When an athlete is also, and above all, a Businessman

NBA players will participate in the ‘Branding in the Global Economy’ program from 26 to 28 June, organized by SDA Bocconi with the National Basketball Players Association

The NBA players that will gather at SDA Bocconi School of Management for the Branding in the Global Economy program, led by Dino Ruta and David Bardolet, are global stars. Among those expected are Danilo Gallinari (Denver Nuggets), Boris Diaw (Utah Jazz), Boban Marjanovic (Detroit Pistons), Wilson Chandler, Gary Harris (both Denver Nuggets), Jordan Clarkson (Los Angeles Lakers) and Jerami Grant (Oklahoma City Thunders), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), Alexis Ajinca (New Orleans Pelicans) and 10-year NBA veteran, Ronny Turiaf. As a group, they represent six different countries, USA, Italy, Serbia, France, Montenegro and the Philippines. 

 "The program is part of the International Business Academy (IBA) launched by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)," explains Dino Ruta, "with the assumption that the education of athletes is the starting point for creating value in the sports system. There are various points of view to be considered: technical-competitive, commercial, and values that the athletes represent to the different stakeholders, which are above all the fans. Athletes that are better-educated and more self-aware achieve greater results in both sports and in their careers off the court.” The theme of the course is centered around providing perspective on how to build a successful brand that has an international scope, especially considering that players “are themselves brand names that gain value through initiatives related to their image” says Ruta. The IBA was developed in 2017 with the goal of providing global business training to athletes who live and play in the NBA, an American reality that has taken on a global dimension and promotes multi-cultural values.

 "The NBPA has chosen SDA Bocconi, because it has recognized in the Sports Knowledge Center, founded in 2013, a center of international excellence for the development of business topics for athletes” explains Ruta. The program will be a mix of lessons, testimonials and visits. In particular, players will have the opportunity to interact with representatives of the fashion world (Moncler and Stone Island), Ferrari, Sport (Javier Zanetti), Wine (Cantine Ferrari) and Spirits (Gruppo Campari). "The true innovation," he continues, "will be to develop an action plan that will enable each of them to transfer what they learned into concrete results. For that reason, this path does not end on the 28th ...".
Matteo Zuretti, Director of International Relations, explains that “at the NBPA, we have the privilege of serving the best basketball players in the world on a daily basis, which exposes us on a daily basis to their off-court potential. One of our missions is to ensure that we foster the development of our members in all aspects of life unrelated to the basketball court and this includes acquiring to develop their brand on a global scale. SDA Bocconi represents excellence in the educational field, the same level of excellence that our players put on display each and every time they step onto the court, leading us to believe that we have found the perfect partner for the International Business Academy.” 

Source: ViaSarfatti25