Aaron Donald Joins Kanye West’s Donda Sports
Aaron Donald is having a mighty nice off-season. The Super Bowl champion sat courtside last night in Miami as the Celtics took down the Heat to head to the NBA Finals. Earlier, Donald confirmed on the I Am Athlete podcast that he is the first active NFL player to sign with Kanye West’s up-and-coming agency, Donda Sports. Donald explained on the show, “I think it’s a helluva opportunity to open up a lot of different doors and a lot of different things outside of football that I wanna be involved in.” The agency also represents former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Antonio Brown.
Nike Teases “Boring” General Purpose Shoe
A new campaign from the Swoosh reads, “Your sneakers shouldn’t be the most important thing about you.” The Beaverton Brand collaborated with artist Tom Sachs who designed the General Purpose Shoe over 10 years. The shoe drops on June 10 for $109.99. The space-obsessed Sachs recently teamed up with Tiffany & Co. for its first-ever NFT.
Warriors Emerge as Early Betting Favorites for NBA Finals
The NBA Finals are set. The Boston Celtics held off a scrappy Miami Heat team to take their place in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. As the confetti cleared, the betting lines emerged. Warriors are odds on favorites to lift the newly redesigned Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy (-160). Stephen Curry is also the early favorite to win Finals MVP (+120) The games tip off Thursday, June 2 at 9:00 PM EST.
Bob Iger Designs for the Future with Canva
After stepping down from Disney, Bob Iger has begun to develop an empire of his own. With his most recent investment, the former Disney boss bought into Australian design company, Canva. The platform netted a $40 billion valuation in September. Iger will serve as an investor and an advisor to the graphic design platform, which boasts 75 million users worldwide. Iger has also recently invested in GoPuff and Funko.
Young Stars Rising at the French Open
The quest for the cup is on at Roland Garros, and on both the men’s and women’s sides, all eyes are on the next generation of stars. The 18-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz handily defeated Karen Khachanov in straight sets to head to the quarterfinals where he’ll face No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Similarly, 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez took down American Amanda Anisimov. She will play Italian Maria Trevisan in the quarterfinals.
RTFKT Preps for Big Moves with “DotSwoosh” Purchase
Nike is preparing for the future of footwear. In late 2021, the Swoosh bought Web3 company RTFKT to spearhead its virtual sneaker designs. Since then, it has begun to roll out early efforts, which include virtual sneakers and a tease of a hybrid digital/IRL collection. Recently, one sneakerhead purchased a pair of NFT kicks for $134,000. Nike is getting all its details in place, purchasing 10 “DotSwoosh” domains for $35,000 on the Ethereum Name Service.