Rich Paul, CEO and founder of Klutch Sports Group, the agency behind the careers of NBA superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, shared his thoughts on what could have been with Allen Iverson. 

“Allen Iverson’s impact post-Michael Jordan was second-to-none. Give me Allen Iverson leaving Georgetown, coming into the league, and today Allen Iverson will have a billion-dollar brand,” Paul told “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” 

After being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996, Iverson signed a 10-year, $50 million deal with Reebok. The Hall of Famer’s immediate success on the court translated into strong business for Reebok. 

Iverson’s first signature sneaker, released his rookie year, would spin off 18 different models from 1996 until 2014. His series of shoes is the third-longest-running basketball line in history behind Air Jordan and LeBron’s Nike line. 

“The business to be built with Allen Iverson would’ve been still sustainable today. I think he would’ve been neck-and-neck with the ‘Black Cat’ [Jordan],” Paul said. 

Jordan has built his Air Jordan brand into one of the most recognizable brands in the world, regardless of industry, and is now worth $1.6 billion, per Forbes. 

But Iverson is still reaping the benefits of his brand, despite not having the same commercial success as Jordan. The former NBA MVP now has a lifetime endorsement contract with Reebok that includes a preventative clause that pays him $800,000 annually and provides access to a $32 million trust fund in 2030.

Nike has had more breakups in the last year than most people have in a lifetime.

The iconic shoe and apparel brand severed ties with six retailers including DSW and Urban Outfitter. Last August, Nike did the same with Dillard’s and Zappos.com, among others. 

Nike has leaned into direct-to-consumer sales through its “Direct Consumer Acceleration” e-commerce and marketing strategy, launched in 2017. The strategy emphasizes cutting out middlemen, becoming more vertically integrated, and collecting data on customers. 

• Nike ended its first-party seller status with Amazon in 2019.
• Under Armour cut ties with retailers in November, as did Adidas in March.

The greatest source of uncertainty for Nike is in its Chinese operations.

Its revenue in the Greater China region grew 51% in the quarter ending Feb. 28, and the area is of growing significance to Nike’s revenue, but the company walks a fine line over human rights issues related to its cotton sourcing.

Nike has expressed concern over reports of forced labor in cotton production in China’s Xinjiang region and faced boycotts from Chinese e-commerce sites and celebrities over its reservations.

However, the brand has largely retained its favor with Chinese consumers. Most sports teams have not participated in the boycotts, and demand for Nike in China remains high.

Motosumo, a Denmark-based fit-tech startup, received a $6 million Series A round of funding this week, led by Magenta Partners.

The company, founded in 2015, designed an app to measure cycling cadence, speed, distance, and calorie burn by using the subtle movements picked up on your smartphone or tablet. All you have to do is connect it to a stationary bike.

“Even users with 20-year-old spin bikes with no sensors whatsoever can participate, climb the leaderboard, and race with our community,” Kresten Juel Jensen, Motosumo’s CEO, told TechCrunch.

After selling its software to fitness instructors and gyms, the startup is looking to push its B2C business during the pandemic. Motosumo subscriptions start at $12.99 per month and include five instructors and 40 live workouts each week. 

“On the B2B side, we have over 25,000 users and, over the last year, we passed 100,000 downloads,” said Jensen. “We expect our Motosumo member base will grow very quickly from here.”

For comparison, Peloton has roughly 625,000 paying subscribers.

The round of funding will assist in doubling the company’s network of spin class instructors across the globe and boost Motosumo’s tech and marketing teams.

The NFL officially approved an expansion of its regular season from 16 to 17 games.

What will change as a result of the NFL’s first seasonal expansion in 43 years? A lot. For starters, more games means more money for the NFL. 

A 17-game season has long been seen as a key plank in commissioner Roger Goodell’s blueprint of generating $27 billion in annual revenue by 2025. The league’s TV partners had already been operating with the understanding that there would be an extra game in 2021. 

Here are some intriguing changes:  

• Squeezing in an extra game will push back Super Bowl 56 by one week to Feb. 13, 2022.
• Beginning next year, the league has mandated that all 32 clubs will have to play games at international sites at least once every eight years.
• The 2021 regular season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 9 and ends Sunday, Jan. 9.

Some players strongly oppose a 17th game, but the NFL Players Association had already ratified the proposal as part of a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020.