TMRW Sports Adds Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures As Latest Investor
Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures is among the latest wave of investors in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s technology-focused TMRW Sports golf project.
The Phoenix Suns ace’s investment vehicle, which Durant runs with his business partner Rich Kleiman, is joined by former National Basketball Association (NBA) players Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade as TMRW Sports backers.
The group are the latest basketball stars to invest in TMRW Sports, joining the likes of Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Jayson Tatum and Diana Taurasi.
Durant, O’Neal and Wade join a growing list of high-profile backers in TMRW Sports. The venture’s initial investor group, unveiled last November, includes the National Football League’s (NFL) Josh Allen, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Trea Turner, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Sidney Crosby, US soccer great Alex Morgan, Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton and tennis legend Venus Williams.
In total, TMRW Sports announced 26 ‘cultural icon’ investors in November, which also features the World Surf League’s (WSL) Kanoa Igarashi and professional gamer Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins. All told, the organisation says its investment group’s sports experience covers team ownership in ‘every major league’ and boasts a combined social reach of nearly one billion.
For Durant, the TMRW Sports deal adds to Thirty Five Ventures’ swelling portfolio, having most recently invested in Lisbon-based technology firm ScorePlay, which was listed in SportsPro’s ‘sports tech ideas to invest in now for 2023’.
“The broadening appeal of what we are building with TMRW Sports continues to gain momentum as we welcome more investors with Shaq, Kevin and Dwyane to our team,” said Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports’ co-founder and chief executive.
“As champions, they understand what it takes to build a great team. And I welcome their leadership, insight, and enthusiasm for what we’re developing as we reimagine sports through the lens of a new generation of connected fans. Plus, I can’t wait for the company pickup games.”
