After winning their second NBA championship in three seasons, Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala are launching a tech summit. And Kevin Durant, the MVP of this year’s NBA Finals, is settling into the Bay Area nicely as well as headlining an upcoming tech event.
The Golden State Warriors, who have seen Silicon Valley influence everything from their ownership, to the way they train, to courtside seating areas dotted with tech executives, are making a show of how dominant they can be as influencers off the court as well.
Iguodala and Curry launched The Players Technology Summit, presented by Bloomberg, an Aug. 14-16 forum in San Francisco that will include panels and networking focused on allowing athletes to have a meeting of the minds with CEOs, venture capitalists and industry leaders.
“Playing in Silicon Valley’s backyard has exposed me to information and resources that I’m excited to share through the Summit,” Curry said in a statement. “Whether you’re thinking about your first move into entrepreneurship or investing, or perhaps already a veteran in the space, it’s about surrounding yourself with the right team and putting in the work to always be improving as a professional.”
Iguodala has used his time with the Warriors to collect an NBA Finals MVP award along with connections that have enabled him to confidently invest in a number of companies.
“I’ve been fortunate to learn from some of the best in the tech and venture capital business and have put those learnings to work,” Iguodala said in a statement. “The Players Technology Summit is about sharing those learnings and relationships and building a lasting impact.”
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Iguodala, who also led the inaugural NBPA Technology Summit last July in San Francisco, will have made a free agent decision by the time the latest summit takes place. His current proximity to Silicon Valley is a possible factor as it was when he originally decided to join the Warriors to become engaged in the tech community.
For Durant, a tech investor himself, he’ll go on stage with his agent/partner, Rich Kleiman, to talk at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in September. Curry and Iguodala in previous years have spoken at Disrupt SF as well.
Love what @Andre & @StephenCurry30 are doing to help players & the tech space. Why our league & its players are so special. https://t.co/14wnsX1Xbd
— Scott Stanchak (@ScottStanchak) June 19, 2017