🔎📈 February Recap: Glucose sensing enabled Apple Watch and Samsung Smart Ring Coming. $538M Raised From Sports Tech Startups (84% came from Connected Fitness startups).
Dear Colleague,
February was another great month for all the sports enthusiasts, especially for American Football fans. About 113 million people tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Technologies were at the core of the Super Bowl again this year.
In pro soccer, the MLS plans to launch an incubator program for startups called MLS Labs to help young sports tech companies test and scale their products at league-affiliated events, including the All-Star Game. In the MLS, Milwaukee Bucks champion Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nashville Predators all-time leading scorer Filip Forsberg are joining Nashville SC as owners.
In the Premier League, bidders for Manchester United are expected to hold first meetings with the team in the next couple weeks to discuss the sale of the Premier League club. Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS have the only two public bids, with the former interested in a full takeover and the latter reportedly interested in a 69% stake.
In the world of pro basketball, the Bucks are now leading the Eastern division (45-18), ahead of the Celtics (45-19) while the Nuggets (45-19) and Grizzlies (38-24) are tied in 1st place in the Western division. In February 4.5M people also watched the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. After extending their mutual opt-out deadline, the NBA and its players association are also reportedly making significant progress on a new collective bargaining agreement.
In the world of American Football, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, with Patrick Mahomes defying injury to win his second title. Tom Brady also retired for a second time via an emotional social media post, saying this time it's "for good."
In the world of pro rugby, Ireland sustained its No. 1 spot in the men's World Rugby rankings followed by France (2), New Zealand (3), South Africa (4) and England (5). In the Six Nations tournament, Ireland currently ranks No.1, with 15 points, followed by Scotland, England and France, all with 10 points.
In the world of pro baseball, the MLB teams are in full Spring training mode, getting ready for the 2023 MLB season.
In the world of pro golf, the PGA Tour’s policy board voted last week to make a series of stark changes to the size and qualifications of events. The 2024 season will have eight designated events with fields of 70-78 players. These will be in addition to the majors, Players, and three FedExCup Playoffs events. Prize purses will be larger for these designated events. This year, they have minimum prize purses of $20 million.
In the world of pro tennis, Djokovic won the Australian Open title to reach 22nd career Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win his 10th Australian Open title and equal Rafael Nadal's 22 Grand Slam crowns, an achievement that he dubbed "the biggest victory in my life".
In the world of pro hockey, the NHL season is now in full swing, with the Boston Bruins leading (62-49) the Eastern division while the Dallas Stars (63-34) are leading the Western Division.
In the NFT/Metaverse/Crypto/Blockchain space, the Japanese sports giant Mizuno has launched its first line of NFTs, becoming the latest sportswear titan to enter the field. The NBA Top Shot app now let users buy NFTs via Apple, Android Mobile Apps.
Puma also launched some NFT avatars to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
LeBron broke the NBA scoring record, and now his NFTs are flying. The NFL teamed up with Roblox to bring the Super Bowl LVII to the Metaverse. Some NFT giveaways took place during this year’s Super Bowl LVII. Reddit also released some themed Avatars at the Super Bowl. Giannis Antetokounmpo NFT also sold for a record-breaking $187K on Sorare NBA.
OKX and Manchester City FC also teamed up for a Sports Metaverse. Sorare also teamed up with the Premier League for its NFT fantasy football game. EBay also wants NFTs to Connect Fans with sports stars.
In the AR/VR world, more reports are emerging claiming that Apple will introduce its AR/VR glasses in 2023. But don’t hold your breath. Xiaomi also unveiled its new AR smart glasses at MWC last week. Meta also plans proper AR glasses with 'neural interface' for 2027.
In the world of sports performance and wearables, Apple's Health VP hinted at blood glucose monitoring for the Apple Watch. Garmin also unveiled new Forerunner 265 and 965 with glorious AMOLED smartwatches, and Samsung filed a patent for a Galaxy smart ring.
In the world of sports tech investments, investments reached 538M in February 2023. Only 10% of funding came from Metaverse/NFT startups, up from 2% in December 2022.
