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🏀 Spoiled Return

🏀 Spoiled Return

January 11, 2023

What is up Beyond The Press fam? Donovan Mitchell made his covenant return to Utah last night for the first time since being traded this offseason. Mitchell had an impressive 46 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists but ultimately the Jazz got the W. In unrelated news there was no winner chosen for the Mega Millions Billion dollar lottery drawing last night. As of today the pot has increased all the way to $1.35B! Just shy of the all-time record of $1.537B.

In today's BTP we break down Ja Morant's big goal of becoming a billionaire by 30, a new industry that many athletes are investing in, and how the Jazz spoiled Donovan Mitchell's return to Utah.

Have a great day!

BIG DREAMS

Ja Morant's Billion Dollar Dreams

Ja Morant has his eyes on the big picture. During a recent interview with Forbes, Morant revealed his ambitious goal of becoming a billionaire by 30. It’s a pretty lofty dream, given LeBron James and Michael Jordan are the only two NBA players turned billionaires, but Morant has defied the odds before.

After all, Morant was an afterthought for most of his high school career before being discovered when a Murray State scout wanted a bag of chips. And for what it's worth, Morant is making moves. The 23-year-old signed a max contract extension this offseason with the Grizzlies worth at least $193M and potentially up to $231M. Morant also recently became a Nike-sponsored athlete with the release of the Ja 1s. While we don't know the exact value of this deal, at the time Zion Williamson’s rookie shoe deal was worth around $75M, so it’s likely in the same ballpark, if not higher.

Beyond these big money deals, Ja has numerous sponsorships with major brands like Hasbro, Panini, and Beats by Dre, and he’s reportedly partnering with Hulu as part of their “Hulu Sellouts” campaign. Morant is as serious about working on this goal as he is about perfecting his game. In the same interview, he told Forbes: “I’m a brand. I’m a business. I have to protect my image to have a good business.” Considering he’s one of the most popular and liked athletes in the world, it’s safe to say he’s doing a good job.

FUTURE OF INVESTING

Burrow & Other Pro Athletes Team Up to Buy Farm

Many of today’s athletes are building incredible investing resumes in tech, but for Joe Burrow, Khris Middleton, Blake Griffin, and around 20 other pro athletes — they’re turning back the clock and investing in agriculture.

The plan: The group of athletes from across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL have pooled their resources into a roughly $5M fund specifically for agricultural investments. Their first purchase was a 104-acre corn and soy farm in Iowa. But don’t worry, unlike Field of Dreams, this corn farm won’t be turning into a baseball field anytime soon. It’s worth mentioning that the athletes didn't actually buy this farm but are instead leasing it and only seeking a modest single-digit-percentage annual return.

What’s next?: Within the next few years, the group plans to invest in four additional farms with various kinds of crops. Reportedly, they’re eyeing a watermelon farm in Oregon for their next investment. This agricultural investment was sourced by Patricof Co., which in addition to working with institutional investors like JPMorgan, routinely arranges investment opportunities for athletes.

SPOILED RETURN

Jazz Spoil Mitchell's Return to Utah

Donovan Mitchell returned to Utah last night for the first time since being traded, and he showed out for the fans in a big way. Spida dropped a whopping 46 points on 14-27 shooting, including seven three-pointers but narrowly lost to the Jazz 116-114.

Mitchell's homecoming got off to about as good a start as you can ask for when he was treated to a warm video tribute before tipoff and an outpouring of applause from fans during the video and player introductions. The moment definitely didn't look too big for him as he racked up 25 first-half points.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, they needed every bit of that extra offense when All-Star Jarrett Allen checked out just seven minutes into the game with an illness. He was followed not long after by Isacc Okoro, who, like Allen, felt nauseated during the game.

Despite those early personnel losses, the game was back and forth all night and really just came down to the last few possessions, when Jordan Clarkson caught fire and put the game out of reach. Clarkson scored nine consecutive points over three possessions, finishing with a team-high 32 points. Despite the loss, Mitchell still walked out a winner, as he set yet another career-high by scoring his fifth 40-point game of the season.