Basketball legend Michael Jordan will join two of the sports betting industry’s most influential figures at SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon this autumn.
The event is scheduled to run from 29 September to 1 October, drawing an expected 40,000 attendees from across the global gaming industry.
Carsten Koerl, the CEO and Founder of Sportradar, and Jason Robins, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of DraftKings, will both appear alongside Jordan in the opening keynote session.
The trio represent a remarkable convergence of sports icon status and iGaming industry power at one of the sector’s most high-profile annual gatherings.
Jason Robins has previously spoken about Jordan’s involvement with DraftKings, making clear the significance of the relationship between the two organisations.
Robins stated: “Very excited to have Michael Jordan as a special advisor to our board… on business strategy and product innovation, as well as diversity.”
Jordan also holds an investment stake in Sportradar, making his connection to Koerl and the data analytics giant an equally important part of his sports business portfolio.
Koerl has spoken warmly about Jordan’s character and priorities, describing the basketball icon in notably personal terms following their working relationship.
Koerl noted that Jordan is “down to earth; very humble” and “very interested in young players – how can you help young players? He wants to protect young players.”
That focus on player welfare adds a distinctive dimension to Jordan’s involvement in the sports data and betting space, going beyond pure commercial interest.
SBC Summit has established itself as one of the premier events on the global sports betting and iGaming calendar, consistently attracting top-tier industry leadership.
Lisbon has become a fixture as the host city for the summit, providing a high-profile European backdrop for major announcements and keynote addresses each year.
The combination of Jordan, Koerl, and Robins on one stage signals that organisers are positioning 2026’s opening session as one of the most significant in the event’s history.
With DraftKings and Sportradar both central pillars of the modern sports betting ecosystem, their respective leaders bring enormous industry weight to the keynote lineup.
Delegates attending SBC Summit 2026 will have a rare opportunity to hear three genuinely influential figures discuss the direction of sports, data, and betting in a single session.