Lastly, if you have a sports tech product and startup and want us to review and do a full analysis of your sports tech product (e.g. sleep tech, wearables, biosensors, NFT/Metaverse..) that would be published here on our Upside newsletter and website, please reach out to us at julien@sportscouncilsv.com
As a reminder, we launched our Upside Global platform to bring together our sports, tech & health community of 6,000+ executives under a single web platform. Members include executives from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, NCAA, Laliga, English Premiere League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Series A, Brazilian soccer league, Olympic teams, Pro rugby, Pro tennis, as well as representatives of startups, brands, VCs, and athletes.
If you are a head athletic trainer, CTO, CMO of a major sports team or league looking to connect with the most innovative startups or connect with your peers to network, or if you are a startup CEO looking to connect with top teams or investors, you can join our Upside community of executives from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, NCAA, Laliga, English Premier League, Olympic teams, top VCs, startups (AR, VR, wearables, sleep tech..) and more!
Your opportunity for growth starts now, create your free executive profile today to join our online community and click on “become a member today” as a first step. It is free to join! It only take one minute to create your profile.
If you face any problems during the registration process, please contact us at julien@sportscouncilsv.com
📰 Top Stories We’re Reading This Month
⭐Upside Team Profile: LOSC (Ligue 1) & Chat with Martin Buchheit, Head of Performance & Sports Performance Consultant
🔥Upside Guest Writer: "Load Management is Not About Decreasing Minutes", By Dr Tim Gabbett, Gabbett Performance Solutions.
🔥Upside Guest Writer: "Balancing the Demands of Athletic Training: Setting Boundaries for a Healthy Work-Life Balance", By Dr. Derek Lawrance DAT, ATC, US Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT)
⭐Upside Studies: Genetic profile in genes associated with muscle injuries and injury etiology in professional soccer players
🔗 Xiaomi unveils its new AR smart glasses at MWC this week
🔗Meta plans proper AR glasses with 'neural interface' for 2027
⌚ Apple's Health VP hints at blood glucose monitoring for the Apple Watch
⌚ Garmin unleashes new Forerunner 265 and 965 with glorious AMOLED
⌚ Samsung Files Patent For Galaxy Ring And AR Glasses
💸 Startup investment recap (February 2023)
📊 Tech Stats of the month
📸 Snapshots & videos of the Month
Let’s jump right into the insights and upside for all of these top stories
⭐Upside Team Profile: LOSC (Ligue 1) & Chat with Martin Buchheit, Head of Performance & Sports Performance Consultant
As part of this week’s profile on the LOSC, we interviewed Martin Buchheit, the head of performance at the LOSC. Martin is also a sports performance consultant for various clubs. He also publishes research papers and books and leads the research efforts at Kitman Labs (together with Derek McHugh and Maxime Settembre). He is also the cofounder of HIITscience, a company that provides online classes and podcasts, and the editor of Sport Performance & Science Reports, an on-line, free-access and review-free journal for sport science practitioners. Finally, Martin is also the author of EGOals: Exercising your ego in high-performance environments; the book he wishes he could have read 20-yrs ago.
Click below to check out LOSC profile (Ligue 1) and listen to the interview.
🔥Upside Guest Writer: "Load Management is Not About Decreasing Minutes", By Dr Tim Gabbett, Gabbett Performance Solutions.
Dr Tim Gabbett, who is a high performance consultant at Gabbett Performance Solutions. Dr Tim Gabbett has 20 years experience working as an applied sport scientist with athletes and coaches from a wide range of sports. In his piece entitled “Load Management is Not About Decreasing Minutes” Tim shared his insights on the misconception about load management.
🔥Upside Guest Writer: "Balancing the Demands of Athletic Training: Setting Boundaries for a Healthy Work-Life Balance", By Dr. Derek Lawrance DAT, ATC, US Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT)
Dr. Derek Lawrance DAT, ATC, who is currently serving the United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) as a certified athletic trainer after starting in December of 2021. He was part of the USMNT athletic training staff in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Derek, in his piece entitled “Balancing the Demands of Athletic Training: Setting Boundaries for a Healthy Work-Life Balance” he shared his insights on how, as an athletic trainer, best set boundaries for a healthy work-life balance.
