Over the past five years, the cannabis industry has rapidly transformed creating opportunities for athletes to advocate, invest and create.  Governing bodies for both professional and world athletic organizations have started the change the conversation in favour of education, research and wellness.

Earlier this year, the NBA dominated headlines by agreeing to a green-inclusive future in the latest CBA.  Starting the 2023’24 NBA season, the National Basketball Association will not penalize players for cannabis consumption in the new seven-year collective bargaining agreement, removing it entirely from the anti-drug testing program.  The feat would not have been possible without athletes like Al Harrington and others using their platforms to cultivate change and spread awareness.

Retired NBA athlete and founder of Viola, Al Harrington put the play in motion on July 12, 2022, announcing the NBPA as an official partner of Re+Play.

“Re+Play’s partnership with the NBPA will provide consumers with a wealth of trusted, technology-driven products, to help them recover like a pro.  As we move into the next phase of the Re+Play brand with our strategic partners at Amazon, the NBPA, and Walmart, we are excited to once again reimagine how we help athletes of all levels recover from pain with CBD and other innovative technology.”

-A Harrington

Harrington alongside renowned trainer Abunasser and Dr. Sanford Kunkle founded Re+Play, a performance-based recovery brand.  Partnering with the NBPA was a historical moment for athletes across the globe as the plant continues to gain acceptance throughout sporting leagues.

Pushing cannabis forward outside the court, retired NBA athletes are investing in the plant and the community. 

Hall of Famer Chris Webber announced he was teaming up with Wall Street leaders to run a $200 million fund to support social equity investments in the cannabis industry in the state of New York.

“I’m incredibly honoured to work with New York’s esteemed officials to right the wrongs for individuals who were unjustly victimized by outdated cannabis policies…”

-C Webber

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that they had selected Social Equity Impact Venture, LLC – a minority investment team, led by Chris Webber and entrepreneur Lavetta Willis to manage the fund. The fund would finance and facilitate the startup of up to 150 cannabis retailers in the state of New York, which focuses on providing an opportunity to entrepreneurs looking to enter the cannabis industry that was negatively impacted by the state’s former laws.

Cultivating tangible change retired NBA athlete and host of All The Smoke Podcast Matt Barnes launched the Eaze Social Equity Cannabis Business Incubator Nationally in 2021.  Barnes joined Eaze as a Sr. Advisor to its board of directors and management, to help with policy, social impact and industry relations.

“I’m here to support real, tangible gains for Black and Brown entrepreneurs nationally through Eaze’s groundbreaking equity programs. There’s opportunity in growing infrastructures that lasts. It’s about understanding the market and the audience and building sustainable success. That’s the goal of Momentum. I want to help build because it’s the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do.”

-M Barnes

Retired NBA athlete and 3X Olympic Gold Medalist, Carmelo Anthony teamed up with NBA’s John Wall to invest in cannabis company LEUNE.  Leune has focused on social justice initiatives, partnering with the Last Prisoner Project to tackle criminal justice reform and social equity issues.

“Cultivating a sense of community has always been a top priority for me.  I appreciate that LEUNE is not only a successful cannabis brand but one that helps uplift marginalized voices through their ongoing social justice work.”

-J Wall

Boxing out the competition, retired NBA Champion and Hall of Famer Ben Wallace is continuing his reign of success off the court signing a licensing deal agreement with Rair Cannabis Company.

Ben’s product line will be named “Undrafted”, a nod to his career and recent induction into the NBA Hall of Fame.  With an opportunity to normalize the conversation, Ben’s using his platform to advocate for cannabis and the relief it can provide former pro athletes;

“As a former pro athlete, I’ve got aches and pains and different stresses than before. Cannabis has helped with all that, safely.”

-B Wallace

The line will include his own strain as well as cannabis flower, pre-rolls, and vape cartridges, with more products to be announced in the future.  

Founded in 2019, Rair is the only cannabis company in the state of Michigan to use aeroponic technology, which is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium.

“After working with the Rair team for the last couple of months, I know this will be a great partnership. They’re serious about growing quality products and ending the stigma around cannabis use, and we’re going to bring you a brand that shows the grit and toughness my teams and I always brought to the court in Detroit.”

-B Wallace

Retired NBA Champion and Hall of Famer Gary Payton has put on a full-court press inking a licensing deal with cannabis lifestyle brand Cookies.  

