Page 18 - Forbes - Asia (March 2020)
P. 18
ENTREPRENEURS
By Steven Bertoni Photograph by Jamel Toppin for Forbes
Kevin Durant’s Hardest
16
Three-Point Play
The NBA superstar has three goals: a return to dominance, a defining championship
and a lasting business empire.
Durant’s goal is to turn that income into assets at a scale few
athletes not named Jordan or Lebron have attempted.
Brooklyn is Durant’s fourth career stop. He was original-
ly drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, which soon moved
the franchise to Oklahoma City, where he became a super-
T camped to the Golden State Warriors, he became a cham-
star playing for the Thunder. In the Bay Area, when he de-
pion and an entrepreneur.
In choosing Brooklyn, he seeks to redefine himself. Can
the superstar come back from a devastating injury to dom-
inate the league again? Can he win a championship with a
team centered on him? And can he translate his Silicon Val-
ley lessons to the world capital of capital as well as of me-
The sleek apartment overlook- dia and fashion. “Walking around New York,” Durant says,
ing Manhattan’s High Line park frames the owner of this “there is so much greatness, hard work and determination.”
mansion in the sky, the NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who Durant’s business vehicle: Thirty Five Ventures, co-
is so trim he looks even taller than 208 centimeters. Set- founded with his manager, Rich Kleiman, a music indus-
tling into a blue velvet couch, Durant can toggle between try veteran who previously helped start the sports division
the stunning skyline and his trophy-stacked office, for of Jay-Z’s talent agency, Roc Nation. Thirty Five Ventures
MVP, All-Star and other superlatives. (His two NBA cham- has 15 staff running Durant’s endorsements, foundation,
pionship rings, won with the Golden State Warriors, are in and expanding collection of startups and media plays. Over
the bedroom.) the past few years he’s plowed more than $15 million into
But Durant’s focus is on present challenges rather than 40-plus startups. Nearly 70% of the companies have raised
past wins. Across from his trophy room sit a Pilates ma- subsequent rounds at higher valuations, scoring what Du-
chine and a cagelike strength and balance trainer called a rant claims are paper gains topping 400%.
Sensopro, here to assist a career-saving comeback as he re- More directly, Thirty Five Ventures has a production
habs the Achilles tendon he ruptured during June’s NBA arm creating basketball-themed documentaries, series and
Finals. That season was done—the current one too. “What’s scripted shows for outlets like Apple, YouTube and ESPN.
most important is to take care of my body so I can put my “LeBron James was the first case study that you can build a
product back on the court,” Durant says, fresh from a work- real business while you’re playing,” says Kleiman. “Kevin is
out. “How well you play on the court determines how big building a real and authentic company.”
your business is going to grow.” For Durant, a 30 Under 30 alum who recently hit the
That business starts with a $164 million contract he grand old age of 31, the goal is nothing short of a ten-digit
signed with the Brooklyn Nets this summer and a ten-year, net worth. By the time his playing career is over, he’ll have
$275 million Nike shoe deal that assumes his continued su- made well over $500 million from salary and sponsorships.
perstardom. With those two alone, he will earn more than Now, Durant says, “I want to use the checks I get from com-
$70 million this season without suiting up for a single game. panies to create true generational wealth.”
F ORBES A SIA MAR CH 2020