⭐Upside Studies: Genetic profile in genes associated with muscle injuries and injury etiology in professional soccer players
This study is the first to demonstrate that injury incidence in professional soccer players was affected by a TGS obtained the combination of favorable/unfavorable genotypes in genes involved in muscle performance. The TT genotype and T allele of AMPD1 appears to be the polymorphism that best correlates with a higher risk of injury in this cohort of professional soccer players.
⭐ Upside Podcast Interviews of the Month
Here are our top podcasts of the month:
🔥Upside Chat with Thad Young, NBA Player (Toronto Raptors), Investor, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist
We interviewed Thad Young, an NBA player with the Toronto Raptors. Thad is also an investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Thad has been playing in the NBA for 16 years for the Philadelphia Sixers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Brooklyn Nets, the Indiana pacers, the Chicago bulls, and the San Antonio spurs. He is also an investor at Reform ventures. Thad played college basketball for Georgia Tech, before being drafted 12th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Through this interview with Thad, we touched on his background as an NBA player, investor, and philanthropist. Then we discussed the importance of technologies for him as an athlete. We also touched on how he ended up investing in startups and building his own family office. We also talked about how he is doing his due diligence on startups. We also talked about the best NBA players he played against, the best coaches he played for. Lastly we discussed some of his favorite portfolio startups.
🔥Upside Chat with Alexi Pianosi (Penguins/NHL) and Dr Marco Nunez (Ex LA Lakers/NBA) on AI Tools to Prevent Injuries, Shockwave Therapy, and More.
We interviewed again a group of sports performance experts, Alexi Pianosi, Strength and conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), and Dr Marco Nunez, ex Head Athletic Trainer, LA Lakers (NBA).
Through this interview, we touched on the various methods they have used to figure out if an athlete is overtraining or undertraining, and what works and does not work. Then we discussed an emerging area called Shockwave therapy. We also talked about the emergence of AI based injury prevention tools and the pros and cons of using such solutions. They also gave us their predictions for the 2023 NBA finals and the NBA champion.
🔥Upside Chat: Dr Arthur Ting, MD, and Dr Ryan Ting, MD, MPH, and Medical Director at Arthur Ting Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine On Non-Contact Injuries, Injury Prevention.
We interviewed again Dr Arthur Ting along with Dr Ryan Ting to discuss their thoughts on injury prevention and recovery. As a reminder, Dr Arthur Ting has worked with top athletes such as Tiger Woods, Yao Ming, Regis Bush, Landon Donovan, just to name a few. Dr. Ryan Ting is an MD, MPH, and medical director at Arthur Ting orthopedic surgery and sports medicine.
🔥Upside Chat: Athanase Kollias, CEO of KINVENT, a Leading Sports and Rehab Professional Assessments Company
We interviewed Athanase Kollias, CEO of KINVENT, a company that helps sports and rehab professionals assess progress and build engagement and motivation.
Through this interview with Athanase Kollias, we touched on his background, his company, product, and competitive advantages. We also touched on the benefits for the teams to use its products. We also discussed his business model and the pro teams using his product today. Lastly we discussed his plans for the next 12 months.
🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex NBA/NCAA exec on Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, the Super Bowl, the MLB Luxury Tax, the LIV Golf League, And More.
We interviewed again Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA.
Through this interview, we touched on Tom Brady's second retirement as well as his predictions for the Super Bowl. Then we talked about the MLB luxury tax payrolls hitting $5.2B in record revenue this year as well as Scott Rolen's Hall of Fame announcement. We also discussed the latest news on the LIV Golf league, as well as Djokovic winning his 10th Australian open tennis and 22rd grand slam. Lastly we talked about Duquesne men's hoops game that got interrupted by apparent food delivery attempt from an Uber Eat delivery man.
⭐ Upside VC/Accelerator of the Month
⭐Upside VC/Accelerator Profile: Techstars Sports Accelerator & Chat with Andrew Hippert, Investment Principal.
We profiled the Techstars Sports Accelerator one of the biggest sports accelerators in the world. As part of that we also interviewed Andrew Hippert, Investment Principal at Techstars Sports Accelerator & Techstars NYC to discuss his background, investment thesis, his accelerator, his area of focus, and what he is typically looking for when investing in startups. He also gave us his advice to raise money and to start a career in sports investment.
