Oregon is now part of Melo’s rapidly expanding business empire. Carmelo Anthony‘s post-NBA life has been all about blending his varied interests with business. He’s doing it quite successfully too. He became one of the select few players to jump into the c*nnabis business recently. Four months later, the 10x NBA All-Star is bringing his company, Grand National Agency, to the Trail Blazers turf. The secret behind his recent entrepreneurial success includes a team as passionate as him.

Since officially calling it an NBA career in 2022, Carmelo Anthony has established himself as a tech venture capitalist, vintner, and so much more. This is only a crumb in Melo’s giant business pie.

Carmelo Anthony’s newest moves

Melo’s looking to score in business the way he scored on a basketball court. So he couldn’t let Grand National Agency be another celebrity venture. To build a brand, he brought on board experts in the industry as well as Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce, better known as the brandmaker Beedy of Artists Equity. Beedy has worked with the ‘Banana Boat’ crew’s frontman LeBron James, along with Snoop Dogg on other businesses. Beedy worked with Nike and has known Melo through his connection as a Jordan athlete.

When Anthony was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2019 to 2021, he met Jesce Horton, a longtime entrepreneur in the c*nnabis business. Melo would head to the Los Angeles Lakers to play alongside Bron but his partnership with Horton remained intact.

The trio worked together in grow rooms and not only came up with Grand National (named after the iconic American car maker) but also its first strain, STAYME7O (pronounced ‘Stay-Melo’) in April 2024. Despite the reference to his famous nickname and NBA number, Anthony has prioritized science, quality, and brand building overall.

Now they’re debuting STAYME7O where it all began in Oregon. It speaks of Melo’s purpose-driven success as proceeds from the sales go to the NuProject, a nonprofit combating the dr*g epidemic. Anthony is also supporting minority-owned businesses among other philanthropic ventures. That’s his goal to redefine the celebrity business genre.

Melo wants to be a force of change

Diversifying his portfolio was not about growing the $262 million NBA earnings after retiring. Positive impact is Carmelo Anthony’s primary purpose. Driven by his childhood in Red Hook’s projects, he wanted to become a presence in boardrooms. So he studied, made savvy investments, went to business meetings, spoke to corporate professionals, and used his credibility to drive businesses toward social change.

It wasn’t a sudden transition after announcing his retirement in 2023, either. One of his first ventures was Melo7Tech Partners, founded in 2013, to bring some diversity to traditional investment firms. Through his firm, Melo bought into major businesses like Lyft, DraftKings, SeatGeek, Bonobos, Clubhouse, and even the wine app, Vivino.

The crown jewel of his empire has been Creative 7, a production company across TV, digital, and audio platforms that hopes to give a more marginalized way to showcase their cause. Then came the most well-known brand, The Seventh Estate, his wine estate, in 2022. Much like his best friend, Dwyane Wade’s winery, Melo hopes to bring some more diversity to the wine space.

He built Isos7, an investment platform specifically to manage stakes in sports leagues, teams, or sports-related properties. In the same theme, he founded Puerto Rick FC, the North American Soccer League’s expansion club in 2015.

Melo’s business plan has always been about studying, researching, and relying on a trusty team. The purpose eventually outweighs the celebrity stature and the #7 references.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.