There was a time when basketball players were not expected to also be Movie business tycoons and brand ambassadors, but now everyone wants a piece of the sweet NBA pie, and so players are being encouraged to invest here, there, and everywhere.
This started out with many players buying restaurant franchises but has soon ballooned into players getting involved with everything from cryptocurrency start-ups to movie production companies. Here we take a look at the latter, to see which ballers are also turning their hand to screaming “lights, camera, aaaaaand action!”
The sky is the limit for basketball stars who have movie business interests
Lebron James – King of the Court and the Big Screen
Lebron helped the Lakers reach the playoffs this season but then disappointed sports bettors and pundits by not delivering on the short odds that had been placed on the Lakers to repeat their NBA Championship heroics of 2020. The big man blamed his form on injuries, but maybe rather than focusing on seeing his team climb the NBA betting odds tables, he had his mind on movies and TV shows.
This is because he is one of the most prolific movie/TV show producers in the NBA, having produced the likes of Space Jam: A New Legacy and The Wall.
Steph Curry – Currying Favor with Movie Goers
Steph Curry was one of the standout performers at the All-Star game this year and continues to perform at an incredibly high level despite being in his career’s twilight years. As he begins to look to life after basketball, he has set up his own movie production company called Unanimous Media, whose first production was Breakthrough.
Many NBA players are swapping out playbooks for clapper boards
Blake Griffin – Founder of Mortal Media
Another top-level player who has been dabbling in cinematic ventures is Blake Griffin, whose Mortal Media company has already had success at selling projects to major movie companies like Paramount.
He has even managed to get his mitts on the rights to produce sequels to classic movies like White Men Can’t Jump and The Rocketeer. It should be interesting to see how those turn out.
Chris Paul – New Man on the Movie Scene
Although Chris Paul is a veteran out on the NBA boards, he is something of a rookie in the movie world, but that has not stopped him diving in feet first and setting up his very own production company, that has the wacky name of OhhDIP!!! Productions. Their receptionist must love reeling that off to callers every day.
