Serena Williams dominated the tennis world for nearly three decades and inspired millions along the way. One of her biggest fans? Jimmy Butler. The Warriors superstar named “Momma Smash” as a major influence for him during a recent interview with Forbes. But it wasn’t just Williams’ on-the-court accomplishments that inspired Butler.
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“What she’s done for women’s sports, but now even in the business world, is off the charts,” stated the 35-year-old. He’s not wrong. Serena launched her venture capital firm in 2017 and has grown her wealth to a whopping $340 million according to Investopedia. Her success not only impressed Butler, but inspired him to try and follow in her footsteps.
Butler referred to Serena as the GOAT in “every aspect” of tennis, a moniker he said will follow her into the business world as well. “It’s hard to catch Serena,” he admitted when talking about her billionaire status. “I hope to be that after I retire.”
Reaching the heights that Serena has certainly is saying something. Official Black Wall Street states the tennis icon has had 14 investments that have reached ‘unicorn’ status i.e, become $1 billion companies and above.
Butler certainly has the smarts to pull what he needs to, off. Merely in his mid 30s and he’s gotten to the point of being one of Li-Ning’s largest superstars while also having equity in the company.
The NBA baller is still a sports lover at heart though. When asked if he had spoken to Serena about his business portfolio, he revealed that he instead only talks to the 23-time Grand Slam winner about tennis. “If I could just learn a little bit of tennis from Serena, my life would kind of be made,” he said with a smile.
Jimmy’s love of the game, whether it be basketball or tennis, is understandable. He is a fiery competitor at heart and is the core reason that the Miami Heat made two NBA Finals appearances in the last five seasons. That said, Butler has already shown an affinity for being a successful businessman.
Butler started selling coffee while in the Bubble, and now it’s a fully realized business
During the wild Bubble era of the NBA, Butler needed something to take his mind off basketball, since that’s all he and the other players had at the time. He started selling coffee out of his room. Little did he know that would launch into BigFace, the former Heat player’s coffee brand.
“[Bigface] was just an experiment at the time,” said Butler to NBC News earlier this month. “It was some coffee with a bunch of sugar in it. We get out the bubble, and I’m like, ‘Man, I miss those days sitting around, making coffee and having conversations. Why can’t I do that every day?’”
The official BigFace store opened up in Miami in the fall of 2021. Butler remains an active member of the brand and even traveled to South America sampling beans to sell in his store or his online shop.
Who knew charging an exorbitant$20 for a cup of coffee in the Bubble would lead to such an empire. Butler may have some ground (no pun intended) to catch up to Serena, but considering his first business was a rousing success, he’s well on his way.
