While other NBA players are trying to find ways to relieve boredom during the league-wide quarantine and game suspension, Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is playing business magnate. He invested "six figures" in return for part ownership of the sports drink start-up company, Ready Nutrition.
Antetokounmpo joins professional (American) football star Aaron Donald as an investor-owner of Ready Nutrition.
According to CNBC, the specifics of the deal are undisclosed. It did not say how much Antetokounmpo invested in exchange for an undisclosed part ownership of the company. The only detail announced to the public is that he invested in the "six-figure" range.
"This is not an endorsement deal," Antetokounmpo told CNBC of his brand investment. "Obviously, I can help the brand and go out there and sell it to everybody, but this is not what this is. … this is a company I really believe in."
The reigning MVP is currently an endorser for Budweiser, Disney, T-mobile, and Nike.
Ready Nutrition founder and president, Pat Cavanaugh, is excited at the opportunity of growing the brand together with the NBA and NFL superstars.
As part of the deal, the Bucks Forward bought 34,000 bottles of Ready Nutrition's water product and protein bars to be donated to the Milwaukee Public School students' daily meal program. The company will also give 34,000 bottles to Milwaukee healthcare workers. Antetokounmpo wears jersey number 34.
Antetokounmpo sought advice from former NBA All-Star guard Tony Parker. According to the reigning MVP, the retired Parker now owns a lot of businesses in France and the US.
The Greek Freak is not the first NBA superstar to invest in a sports drink company. The late Kobe Bryant and James Harden are inventor-owners of the brand BodyArmor.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently at the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Regardless of the format when the NBA resumes, Antetokoumpo's team will be included in the final showdown. The league is determined to crown a champion for the 2019-2020 season, even if it means "going through hoops." The Bucks is the team favoured to win the Championships this year with the Los Angeles Lakers as the top contender.