The NBA is unanimously revered as the most-forward thinking major U.S. professional league, even most recently being the first among the five major leagues to regularly broadcast regular season games in virtual reality this year. That mindset doesn’t start and stop at the league office, though.
With the 2017 NBA All-Star weekend festivities a week away in New Orleans, SportTechie is highlighting the top five most tech-savvy All-Stars making a name for themselves off the hardwood and in the technology, social and digital startup scenes.
1) He has been known to sit in liquid nitrogen freezing chambers for a few minutes at a time to expedite the body recovery process, reduce inflammation and decrease pain. LeBron James isn’t the first nor lone NBA player taking advantage of cryotherapy, as it’s more commonly referred to, but he is probably the most well-known.
Additionally, as part of his lucrative business and investment portfolio, which includes his SpringHill Entertainment production company and multi-platform media company Uninterrupted, the three-time NBA champion caught a reported $30 million equity cash payout following the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple in the summer of 2014.
In the late 2000s, two separate investments in WePlay, an online community for youth athletes, parents and coaches, eventually turned into the company being acquired by TeamSnap in 2013. In 2016, the 31-year-old James had a net worth of $275 million, according to Forbes.
2) It isn’t all highlight-reel clips and three-pointers from 30 feet for two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. The Davidson graduate is ingrained in startups, counting himself as a co-founder and investor in Slyce, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based social media publishing and tracking platform for brands and athletes. Just this week, Curry helped launch a group video and text app called Bubble, which is part of his portfolio of digital startups.
Curry is also the face of startup platform CoachUp, which pairs athletes across a number of sports with coaches for one-on-one or group coaching sessions. He joined CoachUp in the Spring of 2015 with an equity stake and is also part owner of the Boston-based company. His wife, Ayesha, also recently dove into the startup life, soon launching a meal kit delivery service called Gather.
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3) Utah Jazz star forward Gordon Hayward is one of the more public NBA players about his interest in eSports and the growing phenomenon, one that has received investments from NBA owners like Ted Leonsis of the Washington Wizards and Steve Kaplan of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Last summer, Hayward — who calls himself the “best player in the game today” when it comes to gaming and has his own Twitch live streaming channel — became the first NBA player to sign an eSports endorsement deal as he locked in a year-long partnership with high-performance gaming company HyperX to wear the headsets around the arena and in the locker room.
“Video games have always been an escape for me. Above anything else they’re just really fun and a great way to connect with others online and be competitive,” Gordon said as part of the announcement. “As an avid gamer and professional athlete, I know how important it is to have the best equipment to compete, and I’m excited to have joined the HyperX team to represent their gaming gear and build upon their reputation of having the most comfortable and best sounding headsets on the market.”
On a podcast this past May, Hayward even alluded to the possibility of buying an eSports team. He wouldn’t be the first NBA player, though, as Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko purchased a franchise last August.
“I am actively looking to get involved and have explored multiple opportunities that have presented themselves. I haven’t found the right moment just yet,” Hayward said to IGN eSports Today’s host Kevin Knocke.
We are happy to announce the addition @gordonhayward to the HyperX family! #cloudrevolver #gordonhayward pic.twitter.com/9slLjBMkcK
— HyperX (@HyperX) May 31, 2016
4) Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant might have one of the diverse portfolios among his teammates. Durant, who recently started his business and philanthropy firm The Durant Company, bought a small stake in Postmates, an on-demand delivery service, last spring. Additionally, his business interests and investments also span from Derek Jeter’s sports media publishing platform The Players’ Tribune and flavored water company Sparkling Ice to Acorns, a company that automatically invests the differences from consumers daily purchases, among others.
The #KD9 is ready for delivery. And KD is ready to deliver. Order through @Postmates now. pic.twitter.com/XmoABrevKG
— Nike NYC (@NikeNYC) June 26, 2016
5) For the second year in a row, Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson partnered with Kansas City-based startup ShotTracker, which manufactures wearable technology to assist players in analyzing their shots via two sensors and a mobile app. Thompson and ShotTracker also partnered for a virtual basketball camp last summer as well.