A lot of professional athletes generally are set for life with the paychecks that they receive from playing their sport. That is no different for NBA players, who generally receive a good amount of money from basketball, especially if they are in the league for more than a few years.

Some athletes decide to make more money from their earnings though, either by starting their own businesses or investing in other ventures. It makes sense that some would want to build on their existing wealth, simply to ensure

A recent thread by Nathan Baugh has revealed that Kevin Durant is “one of the best investors” in the world currently. Baugh broke down Kevin Durant’s best investments, which included a popular food service in Postmates, among other prominent companies.

1. Coinbase

KD invested in Coinbase in 2017. With Coinbase’s ~$100B IPO in April, he earned a 61x return. KD didn’t say how much he invested, but with a usual check size of $250K – $1M, it’s reasonable he made anywhere between $15.2M and $61M.

2. Overtime

Before Overtime realized its vision of an elite high school basketball league, KD invested in its 2018 $9.5M Series A. Overtime is now valued at $250M+ after its April ’21 raise, including investment from:

– Jeff Bezos

– Drake

– Alexis Ohanian

3. Robinhood

KD invested in Robinhood in 2017 at a $1.2B valuation. In July, Robinhood made its debut on the stock market at a $32B valuation. That’s a cool 2,500% return for KD.

4. Postmates

KD invested $1M into the delivery startup in 2016. As part of a marketing campaign, he personally delivered Nikes around NYC for Postmates. Fast forward to 2020 and Uber acquired Postmates for $2.6B, earning Durant a $15M payday.

5. Acorns

KD on his 2016 Acorns investment: “Supporting up-and-coming generations by tackling tough issues and empowering them with the tools for success has always been a priority.”

Acorns helps young people invest using change and is going public at a $2.2B valuation.

6. Dapper Labs

Before NFTs blew up, KD invested in Dapper Labs at a $2.6B valuation. Since, the company announced a partnership with the NFL, launched WNBA cards, and raised a $250M Series D valuing it at $7.6B. You know Dapper Labs as the maker of NBA Top Shot.

7. Whoop

KD first invested in the digital fitness company in 2017 with Whoop valued at $128M. Its recent Series F valued it at $3.6B. That’s a 2,800% return in 4 years.

All this can’t happen without Kevin’s business partner, Rich Kleiman. A legend in his own right. Together, the two have invested in 50+ companies through Thirty Five Ventures.

Recently, they invested in another batch of incredible companies:

– Rally

– ReserveBar

– Sleeper

My favorite part — KD’s motivation: “I want my kids & their kids to benefit from this time in my life & not ever have to go through what I went through.”

There is no doubt that Kevin Durant is a shrewd businessman, who knows how to make good use of his money. It was reported previously that Kevin Durant was one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, making $75 million in 2021, with $44 million of it coming from off-court ventures.

Hopefully, Kevin Durant is able to continue making good investments, and help businesses become bigger while also reaping the benefits. Kevin Durant has a great future as a businessman and investor, and it seems as though this is only the beginning.