Former Basketball Pro Jonathan Aka Gets in the Game at Elliman’s Sports & Entertainment Arm

After playing 10 seasons as a 6’8″ power forward in the French Basketball League for top-tier teams including Paris-Levallois and ASM Monaco, Jonathan Aka found himself at the same crossroads where so many other professional athletes have stood when the time comes to retire: What’s next? For the Paris-born player, who was visiting New York City when he decided to retire at the end of the 2016 season, the answer was to stay and get in the real estate game. Since transitioning from professional sports to residential real estate and joining Elliman in 2017, Jonathan has channeled the same discipline and dedication that drove his success in basketball into a second act as a high-performing agent for the brokerage’s Sports & Entertainment division .  Drawing on a broad network developed over years of extensive travel, he has built an international clientele that includes prominent sports figures and executives in the film, finance and technology industries. Reflecting on his decision to pursue a career in real estate, Jonathan recalled that Douglas Elliman was the only brokerage he considered working for. “As far as brand recognition and reputation for excellence, there’s really only Elliman,” he said. Once aboard, Jonathan quickly learned another unique characteristic of the company: the unusual accessibility of its leadership. Just a month after joining, he booked a trip to Florida to attend Elliman’s annual gathering at Art Basel Miami Beach and introduce himself to Howard M. Lorber, the executive chairman of the company. “I told him I had great ambitions and goals I wanted to achieve at the company, and he said, ‘Let’s meet,’” Jonathan recalled. Their initial meeting weeks later was the first in what became regular check-ins over the years, with Lorber encouraging Jonathan to keep pushing himself and setting ever more ambitious targets for achievement. “For the head of a company to make time to meet with me is a rare thing,” Jonathan noted. “I cannot imagine that happening at a company in France.” Clearly, the encouragement has inspired him. He has ranked repeatedly among Elliman’s top 20 agents in rental and sales, with $20,000month condo and townhouse rentals across the city and sales in such coveted neighborhoods as the Upper East Side, NoMad, Chelsea, TribecaHudson Square, Dumbo and Williamsburg. Having sold properties in the $3 million-to-$5 million range in marquee buildings like One High Line and The Cortland, he is currently preparing to relaunch an $8-million listing in The Huys Condominium at 404 Park Avenue South. Although an injury-prone knee limits the amount of time he can spend on the court, Jonathan leverages his work with the Sports & Entertainment division to stay in the professional sports world and forge relationships with current players for the Knicks and other teams. His connections through the National Basketball Players Association have enabled him to talk with players about planning for their own post-career journeys. “It can be hard to make that transition,” he said. “I assure them that life isn’t over and that they can find something to be passionate about the way real estate is for me.” As he continues to build a clientele that includes a number of buyers who began as high-end renters, Jonathan takes particular satisfaction in being able to share the expertise he has gained in his journey from athlete to agent. “Becoming a successful professional in another field is something I am really proud of,” he said. “To be able to connect with people and be a source of trusted advice on a subject I know a lot about is what brings me the most joy these days.”