them reciting lyrics from Migos’ “Hannah Montana” and naming characters from the iconic Key & Peele football names sketch like: ‘JackMerius Tacktheritrix.’
NBA superstar James Harden and influencer Druski competed in Fanatics Games—with the former choosing to rev up the crowd as “Hulk Harden” during his WWE walkout. Afterwards, the dynamic duo opened up packs of cards together and threw cards into the crowd of excited fans who swarmed the area.
During the Style in Motion fashion panel: Tiffany Haddish, Druski, Joe Burrow, James Harden, Jordan Chiles, Seth Rollins and Odell Beckham Jr. invited the audience to play “Drip or Slip” with them while rating the fashion looks from some of today’s top athletes.
Fans were out in full force for Fanatics Fest autograph sessions: a Dallas Cowboys fan had Emmett Smith autograph a photograph of her triplets named “Emmett, Michael, and Troy.” WWE Superstar, The Undertaker, was asked to sign a 40-pound tombstone. Tyreek Hill led the crowd in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a twelve-year-old fan. Even celebrities got in on the action—with DJ Khaled asking Dan Marino to sign the musician’s ultra-rare Miami Dolphins themed Jordan 11s.
