“I think everybody has their own unique style…”, these were Carmelo Anthony’s words for the on-court brilliance of players, but does it suit the business side too? Context: Most athletes are incredible in business too, because competitiveness plays a role, after all. And speaking of the present business landscape, athletes are exploring different fields. Isiah Thomas has a champagne brand. his rival, Michael Jordan, has a tequila brand. Heat legend Dwyane Wade has Wade Cellars! Oh, it is a raining business with hard drinks! While many retired NBA legends are venturing into the liquor industry, Carmelo Anthony, who recently stepped into the entrepreneurial side of the world, shared how much of a shift this has been.

During his recent appearance at the Web Summit, he spoke about the difference between the past and present days. “The industry has changed you know dramatically and drastically to where was that before and this (wine) wasn’t a cool thing to do. As an athlete you (were) frowned upon if you was drinking wine because it just wasn’t for us. It wasn’t for a younger demographic, it wasn’t for athletes. We look bad if we drinking wine and alcohol and things like that.”

But why does this shift? He added that this has allowed players to build businesses and make the industry more inclusive than it once was. “I also think with technology and the fact that we can actually talk directly to our consume and to our fan and we can give them that information as opposed to them having to go out there and search for it that’s I’m excited about and I think that’s the difference between athletes and resources and outlets from 20 years ago,” Melo said on the issue. 

Melo’s interest in talking on the issue has a justification because he is quite a wine enthusiast and has spent lavishly on his collections. This was one of the reasons why he started his own business. He partnered with co-founder Asani Swann to launch VII(N) The Seventh Estate in 2022. Another factor that influenced Carmelo Anthony to start his brand was a challenge. As he said, when people teased him, the Knicks legend knew he had to come up with a response.

“People was laughing at me, and it was just like, ‘Why are you drinking wine? You’re 21 years old. From that point on, I knew I was onto something because people were teasing me about it,” the New York Knicks legend told Robb Report’s House of Robb San Francisco. Melo had to study the industry like a student before finally stepping into business. While there are several competitions, Melo’s knowledge as an enthusiast might make a difference. The Miami Heat legend Wade also had his own story and reason for starting his label.

Dwyane Wade about his liquor brand Wade Cellars 

Did you know that Wade never tasted wine until he was 28? This is not surprising, considering his profession. His first experiment with wine was thanks to Alonzo Mourning, who gave him a few bottles of flowers. This was just the beginning. Much later, he flew to Napa to meet Jayson Pahlmeyer, which led to a partnership.

Wade wasn’t interested in Tequila or Vodka, but then the decision for wine became easier for him. He started his label, Wade Cellars when he was still playing in the NBA. Was it difficult for him? “For me, starting a business is like building a team. You find the right partners who are good at things you aren’t. I definitely know that once I’m done playing the game of basketball, I will get even more into wine. But making great wine isn’t my specialty right now, so, I had to find people who were,” Wade told Forbes. 

The partnership with Wade was a first for the Pahlmeyer family as well. Speaking of his partnership, he spoke about how it was more of his personality than his knowledge that sealed the deal. “I think it was about the way they perceived my personality. What they thought I stood for. I try to represent myself in a classy way. Even when I was younger, I always wanted to be a well dressed man. A gentleman. And that kind of man drinks fine wine,” the Miami Heat legend said.

There has been indeed a big change, and Carmelo Anthony is wrong to speak on it because it has worked out well for the athletes!