NBA Holds Gathering For Business Mentorship Program

The NBA hosted an event to close its Business Mentorship Program on Oct. 13 in New York, where past and present NBA G League players presented their takeaways from a six-month mentorship program.

Part of a larger off-court initiative led by NBA Player Development called Now4Next, the Business Mentorship Program provides players who are interested in entrepreneurship with access to mentorship and knowledge from established business professionals. Paired up with mentors based on their business interests, players had the opportunity to develop a relationship over the course of six months with support from the league.

Participants of the six-month-long program gathered in the NBA's New York office to discuss what they’ve learned over the course of their experiences and connected with various featured presenters throughout the day to gain more business insight. Speakers included Denise Woodard, the founder and CEO of Partake Foods, former player Isaiah Austin, and Luke Bonner, the founder and CEO of PWRFWD.

The program’s cohort consisted of current NBA G League players Rodney Pryor, Norense Odiase, Jordan Sibert, Kobi Nwandu and Jaire Grayer. All of them engaged with mentors and took part in various activities, including regular speaker series, that aimed to develop their entrepreneurial skills. 

Odiase, who spent last season with the Greensboro Swarm, served as an account executive at Amazon while also hosting the Mind Bully Podcast, which focuses on overcoming negativity in life. Getting presented with those opportunities, to him, goes a long way towards his personal growth away from the court.  

“It’s empowering to know that I can be so much more than a basketball player being with powerful individuals in a different field,” Odiase said. “I’m privileged.”

On the other hand, Pryor, who most recently played for the Stockton Kings, used the opportunity to kick start his own clothing and apparel brand. Named “Identity Made,” Pryor aims to use it as a way to mentor and give back to young athletes, tapping into his own experiences and of those around him to connect and further develop his ideas. 

“I like finding like-minded people like Norense to conversate, because I think it has to be a community effort to really get traction going,” Pryor said.

Both expressed a great deal of gratitude towards the organizers of the program for not only guiding them in their off-the-court pursuits, but also allowing them to gain access to the kinds of people that can help them in those activities.    

“I just appreciate them so much for the wisdom, the empathy to empathize with us, and to care about us to start this,” Pryor said. “I think that’s been the biggest thing. That they truly see us as more than a player.”

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 13: Norense Odiase of the Greensboro Swarm listens during the Business Mentorship Program presentations. (Photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 13: Rodney Pryor of the Stockton Kings speaks during the Business Mentorship Program presentations. (Photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 13: Participants in the 2022 Business Mentorship Program pose for a group photo in the NBA's New York office. (Photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images)