“Bitcoin is superior”: LeBron James’ former teammate shuns $2.53 trillion asset as he puts his $44 million to use
LeBron James' former teammate Matthew Dellavedova is now working in Bitcoin. The former NBA champion and Olympic bronze medallist recently joined Bitcoin-only exchange Swan Bitcoin as Vice President of its Business Development. The Australian is currently reported to have a net worth of $44 million.
Nicknamed 'Delly' by his teammates, Matthew has been involved in investing and advisory roles since 2017. Upon assuming his duties in Swan, he said in a statement:
"I’m excited to be joining Swan to help spread adoption, especially in sports and Australia, where I'm still playing professional basketball."
Delly has also been engaged with his alma mater with the Saint Mary’s Men’s basketball team program in recent times. During this time, he has been introducing Bitcoin to athletes. This is of particular importance given the recent changes to the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, which have created new possibilities for college athletes.
In a recent interview with Tom Richardson of the Australian Financial Review, he expressed his disdain towards the US government's utilization of Bitcoin saying:
"...You can’t print food, you can’t print energy, but the US government is printing money to fund its fiscal deficit and pay $1.6 trillion interest on its debt and prices are going up."
Delly also emphasized Bitcoin's superiority, saying he preferred it to gold or property:
“So, yeah, I see bitcoin as a store of value and hedge against inflation. I own property and looked at gold – I mean, [goldfield] Sovereign Hill Ballarat was 50 minutes away from where I grew up – but bitcoin is superior.”
LeBron James' attempt to educate kids about Bitcoin
In an attempt to educate the younger generation about cryptocurrency, the Lakers superstar has teamed up with crypto.com. James and the Lebron James Family Foundation have launched a series of educational and job training initiatives about Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and related technologies through this partnership.
The partnership between LeBron James and crypto.com, which happened back in 2022 has highly benefitted the students of LeBron's "I PROMISE" school.
The "I PROMISE" program provides resources to help over 1,600 students and their families succeed in school and beyond. After the details of the partnership deal were confirmed, the Lakers superstar said in a statement:
“Blockchain technology is revolutionizing our economy, sports and entertainment, the art world, and how we engage with one another. I want to ensure that communities like the one I come from are not left behind."
As for now, LeBron James is preparing for the 2023 NBA season, a campaign in which the Lakers believe they have a shot at winning it all.