⭐ Upside Sports Tech Event of the Month
🎮 NFTs/Metaverse/AR/VR/Blockchain News
🔗 Xiaomi unveils its new AR smart glasses at MWC this week | Via: Auganix
Xiaomi, a provider of consumer electronics and smart manufacturing solutions, has this week announced at Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023) its brand new augmented reality (AR) glasses with the introduction of the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition.
The glasses represent Xiaomi’s first wireless AR device to utilize distributed computing, and offer a retina-level adaptive display that adjusts to the lighting environment. With enhanced connectivity to a Snapdragon Spaces ready smartphone, the company’s new AR device enables innovative hand tracking at a refined level, supports a comprehensive range of applications for larger displays, and offers innovations in inter-device compatibility, according to Xiaomi. You can watch the video of the AR glasses here.
⬆️ The Upside: We believe that Xiaomi is well positioned in the upcoming AR consumer glasses market based on its typical low pricing strategy. However there is no pricing information regarding those glasses yet. And this is an indication that Apple AR glasses are not going to come out in 2023. As we noted before, Apple typically does not go first in a new market and we believe that this time Apple will once again wait until its main competitors (Meta, Microsoft, Google..) enter the AR/VR consumer market, and they will learn from their mistakes and introduce a device that address those mistakes. So the bottom line is: The Apple enthusiasts will have to wait until the Apple consumer AR/VR glasses come out.
🔗Meta plans proper AR glasses with 'neural interface' for 2027 | Via : Wareable
Meta is preparing a roadmap of AR devices and smartwatches that stretches into the 2030s, according to a new report. The Verge was treated to full details of an internal presentation to employees that revealed that Meta is going all out on smartglasses and AR as a replacement for the smartphone. And its smartwatch vision – which we've previously reported, is still on track, is heavily tied to this AR platform, and will be used as an optional 'neural interface' controller. But more interesting is the news on its AR and neural network ambitions.
The report states that Meta sees smartglasses as a replacement for the smartphone, and “the company intends for AR glasses to eventually be worn throughout the day as a replacement for smartphones.” It plans for a second generation device this year, which is the well-documented launch with Luxottica, as a smart pair of RayBan’s with a camera built in. But the third-gen is where things get interesting. This device would “ship with a display that he called a “viewfinder” for viewing incoming text messages, scanning QR codes, and translating text from another language in real-time," according to the report.
⬆️ The Upside: Meta is doing what it always does. Trying to come out first in a new market, which is the opposite strategy from Apple. But we don’t expect Meta to get significant traction in the AR consumer glasses space as we believe that its AR smart glasses are still fairly limited in terms of capabilities. But there is no doubt that Meta is learning from consumers’ behaviors and they are collecting valuable data. And once Apple releases its AR/VR glasses, Meta will follow suit and launch similar glasses which will create a mass market for AR/VR hybrid consumer glasses. Of note, the global AR/VR smart glasses market size was valued at $8.31 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $33.16 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 16.6% from 2020 to 2027, according to AMR.
🚑 Wearables, Health, Nutrition News
⌚ Apple's Health VP hints at blood glucose monitoring for the Apple Watch | Via : Wareable
Apple's vice president of Health has discussed the future of the Apple Watch, even offering a small hint towards work on advanced health tracking like non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. The Apple executive played their cards fairly close to their chest when discussing future features, but, when asked about the possibility of Apple bringing blood glucose sensors to the smartwatch, they said that these are "really important areas, but they require a lot of science behind them."
The comment follows a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who indicates that Apple has hit a milestone in its work to deliver a non-invasive blood glucose monitor. It's allegedly an area the company has been exploring for over a decade, with recent strides ensuring that it now has a viable proof-of-concept.
⬆️ The Upside: This should not come as a surprise as Apple has been focusing on glucose monitoring for a while. We believe that by adding glucose monitoring to the Apple watch it will help further drive Apple watch sales and open up a new market for Apple especially into the medical space. Of note, the global continuous glucose monitoring systems market size was valued at $6,626.6 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $31,708.2 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 17.0% from 2022 to 2031, according to some reports.
Picture: Apple Watch
⌚ Garmin unleashes new Forerunner 265 and 965 with glorious AMOLED | Via : Wareable
Garmin has announced the arrival of the AMOLED-packing Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965. The two running watches have been the subject of extensive leaks over the past few weeks, but, still, their release comes as somewhat of a surprise.
