Doug Mack and Fanatics have created a new breed of retailer

When the National Basketball Association opened its new flagship store in New York City less than two years ago, it picked a low-profile e-commerce brand called Fanatics to run it. And when the NBA announced a new partner this year to design and sell its player replica jerseys online, Fanatics was the partner it chose. Under CEO Doug Mack’s leadership, Fanatics has become a new breed of retailer that is part tech company, part e-commerce expert and part manufacturer.

Mack was key in landing Fanatics’ unprecedented league partnerships, including decade-long deals with MLB and the NHL. And after a series of acquisitions and cash injections from investors totaling around $1.7 billion, it is now a giant online retailer of licensed sports apparel and other fan gear through Fanatics.com, as well as the online stores of the four major sports leagues and more than 200 professional and collegiate teams. Fanatics expects to generate $2.2 billion in revenue this year — profitably.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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