So this past weekend, they had their NBA All Star game. But it’s just more than the game itself; there are tons of other festivities. However, there was one you probably didn’t know about. The NBA All Star game used as a technology platform.
They called the platform BIG, meaning Business Inside the Game. One of the hosts was NBA all-star Baron Davis. Then add Lyft co-founder John Zimmer, Moviepass co-founder Hamet Watt, and rapper/actor turned entrepreneur Ice Cube. There were also some other, like NBA star Chris Paul. One focus is to ask how NBA stars can make an impact other than basketball. The other is to address how technology is changing sports and popular culture.
John Zimmer never forgot how cab companies and local governments tried to stop Lyft and Uber when ride sharing first came out. But he emphasized this was just the beginning. He said today, ride sharing contributes 0.5% of all human transportation. Then he said that in 20 years, ride sharing would contribute to the majority of all rides. Ice Cube hinted it’s important for innovators to continue to challenge, and break, the status quo. Others are suing technology to test mew ways of entertaining. Baron Davis himself emailed the reason he started BIG.
He started it because he wants to create a platform from all walks of life to make change. And they can do it through business and IT support. I say good for them. Because I’m tired of reading stories of celebrities going broke a few years after retirement. One year, they are living it up. Then the following year, they’re in bankruptcy court or can’t even pay child support for their kids. Maybe computer servicing and IT service can start the turnaround. Maybe what men like Baron Davis and John Zimmer are doing will change that. Would you use an event like the NBA All Star game as a technology platform?