On the court, life has not been pretty for Russell Westbrook. This past season, he struggled to fit in with the Lakers and sent his value as a player to all-time lows.
But Russ is keeping himself sufficiently distracted from the noise with his recent business ventures. As an active investor, he has poured a lot of his own resources into many different projects, including social networks, water companies, and data-science firms.
In a recent chat with Bloomberg, the 9x All-Star dropped this truth bomb about his transition into the business world and his future as an entrepreneur.
(via Kim Bhasin of Bloomberg):
Basketball star Russell Westbrook is getting into the digital media sector, adding a new division to his business as he enters the advertising industry.
The Los Angeles Lakers point guard, who makes investments and signs partnership deals through his Russell Westbrook Enterprises, is linking up with digital marketer Causal IQ to help connect advertisers with multicultural audiences through a new venture called RW Digital.
RWE is now involved in several business lines such as real estate, venture capital, insurance, education and fashion line Honor the Gift, which has collaborated with the likes of Nike Inc.’s Jordan brand and the NBA’s players union. Westbrook has also been in media, producing a History Channel documentary that debuted in May.
“We’ve been keeping so much stuff quiet,” Westbrook said. “People just see me on the court, but I want to build an enterprise that’s done the right way. I’m locked in year-round,” said Westbrook. “This is an important thing for me, for my future, for my legacy, for our kids.”
It’s clear that Westbrook has taken full advantage of his position in Los Angeles. Living in such a vibrant and important city has no doubt helped to expand his empire to a new degree.
It will be interesting to see how his recent business decisions pan out and (more importantly) what he’s able to do on the court for the Lakers next season.
