Jay Williams Talks ‘Boardroom’ Show, Legacy Of Jordan Versus LeBron

Jay Williams, the ESPN commentator, former Duke phenom and one-time Chicago Bulls star, has been very busy during 2019 with a new project. His show called The Boardroom, a series from ESPN and Thirty Five Ventures debuted on ESPN+ earlier this year.

The series is hosted by Williams, and was developed along with NBA star Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman—who together own Thirty Five Ventures and serve as the show’s executive producers. On ‘Boardroom’ Williams and his team tackle sports and sports business topics that range from big money sneaker deals to what it takes to own and operate a professional sports franchise. Williams & Company also talk a lot abut to what’s happening in sports today.

Just before the holidays I got to speak with Williams about his show and some trends in sports business today.

Andy Frye: Tell us about the original basis and ideas behind “The Boardroom” and starting a TV series that covers sports as business.

Jay Williams: Only having a short dose of an NBA career, my entry into pro basketball started in 2003 and ended up being an entry way onto the world of business. At 21 years old back then, I didn’t know what kind of business I would later build, but it exposed me to a lot of things, and later I learned a little about VC (venture capital), some intel about becoming an operator of franchises, and other opportunities that are out there. 

I think now having a platform doing TV (for ESPN) and with Kevin Durant, one of the best to have ever played the game of basketball creates an opportunity to tell a story and look deeper into sports and business as it is now. Kevin and Rich (Kleiman) have the same interests I have. So we sat down and planned out how we build a sports business vertical for ESPN. But we wanted a different cultural slant, different from what a typical business journal would have, or even different from what angle a sports front office would have. 

We’re at a fascinating time now, where more than ever athletes are competent about what their own business structures look like. 

AF: Speaking of athletes, we hear more than we used to about athletes as investors and entrepreneurs from real estate and VC to video games.

Williams: It’s interesting. We did a Season 2 episode (coming up in February) in which we sat down with (L.A. Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer, (Denver Nuggets president) Josh Kroenke and (venture capitalist) Steve Welch. And we got some perspective not just about starting businesses or takeovers, but things that might seem esoteric like tax abatement, owning different teams in different sports over different markets, and how you handle naming rights while building stadiums.

I think we’ve been able to cover how sports is a unique entity that gets athletes’ foot in the door, and then we delve into the sorties about newer and younger athletes participation. Now it’s a story about how you scale a business, how you get involved with the equity of a company instead of just doing an endorsement. 

Our show takes a look at what the business world is now. It’s now a cross-pollination of athletes and C-level executives, but also VCs and experts who are legendary within their own particular business spaces.

AF: Back in the ‘80s, sneaker deals were just for mega stars like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Now Kanye and LaVar Ball are pushing sneakers.

Is the athletic wear bigger or just different? Is it still viable?

Williams: I think the shoe business is not dwindling, but maybe it’s dwindling as it relates to athletes getting monster shoe deals. Now, you have Zion Williamson as the key athlete moving the needle more than anyone else. Brands are obviously still interested in players like Zion. But there’s also a focus on grass roots products and making sure all athletes are wearing your shoe.

Sure, the Ball family situation getting into shoes was interesting, and maybe not the right idea. But from a sheer branding perspective, the numbers that LaVar Ball was doing on ESPN were astronomical, and good for what that did for Lonzo. 

It all depends what the player’s brand strategy is. If you have a player who is making connection points with an audience, then it’s about sitting down with a team or company that can create some value. And athletes are way more involved in building what their own non-traditional marketing strategies looks like.

VIDEO: May offend some Bulls fans! Jay Williams on LeBron vs. Jordan.

AF: You have LeBron toward the end of his career. David Beckham has been retired since 2013. Jordan played his last game in 2003. Yet their brands endure. Explain that.

Williams: You’re always going to have brand loyalty to demi-gods. That’s what Jordan is, a demi-god. We have an episode coming up in which we spoke to (Jordan’s longtime agent) David Falk, and there’s a fascinating story behind what went into the Jordan brand and what transpired to get Michael Jordan’s buy-in, early on. But there is always an interest in the best of the best in any sport. 

Yet in today’s culture it’s challenging. Our attention spans get shifted in so many different directions. But companies want to capitalize on legendary moments. LeBron’s had so many legendary moments because he was in the NBA Finals eight or nine years straight, and because to that his brand will endure and keep growing.

The Boardroom’s Season 2 debuts in February 2020 and will feature Karl Anthony Towns, Victor Oladipo, Lindsey Vonn, Isiah Thomas and others.