Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokounmpo invest in Watchbox; Here’s what we know so far about the startup
The NBA has always had an incredible amount of talent come through its league. One of the most popular sports in the world, the game of basketball has seen some of the top players in the entire world share their time on an NBA floor at some point.
Although fans across the world are always in awe of what these players can do on a basketball court, it's also fascinating to see what these superstar athletes do when it comes to their life off of the court. With some of the top players in the league signing lucrative contracts, there's also been a desire for some NBA stars to tackle the business side of the world as well.
That's just what NBA legend Michael Jordan and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo are doing. The duo have paired up with a number of former professional athletes to invest in a startup company called WatchBox.
Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokounmpo have invested in startup WatchBox ⌚️
The luxury watch marketplace has been valued near $1 billion.
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The company is described as a watch reseller and was founded in 2017. WatchBox has both brick-and-mortar as well as e-commerce outlets and is estimated to potentially notch $250 million in sales this year. By securing investment from NBA global superstars such as Jordan and Antetokounmpo, it's clear WatchBox is making an effort to make noise in the global market.
But they're not the only NBA players who have joined in on the investment game.
A number of current NBA players have thrown their hats into the WatchBox ring as well, including current Phoenix Suns stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker as well as Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns. The investment group doesn't just feature NBA players either, as a number of former NFL legends such as Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Strahan have also joined.
Danny Govberg and Justin Reis are the co-founders of WatchBox, and the two have made it a point of emphasis to make noise when it comes to creating an e-commerce company that focuses on selling high-end watches.
After a recent round of investments, WatchBox announced they have also added a number of individuals to their board of directors, including Jeff Saunders, formerly the CFO of Warby Parker.
Having an NBA legend like Michael Jordan as one of your main investors is always a huge deal. When Jordan was in the NBA, he was one of the most popular global athletes in the history of sports. Since then, Jordan has remained a huge face in the business side of sports, and his Jordan Brand continues to be one of the most popular companies in the world. He is also a part-owner of the Charlotte Hornets.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has also quickly become one of the NBA's biggest global superstars. Born in Greece, Antetokounmpo has been active in giving back to the basketball community around the world.
With both stars jumping on board to become a big part of the investment group, it looks as if WatchBox has some serious firepower behind the company in order to generate buzz globally.