Key Takeaways
- • Former NBA guard Josh Childress and Stanford teammate Justin Davis are launching a $500 million real estate fund through LandSpire Group, targeting the second half of 2022 for fundraising.
- • TPG, a $10 billion asset manager, is serving as anchor investor and incubating LandSpire through its TPG NEXT initiative, which supports diverse-led businesses with growth capital.
- • Childress, Davis, and general counsel Treana Allen are embedded as "Investors-in-Residence" within TPG's real estate team, marking the first cohort in this program.
- • LandSpire focuses on revitalizing underserved communities of color through multimillion-dollar projects spanning residential (Las Vegas apartments) and commercial (Chicago movie studios) segments.
- • The partnership represents Childress's pivot from a four-year NBA career and subsequent overseas playing stint toward impact-oriented real estate investment, explicitly positioning capital deployment toward diverse allocators as a strategic priority.
Summary
Josh Childress, the former Atlanta Hawks guard-forward who departed the NBA after four seasons to become the highest-paid overseas player in Greece, is transitioning into institutional real estate investment. Childress co-founded LandSpire Group in 2018 alongside Stanford classmate Justin Davis with the stated mission of revitalizing economically underserved communities of color. The Compton, California native resisted traditional post-playing career paths in coaching and front-office management, instead opting to develop what he describes as his own entrepreneurial "lane."
LandSpire has built a portfolio of multimillion-dollar real estate projects spanning residential and commercial assets, including apartment complexes in Las Vegas and movie studio facilities in Chicago. The firm's expansion is now backed by TPG, a $10 billion alternative asset manager, which entered a formal partnership with LandSpire in March 2021 through TPG's NEXT initiative—a dedicated program that deploys growth capital into minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Under this arrangement, Childress, Davis, and general counsel Treana Allen have been designated as the initiative's first "Investors-in-Residence," embedding them directly within TPG's real estate investment team.
The partnership has concrete near-term capital deployment targets. LandSpire plans to launch a dedicated real estate fund in the second half of 2022 with a $500 million fundraising target, positioning TPG as anchor investor. Childress has emphasized that while LandSpire operates as a for-profit enterprise, a core strategic objective is channeling increased capital toward diverse allocators and minority-owned investment vehicles. This dual mandate—financial returns combined with measurable impact in underserved markets—aligns with broader institutional investor trends toward environmental, social, and governance-integrated strategies.
The structural arrangement through TPG's platform provides LandSpire access to institutional capital sourcing, deal flow, and operational resources typically available only to established, well-capitalized real estate platforms. Childress's narrative emphasizes intentional career reinvention and value creation beyond basketball, framing his real estate venture as a continuation of his history of unconventional professional decisions.
LandSpire has built a portfolio of multimillion-dollar real estate projects spanning residential and commercial assets, including apartment complexes in Las Vegas and movie studio facilities in Chicago. The firm's expansion is now backed by TPG, a $10 billion alternative asset manager, which entered a formal partnership with LandSpire in March 2021 through TPG's NEXT initiative—a dedicated program that deploys growth capital into minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Under this arrangement, Childress, Davis, and general counsel Treana Allen have been designated as the initiative's first "Investors-in-Residence," embedding them directly within TPG's real estate investment team.
The partnership has concrete near-term capital deployment targets. LandSpire plans to launch a dedicated real estate fund in the second half of 2022 with a $500 million fundraising target, positioning TPG as anchor investor. Childress has emphasized that while LandSpire operates as a for-profit enterprise, a core strategic objective is channeling increased capital toward diverse allocators and minority-owned investment vehicles. This dual mandate—financial returns combined with measurable impact in underserved markets—aligns with broader institutional investor trends toward environmental, social, and governance-integrated strategies.
The structural arrangement through TPG's platform provides LandSpire access to institutional capital sourcing, deal flow, and operational resources typically available only to established, well-capitalized real estate platforms. Childress's narrative emphasizes intentional career reinvention and value creation beyond basketball, framing his real estate venture as a continuation of his history of unconventional professional decisions.
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