Magic Summer League PG Pitched to Mark Cuban on 'Shark Tank'
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic's Summer League roster has a little bit of everything ... a first overall pick, a three-year NBA veteran hungry for competition, and even a 'Shark Tank' entrepreneur.
Zavier Simpson, a point guard from the University of Michigan, is one of the founders of The Player's Trunk, a company that partners with college athletes to help sell items based on their name, image and likeness (NIL). Recently, the NCAA allowed college athletes to make money off of their NIL after years of not being able to do so.
Simpson and The Player's Trunk appeared on 'Shark Tank' this past May, and the company received appreciation from Dallas Mavericks owner and investor Mark Cuban.
Cuban tells The Magic Insider that he liked Simpson's pitch, but he ultimately did not choose to invest in the business.
According to their website, Simpson, along with fellow Michigan Wolverine Charles Matthews and basketball team managers Jason Lansing, Austin Pomerantz, and Hunter Pomerantz, founded the company to provide a platform for former college athletes to capitalize on the gear they earned during the duration of their college career.
The organization has partnered with hundreds of athletes, including Magic forwards Mo and Franz Wagner, both of whom also played for Michigan.
While Simpson works on The Player's Trunk, he also has a side gig as an NBA point guard. Last season, Simpson played for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League and earned a contract with the Thunder at the end of the season. He played in four games for the Thunder, averaging 11 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Now, he takes his talents to Las Vegas to try and catch on with the Magic moving forward.
