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russell okung, silicon valley

Russell Okung isn’t just an NFL star, he’s Silicon Valley’s next tech mogul

Early in his career, Russell Okung realized he had a platform that he could use to achieve some lofty goals. As a young player on a great Seattle Seahawks team, Okung quickly established himself as a premier offensive lineman in the NFL.

He signed a massive rookie contract, won a Superbowl, and made a Pro Bowl.

But Okung wanted more. He wanted to accomplish something special off of the field. So along with his business partner Andrew McGee, Okung established the GREATER Foundation with the goal of diversifying the tech sector.

To meet that goal, Okung works with young people from underserved communities to teach them skills for 21st century opportunities in the tech world. A handful of students have graduated from the program and gone on to jobs at Amazon and IBM.

Playing in Seattle opened the Houston native’s eyes to the burgeoning tech world. Since then, Okung has been an active investor in tech startups, including some wearable tech companies. But he doesn’t just sign a check and walk away.

Okung is active in the day-to-day operations of his investments, a role he feels is very important. He told SportTechie in January:

“If I’m a founder, I want someone who can really support my company’s growth and the work that I do. So many players can do that. That’s why it’s become so appealing.”

Okung is a rising star in the tech world and signed a 4-year contract worth $53 million with the Chargers this summer.

Playing on the Chargers during their first season in Los Angeles should be a great opportunity to expand his brand.

Russell Okung is ready to dominate both the gridiron and Silicon Valley, just watch.

kevin durant

Kevin Durant is low key taking over the tech scene in Silicon Valley

When Kevin Durant shocked the sports world and left Oklahoma City for Golden State last summer, not a lot of people understood the vision.

Of course there was the obvious: “this motherf*cker’s tryna win some championships”, but there was more behind the move than just ball.

Unlike LeBron who spent four years in Miami to get his rings and turn up at LIV, which he definitely did, Durant made the conscious decision to make sure he was in position to undertake another endeavor once his playing days are over.

In his Players Tribune announcement he said this decision,

“Encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community, which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth.”

The allure of Silicon Valley and the possibilities investing his time and money into tech was something that he just couldn’t pass up so he peaced on OKC to pursue something that’s realistically bigger than basketball.

So what exactly has the 6’10” ball player-slowly-transitioning-into-businessman been cooking up since pulling up to the Bay?

Kevin Durant is already one of the most marketable pro athletes and is signed with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports.

Twitter

He’s also one of the most business minded NBA players.


Before even moving to Silicon Valley, KD formed a startup with his agent and partner Rich Kleiman called Durant Company.

Kevin Durant

There he has invested in companies such as Acorns.


As well as the food delivery service Postmates, where he’s an investor and spokesperson.

Reddit

He even did a special promotion where he was delivering Postmates orders himself!


He also invests in a slew of other tech related startups and app companies like Jetsmarter.

Jetsmarter

Plus so many more that we can’t even keep track at this point.


KD even appears on the Shark Tank themed show for athletes MVP.

Go90

Plus he’s an investor in the site Players Tribune where he published his decision to play for the Warriors.

The Players Tribune

But what KD is most interested in at the moment is video content and distribution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFo5hb-2YT8


He regularly speaks at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California and streams his own live vlogs.


In just one year with Golden State, he’s accomplished more off the court than he was ever able to in OKC.


The scary part is that he’s only getting started.

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