WEBVTT - NBA Player Donavan Mitchell Talks Wine

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news Now.

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<v Speaker 2>The intersection of hip hop and basketball a pivotal part

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<v Speaker 2>of the sports past forty years. You fast forward to

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<v Speaker 2>the present and a growing number of NBA players are

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<v Speaker 2>adding wine to the mix. Romaine and I sat down

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<v Speaker 2>with NBA also Donovan Mitchell and Wakala and Ekundaio, the

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<v Speaker 2>vice president and general manager of the Prisoner Wine Company,

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<v Speaker 2>and we discussed how the industry is branching out to

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<v Speaker 2>include more diverse voices.

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<v Speaker 3>And we've always been known to have really disruptive design

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<v Speaker 3>forward labels and to be frankly, just a very provocative brand.

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<v Speaker 3>In recent years, we've made a transition to just being

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<v Speaker 3>provocative but with a purpose. And one of the core

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<v Speaker 3>ways in which we live out that value is through

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<v Speaker 3>our commitment to social justice and specifically prison reform, in

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<v Speaker 3>which our main focus is around changing the narrative around

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<v Speaker 3>mass incarceration and shedding a more humane late light to

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<v Speaker 3>those that have been impacted by the justice system.

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<v Speaker 1>So, how much of the money Bucky that you make

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<v Speaker 1>goes to that initiative, Like what percentage of the sales

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<v Speaker 1>goes towards set?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we make donations about five percent of revenue that

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<v Speaker 3>from sales that are made online directly off our website

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<v Speaker 3>goes to a variety of different organizations that are committed

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<v Speaker 3>to the cause of social justice as it relates to

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<v Speaker 3>prison reform. We also make a number of donations to

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<v Speaker 3>a variety of organizations throughout the year.

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<v Speaker 4>For me, seeing Bucky, really getting to meet Bucking, seeing

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<v Speaker 4>how she's in the position of power and leadership, and

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<v Speaker 4>I think that's really been my main focus, whether it's

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<v Speaker 4>in the wine industry and the NBA in my life,

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<v Speaker 4>like you know, just finding ways to have people of color,

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<v Speaker 4>black people in positions of power in that room, you

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<v Speaker 4>know what I mean.

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<v Speaker 5>I think that's something that's always been important to me.

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<v Speaker 4>I've always wanted to introduce myself to the wine space

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<v Speaker 4>kind of I feel like my teammates have, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>kind of told me about wine for years, and now

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<v Speaker 4>that I'm kind of in that space, I was like, man,

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<v Speaker 4>if I really partner with the wine company, I want

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<v Speaker 4>to be able to go somewhere where I see people

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<v Speaker 4>who you know, look like me.

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<v Speaker 2>The NBI Star Wine Apprenticeship that you participated in, it's

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<v Speaker 2>a one day crash course in branding, blending, and pir

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<v Speaker 2>pairing wine with food. Clearly NBA stars like yourself know

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<v Speaker 2>a thing or two about branding and can bring your

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<v Speaker 2>expertise to that experience. How did the apprenticeship widen your

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<v Speaker 2>understanding your appreciation of branding.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, I think.

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<v Speaker 4>First and foremost, I didn't understand how much work really

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<v Speaker 4>went into you know, branding the wine, making the wine.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, I'm thinking, man, this is a six month thing.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, you're two years out, you know, And I

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<v Speaker 4>made my own little blend you know that won't be

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<v Speaker 4>for sale unfortunately, but I make sure I get you

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<v Speaker 4>guys a bottle, and it was really good.

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<v Speaker 3>You know.

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<v Speaker 4>I think there were certain things I learned about, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>whether it's red, it's white, the grapes, different things, the

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<v Speaker 4>process being able to you know, take your time with

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<v Speaker 4>what you're making and really put the time into it.

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<v Speaker 5>So I really taught me a lot about it. And

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<v Speaker 5>then also Mike you.

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<v Speaker 4>Said, bringing you know, the branding myself, using my own

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<v Speaker 4>brand to kind of bring light to the wine industry, bringing.

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<v Speaker 5>My you know, fellow co workers in the NBA.

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<v Speaker 4>Bringing them along, using our platforms to kind of really

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<v Speaker 4>you know, expand viewership and people who really get to

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<v Speaker 4>know more about the wine industry.

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<v Speaker 2>And Buck y'all put the same question to you, how

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<v Speaker 2>do these NBA stars is experience with branding inform how

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<v Speaker 2>prisoner positions is products?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean the NBA as an organization led by Frankly,

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<v Speaker 3>just the thought leadership of many stars in the organization,

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<v Speaker 3>like don have really pushed forward to the need for representation,

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<v Speaker 3>the need for equity, and just being a values based organization.

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<v Speaker 3>And I think they're a really great, Frankly aspirational organization

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<v Speaker 3>of what it means to be both corporate minded but

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<v Speaker 3>also social minded.

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<v Speaker 1>And we talk about the NBA, I mean, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>how cool is this? Is this stuff in the locker room.

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<v Speaker 1>And we had to interview sometime in twenty twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>with Carmelo Anthony who kind of talked about when he

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<v Speaker 1>first came into the league and he was a big

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<v Speaker 1>wine drinker, and he said, you know, he was kind

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<v Speaker 1>of looked down upon by a lot of his teammates

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<v Speaker 1>and then eventually they all kind of, you know, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>found religion and realized that you know, there was you know,

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<v Speaker 1>more to life than you know, you know, hard alcohol

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<v Speaker 1>or whatever they were drinking at the time. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>is it popular in the line. I mean, can you

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<v Speaker 1>walk into the locker room with a bottle and people

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<v Speaker 1>are actually gonna be like, Hey, what's that? You know,

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<v Speaker 1>where's that? Where'd you get that? Where the grapes come from?

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<v Speaker 3>You?

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<v Speaker 5>How is this made?

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<v Speaker 1>Are they that interested in it?

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<v Speaker 5>One percent?

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<v Speaker 4>I think for myself, we had a team dinner with

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<v Speaker 4>prisoner I want to say around September and it was

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<v Speaker 4>just prisoner wine, you know, red whites and are guys

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<v Speaker 4>are interested. Guys are really especially in the NBA, My

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<v Speaker 4>teammates especially guys are really interested intrigued on you know,

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<v Speaker 4>the wine space.

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<v Speaker 5>You know, I don't think we have a team dinner

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<v Speaker 5>without you know, bottles of wine.

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<v Speaker 4>And that's coaches, that's players, that staff, that's that's whoever.

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<v Speaker 4>I think it's really had, you know, a hold has

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<v Speaker 4>a hold on you know, you know, the NBA. And

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<v Speaker 4>I think that's something that you know, when I first

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<v Speaker 4>got into the league, it wasn't necessarily always the case,

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<v Speaker 4>and I think now you're starting to see that really,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, really grow and develop the NBA players develop

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<v Speaker 4>a relationship with wine. Why companies all right?

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<v Speaker 1>Donovan Mitchell from the Cleveland Cavlo Lawyers and Bikalaendeo over

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<v Speaker 1>at the Prisoner Wine Company, A great interview