(rhythmic music)
- I've always been interested in business
but you hear that a lot, people
are interested in business.
But comin' from the
backgrounds we come from
you never are taught that process.
Like, how do you start a business?
What is the first step?
How many people actually know that?
I started saving my money
and the people that managed
my accounts were investing.
I started asking questions
of how it worked.
So I took a small portion,
a very, very small portion
of my savings and started
my own E*Trade account.
And then I got the help
with some certain people,
keep track of what I was investing in
and what I needed to know
before I invested in a company.
Long story short, we did really well
with a lot of tech companies.
And from there I started to learn
about new companies that were going
to get into public markets soon.
So we started tracking them.
And then that's when we started
going into the private market.
That led me to the Golden
State Warriors to play.
You talk about having power
and ownership of free agency.
So I said, there's
opportunity for me to play
in a market that not only
benefits me on the court
but benefits me off the court.
From there, I started
the Players Tech Summit.
I learned that giving
back is just as important
as winning the championship.
'Cause what good does it do
if we don't take care of the sport
that puts you in the
position that you're in.
So not just bringing basketball
players into the tech space
but all athletes in.
We get players to see every
part of the tech world.
Anywhere from start to finish.
We're trying to help the guys
navigate their way through that world
and not being taken
advantage of, first of all,
but having an understanding
of what your batting average should be.
If you invest in 10 companies
you're lucky if one hits.
Your lucky if three maintain
and just stay above water.
So when I started my E*Trade account
I had a few friends around me
who were in the business world
and I always tried to
surround myself with people
that were smarter than me.
So I wasn't afraid to say I don't know.
So being around these folks,
we had a lot of conversations
and I just asked questions.
And they gave me a few books like,
"The Dummies Guide to Investing,"
"The Dummies Guide to Saving,"
and I wasn't afraid to read it.
And then when I first started investing
I just invested in things that I knew.
My business partner, Rudy Cline-Thomas,
this is when our
relationship first started.
He said, just invest
in companies you know.
So I put myself in front
of certain magazines,
you change your Twitter feed
into tech things and to business,
turn your Instagram feed into the world
of things that you wanna learn about
that have substance.
So now you're immersed in this world.
You see kids and you see people
who can name the roster
of an entire league,
I just learned the roster
of the entire tech IPO
for the upcoming year.
It's all been good for me,
it's been a great journey and
I'm just tryin' to enjoy it.
