The National Basketball Players Association, the players union for the NBA, will be holding its inaugural NBPA Technology Summit in San Francisco in a bid to provide more information to its members regarding the tech industry.
Spearheading the summit will be Golden State Warriors sixth man and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, who is also a vice president of the NBPA.
Through the three-day event, which will span from July 19 to 21, current and former NBA players will be able to watch presentations from major tech and media companies and be allowed to visit several sites of these companies in the Silicon Valley.
Among the firms that are expected to be present in the event are wearable tech company Jawbone and venture capital firms SV Angel and Andreessen Horowitz.
The summit will also give NBA players networking opportunities with executives of the involved companies, along with workshops that will help them determine opportunities they can pursue while in the middle of their career or after it.
According to NBPA Deputy Executive Director Roger Mason Jr., a key part of the mission of the union is to assist NBA players in maximizing their opportunities both on and off the court, while preparing for life after their playing careers have ended. He added that emerging technology, including wearable devices and new media content platforms, have a direct impact on the lives of NBA players, and so it is the right time to provide the players with an event to become more aware of the tech industry.
Iguodala has made significant investments in the industry over the years since joining the Warriors in 2013, and has even credited wearable technology as having played a significant role in the 2014-2015 championship season of the team. The technology, the defensive specialist said, allowed the Warriors to stay healthy during their run to the championship that season.
Aside from Iguodala, other NBA players who have embraced the tech industry include New York Knicks forward and fellow union vice president Carmelo Anthony, who co-created M7 Tech Partners. The company is a venture capital firm for investments in consumer technology and digital media startups.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, the president of the NBPA, is also a co-creator of Game Vision, which is an app that claims will allow users to increase their court vision awareness.
With investments in tech firms, NBA players will be able to ensure their future, along with that of their families, as they retire from the game of basketball.
