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Basketball superstar Klay Thompson recently scored in the tech world. In a $40 million funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the National Basketball Association (NBA) star’s Thompson Family Foundation has invested in fantasy sports startup Sleeper, reportedly quadrupling its value to more than $400 million. According to Bloomberg, the funding will be for “product development and hiring in areas including engineering, design, customer support, finance and marketing.” Joining Andreessen Horowitz and Thompson were existing backers General Catalyst and Birchmere Ventures along with angel investors that included Miami Dolphins player Byron Jones and former NBA player Shane Battier, Bloomberg reports. Sleeper’s initial focus was on the National Football League (NFL) and the NBA, but the pandemic’s impact pushed them to extend into esports as well. In addition, the startup also added college basketball this year. “Originally, the goal was to do arena sports and...
Make room for a sports icon! The non-fungible token (NFT) space has just welcomed in none other than Serena Williams. And, the platform she’s now joined is right up the superstar athlete’s alley. According to a press release, Serena Williams has joined as a board advisor for Sorare, an NFT fantasy sports platform. “NFTs have the potential to be a powerful tool for bringing equity and investment to women’s sports,” Williams shared in a statement. “I’m excited to start working alongside Nicolas and the team because they understand the relationship between athletes and fans unlike anyone else in the category, and I believe Sorare will be setting the culture and tone of the future of sports entertainment.”
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James is known for having one of the most rigorous workout routines in the league, and at age 36, he shows no signs of slowing down. This is why i t comes as no surprise that the NBA star has partnered with Tonal, “a digitally connected strength machine.” According to Yahoo!Finance, Tonal — considered “Peloton’s main rival” — revealed LeBron James would be its newest investor and brand partner on Wednesday Oct. 13. “To have LeBron James — one of the greatest athletes in the world — invest in Tonal is a pinnacle moment for us,” said Aly Orady, founder and CEO of Tonal. As a father of three, the NBA GOAT aims to maximize his productivity in the gym in addition to several other interests in his decision to partner with Tonal. “Every person striving for greatness must prioritize efficiency. Whether you are an athlete, CEO, artist or anyone who is trying to be great, it’s important to maximize your time and get the most out of every minute. So for me, Tonal...
What started off as a playful exchange of selling cups of coffee for $20 has led to Jimmy Butler pursuing his passion to launch a coffee brand of his own in an industry valued at $465.9 billion in 2020, according to the Global Coffee Market. As the National Basketball Association (NBA) headed to the bubble in Orlando, FL in 2020, Butler was disappointed at the lack of coffee options available. Looking to resolve his coffee cravings, Butler crafted his own “Big Face Coffee.” So apparently Jimmy Butler wasn't kidding about the up-charge for the use of his French Press at Disney. (From Meyers Leonard's Twitter): pic.twitter.com/1s1em6flRG — Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) August 15, 2020 “The reasoning behind [the name Big Face Coffee] was when we first got into the Bubble during the pandemic, I remember opening up our per diem and it was like $2,080 in there. Basically 20 $100 bills and four $20 bills,” Jimmy Butler told People. He continued: “So I’m thinking, okay, if I charge $20 for a...
Thanks to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), National Basketball Association (NBA) fans will soon have a thrilling opportunity to gain exclusive content surrounding high-profiled athletes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal before they became household names. Binance NFT Marketplace (Binance) will launch the “Before They Were Pros” NFT series, which will feature “a unique ‘time capsule’ video and represents a flashback of these fantastic athletes during their high school days,” according to a press release. The launch is a part of a distinguished collection produced by Total Digital Group with licensing from MediaMineLLC set to debut on Sept. 28, 2021. The unique collection will feature mini video clips of the NBA athletes, exclusive interviews and video action content taken before their success. Each athlete will have a distinguished digital token and buyers will acquire the footage rights. “Binance NFT Marketplace users can enjoy the unforgettable high school basketball...