Kevin Garnett has become the latest notable NBA name to invest in the esports sphere, with an investment in Triumph Esports – a newly formed esports company.
Garnett boasts an impressive set of NBA accolades, having been an All Star 15 times, an NBA World Champion and having won the NBA MVP Award in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.
Garnett’s investment in Triumph Esports comes through Big Tickets Sports LLC, his experiential event management and production company which owns the Hoop-It-Up basketball and Kick It Soccer tours.
Triumph Esports is a ‘full-service esports company’ which includes Rivalcade (a competitive esports and experiential event company), and Triumph Gaming (a professional team) under its umbrella.
“Our relationship with Triumph Esports is a natural fit as we look to showcase and elevate shared lifestyle experiences through competition, content, and live events,” said Garnett in a release. “Our vision is to create unique experiences that hit our fans across a variety of passion points.”
The investment will see Rivalcade, which has executed and streamed a number of esports competitions across a number of titles, partner with Hoop-It-Up to bring esports to their events. Scott O’Leary, founder of Rivalcade and CEO of Triumph Esports commented: “We are very excited to work with Hoop-It-Up as they converge basketball, music, esports, and the urban lifestyle at their events. We look forward to working together to engage our fans and players in new, collaborative and creative ways.”
Jake Laumann, founder of Triumph Gaming, and COO of Triumph Esports said: “Having a world-class competitor like Kevin as a partner validates and reinforces our dedication to creating a platform for players and staff to learn what it takes to play, compete, and perform at the highest level.”
Esports Insider says: Another former-NBA star getting involved in esports comes as no surprise. The fit makes sense too, with two experiential events companies coming together and cooperating. This certainly looks a more hands-on investment than ones we see through large investment vehicles so it’ll be one to keep an eye on for sure.
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