COOKIES began with two visionary founders, growth expert Jai and cannabis advocate, entrepreneur Berner. From their earliest days in a San Francisco garage to the rise in global growth, the COOKIES Brand has remained authentic and true to its roots.

The exclusive deal, which includes the licensing of Gary Payton’s name and image is part of a joint venture with Powerzzz Genetics (creators of the strain) for the US market.  The Glove’s product line officially entered the Canadian market via a partnership with Gage Growth and Cookies in late 2021.

“We had to start the Cookies line-up with the best of the best. So, to properly introduce Ontario to the world of Cookies, we’re kicking things off with the people’s champ – Gary Payton”

-Cookies Canada

Retired NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson is using his signature crossover to change the cannabis conversation with a multi-year partnership with Al Harrington’s Viola. 

Viola Brand is a cannabis company founded by Al Harrington with an emphasis on offering premium products, as well as a focus on education, social equity and community involvement. It was named after his grandmother who suffered from glaucoma as well as diabetes and eventually found significant relief after implementing cannabis into her life.  The Viola Brand has dominated the cannabis landscape and continues its focus on increasing minority investors and empowering minority ownership.

“Happy to be joining my brother Al Harrington and the whole Viola Family.  Ready to Change the Game!!”

-A Iverson

Known for disrupting and changing NBA culture, it’s fitting that Allen Iverson joins the Cannabis Industry in an effort to break the stigma, change perception and normalize the cannabis conversation.  Iverson’s interest was ultimately pushed when he joined Al Harrington at Viola’s 18,000 sq/ft production facility earlier this year to get a better understanding of the process, product and people behind the brand.  In recent years Viola has created premium products as well as timely initiatives targeted at social justice and equitable offerings, pushing to expand industry diversity, facilitate community building and provide employment opportunities.  With a commitment to increasing minority participation, ownership and education, it was a no-brainer for Iverson to get involved.

The partnership features a host of premium cannabis and non-cannabis products as well as a line dubbed “The Iverson Collection” geared towards consumers from all backgrounds.

“I’ve had a lot of people approach me with business opportunities, but this one with Al was different.  After seeing how devoted he is to this business, and him educating me on how beneficial the plant is, it just felt right. I’m excited to be a part of it. Together, we’re about to change the game.”

-A Iverson

Prolific NBA icon Kevin Durant made waves across the world, announcing a collaborative content partnership with Weedmaps. Kevin Durant’s VC firm ThirtyFive Ventures and Weedmaps are coming together to advocate for Cannabis and Sports as well as normalize the conversation through meaningful content initiatives.

Weedmaps was founded in 2008, created to be a comprehensive platform for consumers and focuses on building software solutions for the industry.  Transparency and inclusivity is at the forefront of their mission and the upcoming content partnership aims to break the stigma as well as provide a platform to spark attention and awareness around Cannabis.

Considered by many to be one of the best NBA players, Kevin Durant is winning off-court as an entrepreneur and investor with an eye for tech and emerging industries.

“We talked about this, wanting to get into this space, like you (Rich Kleiman) said a few months back and to actually see it come full circle now and this conversation around cannabis, we always had every day. You know, just as friends and for us to, you know, actually try to tell stories around it and see the parallels with the sports world.  It’s been incredible just to work through the deal, but now to have it signed, and sealed. It’s exciting.”

-K Durant

Putting a premium on recovery and relief, Klay Thompson splashed into the cannabis industry with CBD company JustLive.  Constantly making history, Thompson became the first active athlete to back a CBD brand.  Partnering with other elite athletes, JustLive has created a unique portfolio of products catering to fitness enthusiasts and athletes of all levels looking for natural clean alternatives

“The stigma behind [CBD] has always been it’s a drug or something you are smoking. But it comes in so many forms. The NBA is pretty progressive, as it’s shown over the summer with social justice and in other aspects. The NBA is leading by example by being progressive-minded. It’s great for sport.  There are so many natural properties. It doesn’t have to be smoked. It can be applied as a cream or used as a pill, and it has hot-cold remedies such as lotion. It’s a natural way of healing…  Whether it’s winding down after a game, working through muscle pain, or recovering from an injury, CBD is a natural one-stop-shop that allows me to prioritize my physical and mental health…”

-K Thompson