Garmin only released the last generation - the Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 255 - nine months ago, meaning the upgrade cycle has spun much quicker than we typically see from the company. For reference, we had to wait three years between the release of the Forerunner 945 and 955.
⬆️ The Upside: We believe that this move makes sense for Garmin. It will help Garmin sustain its lead in the sports oriented smartwatch market. Of note, in the smartwatch market Garmin managed a slight improvement from 4.3 percent market share in 2020 to 4.6% in 2021.
Picture: Garmin Forerunner 265 Series
⌚ Samsung Files Patent For Galaxy Ring And AR Glasses | Via : VRScout
It’s been rumored that Samsung is working on a smart ring that can be used in tandem with a pair of custom augmented reality (AR) glasses, and based on a recently uncovered trademark filing by Samsung registering the names “Galaxy Ring” and “Galaxy Glasses,” it appears as though the gossip could be true. In October, a rumor emerged claiming that Samsung was working on a smart ring that uses multiple sensors to give you important health data throughout the day, much like a modern smartwatch. This was related to a patent for a device that was reportedly equipped with such sensors.
Based on said filings, the rumored Galaxy Ring tracks various activities and health metrics and is capable of taking blood pressure readings, similar to the capabilities of the Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro.
⬆️ The Upside: It comes as no surprise to see yet another vendor entering the smart ring market. We think this is great news for Samsung. We are seeing a growing number of teams using smart rings such as the Oura ring. Smart rings are used by many teams to help them better measure athletes’ sleep. Now as we mentioned before, we believe that smart ring vendors need to go one step further and continue to add new biosensing capabilities (hydration, electrolyte..) which will make its product even more appealing to pro teams. Of note, the global Smart Rings Market was worth US$ 1.67 Million in 2022 and is expected to reach US $11.44 Million by the end of 2030, with a CAGR of 24.0% between 2023 and 2030.
💸 Sports Tech & Health Investment Recap - February 2023
Here is the recap of the major sports startups’ investments in February 2023. Total sports tech investment in February 2023 reached $538M. 10% of funding came from Metaverse/NFT startups while 84% came from connected startups (Tonal).
Source: Upside, Confidential, February 2023
New Tech fund & M&As:
CrickPé, an Indian startup that offers a fantasy cricket app, has become the third company in the industry to achieve unicorn status with a $1 billion valuation.
NeoTV Group, a Chinese e-sports company that offers online gaming and entertainment services, is preparing for an IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Dyal Homecourt Partners has acquired minority stakes in several NBA teams, including the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers, for a combined $850 million.
Sports streaming platform DAZN has acquired the sports rights of BT Sport in a deal worth £800m, further expanding its sports portfolio.
Venture capital firm Sapphire Sport has raised $181 million for a new fund, adding investors.
📊 Key Tech Sports Stats of The Month
$11B: FIFA expects to follow one record revenue cycle with another. Soccer’s global governing body approved its 2022 annual report, which anticipates $11 billion in revenue from 2023 to 2026. FIFA brought in $7.6 billion in 2022, which of course was largely due to the World Cup in Qatar.
$9B: When Vince McMahon decided to reinstate himself as executive chairman of WWE in January, after resigning due to sexual misconduct allegations over the summer, he had one thing in mind: Maximize WWE’s value as the entertainment brand explores an acquisition. Bloomberg reported that the 77-year-old is seeking at least $9 billion for the empire, and he may have suitors lined up to take him up on his request.
$2.7B: Viacom18 is banking on advertising sales to bring in revenue as it streams the “Super Bowl of Cricket” for free. The joint venture between Paramount Global and Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate Reliance Industries beat out Disney and Sony to purchase Indian Premier League rights for $2.7 billion last year.
$1.3B: The Philadelphia 76ers might have to wait a little longer to get into their new $1.3 billion arena. 76 Devcorp, the development company created in July 2022 to oversee the project, was eying June to receive approval of a zoning variance from the city for the Center City venue.
