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What he’s not in that he wants to be in:
“The NBA, the NFL. I would love to be part of those leagues. I have some work to do in terms of net worth and balance sheet. But down the line, that’s my goal: to become a governor of one of those teams. It’s an aspiration of, I think, many former athletes.”
On the growth of women’s sports as an asset class:
“You’re starting to see a shift in where marketing dollars are going. Traditionally, men’s sports gobbled up a large chunk of those marketing dollars.”
“Now, you’re seeing this shift where a lot of that marketing spend is going to women’s sports, and you’re seeing a lot more new interest in the women’s sports space.”
“I would assume that a Sephora, or a Skims, or some of these kind of women-forward brands, wouldn’t have been as inclined to lean in to marketing to the Warriors team, or what have you, but them having women’s sports, and women watching women’s sports—and being able to market to those individuals—has created a nice new pool of capital that is driving a lot of this growth in women’s sports.”
On whether he wishes he played during the NIL era:
“I could have made some money. But look, it’s a unique moment in time for these student athletes. I’m more concerned with making sure that they take care of their financials, getting the right advice, getting the right tax advice, and just making sure that, when you come out of college—whether you’re an NBA draft pick or you play overseas, or whatever it is—but you’re coming out with a nest egg that you can build off of.”
“That’s the biggest thing I’m excited about for these student athletes, but also my biggest concern. Making sure they’re coming into this educated, with the right people around them.”
Which athletes are doing it right in the business world:
“Personally, for me, the model unfortunately passed away, but [former NBA player] Junior Bridgeman was one for me. Similar story in that we weren’t superstars in our respective fields, but we tried to build businesses off the court that dwarfed what we were able to do on the court. He was able to do that better than anybody. I think Grant Hill has been another one for me. He’s quietly built a really nice portfolio of investment assets and sports assets. Those are probably my top two.”
The best advice he’d give to someone trying to get into the business world:
“Always find a mentor, a good mentor. That’s incredibly important. As athletes, we always had a coach, and yet we get into business and feel like we can do it ourselves. Finding a mentor who can help you navigate industries, navigate pitfalls, navigate issues, navigate potential partnerships, potential deals. That’s incredibly important and it’s the first thing I’d suggest. Somebody that doesn’t need anything from you, doesn’t want anything from you, just wants to help and see you grow. That’s worth more than you can imagine.”
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