NBA Playoffs Further Sets Big Stage For Power Moves In Tech

While many are occupied with making predictions about tonight's NBA Playoffs game and, of course, picks for the ultimate championship team; one can't help but simultaneously track how the massive visibility, admiration and influence that many professional basketball players garner while on the court is extending deeper and deeper into direct power plays in the realms of both culture and business, particularly the business of tech.

The energy around the Playoffs just ramps up power behind the trend of a greater and greater number of players making their mark in the digital space in unique ways and by doing so, subtly shifting certain parts of the entire tech game.  From LeBron James' "Unbreakable Playlist" on Apple's iTunes to Carmelo Anthony's venture capital firm recently announcing new deals, the heat is undeniable.  So in honor of the Playoff's I decided to ask two experts in the sector about insights and forecast around the high-profile convergent space of professional basketball stars and the tech industry.

First up is Dexton Deboree, writer and director of Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 and co-founder of the award-winning creative agency, Los York. His new film expertly dissects the influence of particular events in basketball and their influence on popular culture. When I asked why he thought that we are seeing more pro athletes such as Kevin Durant become players in the tech game, Deboree said, "Much like the scope of the story we cover in Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1, I think the genesis and meaning behind the correlation of sports and technology is multi-faceted. The role of sports in society and culture has evolved considerably."

He continues, "Today’s star athletes are among the more known, visible and powerful figures in society and culture. When you consider the role that sports has today, having players such as Melo, Durant, Lebron and Kobe leverage their own brand and power of social and financial currency to invest into many diverse areas outside sports, that makes perfect sense."  Deboree feels that such moves are simply a natural expression of our era and demonstrate the pivotal role sports play in shaping life far beyond the sport itself. It's about the potential of superhuman achievement and discipline that creates huge potential success, and everyone is chasing such an aura today. This is why we can't get enough of such combinations.

"Sports and technology just share that thread of modern societal impact," he explains. "The conversations I had with athletes, sports leaders, sports apparel leaders and experts when filming Unbanned always tied into or came back around to much larger meanings in life and the impact innovation has on us as people so it's a perfect fit."

While many have had a hard time cracking the Silicon Valley elite circles, not so with professional basketball players. "You take this perfect formula of the powerful platform of sports, the voice and position of the modern athlete, competitive drive, consciousness and rounded intention and pair that up with the growing opportunity in technology and the stage that Silicon Valley has set and boom, you’ve got a powerful elixir of some magical stuff going down," muses Deboree.  The sensibilities and values of both demographics blends in a very unique manner.

In fact, Deboree predicts that we will see even more professional athletes involved in Silicon Valley and act as both investors and founders.  While he believes that the draw will be sports technology, I believe the draw to connect and leverage fan interaction will also create intriguing concepts and innovation.

From video to audio, Carl Scott, Managing Audio Producer at Derek Jeter's The Players' Tribune echoes some of Deboree's thoughts and adds further insights. "I'd say that the NBA has created a tech-friendly environment that has vastly increased the level of exposure that players experience," explains Scott.  "From teams like the Cavs and Warriors who count venture capitalists and former tech leaders among their ownership to the NBA’s wholistic push to continue expanding its brand globally, there’s a cultural shift in the league bringing the tech industry top of mind when athletes are thinking of places to invest."

Scott adds that tech companies have become appealing to savvy NBA players who understand the importance of growing and maintaining their brand via the Internet. Thus, the expanded interest is a natural progression. "The players see a unique opportunity to become a major voice in the development of technologies that would otherwise engage in any way," says Scott.

But part of the additional draw is financial security. "The increasing numbers of young athletes taking measures to secure their wealth well after their playing days are over is most impressive to me. With each generation, the business acumen amongst players becomes that much sharper as lessons are learned and shared within player’s circles," says Scott.  He cites a large number of professional athletes who have invested in The Players’ Tribune as a key example. "There is a prevailing sentiment of self-sufficiency that drives players' decisions today," says Scott.

But beyond this factor, there is certainly another major reason. "Put simply: tech is cool," says Scott. "Partly because of the influence of the NBA, there is an allure to companies chosen as great investments by celebrities.  The fact that some of the most successful athletes in the league are publicly invested in technology companies creates a very strong draw for others looking to experience some of the same off-the-court achievements." He continues,  "Their collective participation brings social influence and perfect PR to tech companies - youthful, innovative and forward thinking - a combination that could not be more helpful to the industry as a whole."