$1B: FuboTV, which calls itself a “sports-first cable TV replacement product” in the U.S., surpassed $1 billion in global annual revenue for the first time in 2022. In North America, revenue increased 55% year-over-year for the full year to $984 million, with advertising revenue reaching $100 million — also a record. Subscribers jumped 29% year-over-year to a record 1.45 million.
$830M: Adidas renewed its deal with the league, reportedly worth $830 million through 2030 — the company’s largest investment in North American soccer. Its current contract, which is valued at $700 million, was signed in 2017 and expires next year. MLS has also announced plans to expand its playoffs and made deals with Audi, Adidas, and RBC Wealth Management.
$600M: Formula 1 teams are naming their price for how much it will take to welcome an 11th team. While the FIA, F1’s governing body, has a $200 million entry fee to offset revenue and prize money dilution from another team entering, that has not swayed most teams from supporting an additional contender. Instead, teams are looking for at least $600 million, per Motorsport.
$500M: At-home fitness startup Tonal needs a reboot. The company’s valuation peaked at $1.9 billion in September behind a $100 million funding round. Five months later, Bloomberg is reporting that company’s seeking funds at a valuation of $500 million or less. Much of the decline can be attributed to the connected fitness trend fizzling — a post-pandemic reality that’s also challenging Peloton.
$239M: The TV rights for one of the Premier League, England’s top soccer leagues are reportedly set to double in value. The organizing body for the second, third, and fourth tiers of the English Football League is set to issue an invitation to tender to broadcasters and expects to bring in $239.1 million annually from TV rights, according to The Daily Mail. Sky Sports, BT Sport, Viaplay, and DAZN are all reportedly interested. Sky has held the rights since 2002 and currently pays around $142.2 million annually.
$95M: Grupo Televisa has settled a complaint related to FIFA bribery accusations. The major Mexican broadcaster agreed to pay $95 million in a settlement with a group of investors. The investors said that a bribery scandal damaged Televisa’s brand and hurt its stock price, which has fallen 50% over the past 12 months.
$15M: Costs for a single car in F1 can run up to $15 million, while the current NASCAR Next Gen car costs between $200,000 and $600,000.
$10M: And after much consideration, Nike have signed with Bronny James on a NIL deal, which has been valued at $10 million. Now, signing an endorsement deal with a brand as big as Nike is massive.
$5.6M: Rihanna's makeup touch-up during her Super Bowl halftime performance has reportedly earned her brand Fenty Beauty US$5.6 million in media impact value in the first 12 hours. It's a known fact that the performers at the Super Bowl half-time show are not paid.
$1.5M: The relationship between FC Barcelona and a consulting company has raised suspicions that the team was bribing referees. The iconic La Liga club was revealed to have paid around $1.5 million from 2016-2018 to DASNIL 95 SL, a firm part-owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was on La Liga’s refereeing committee at the time. The revelation came out on the “Que T’hi Jugues” show on radio station SER Catalunya.
38,388: On February 8, 2023, Lebron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record with 38,388 points, and has now scored more than any other player in NBA history. The average purchase price for the LA Lakers game against the Milwaukee Bucks was $1,230 — 390% more expensive than the average purchase price for a Lakers home game this season ($251). Not surprisingly, the most expensive tickets are down in front: Courtside seats cost as much as $68,995 for that game.
20%: The NBA has opened the door to sovereign wealth funds — and some of the world’s biggest want to buy in. Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s fund Mubadala Capital have both shown interest in NBA teams, according to Bloomberg. The funds have a respective $450 billion and $284 billion in assets under management. The league’s board of governors voted in December to allow sovereign wealth funds to buy up to 20% of a team, subject to league approval. The New York Knicks could be a potential match.
5 days: It took just 5 days for ChatGPT to reach 1M users. By comparison, it took Instagram 75 days to reach the the 1M mark. ChatGPT has now reached 100 million users in just two months beating popular messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Twitter.
📸 Snapshots & Videos of the Month.
Giannis is now an MLS team owner: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Filip Forsberg became MLS Team Owners.
2023 All Star dunk contest winner. With perfect scores on 3 of his 4 attempts, Sixers guard Mac McClung outshines Trey Murphy to claim the Slam Dunk title. Mac McClung set the tone for the night by leaping over 2 two people and tapping the backboard on a reverse slam. Watch the video below.
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