How I Work: Andre Iguodala, NBA player and Tech Investor

·
September 16, 2019
·
4 min read

You may know Andre Iguodala as a big-league basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). But beyond basketball, Andre has also made a name for himself as a top technology investor with investment in at least 25 different startups including Facebook, Twitter, Tesla, and African e-commerce company Jumia.

We caught up with Andre recently to speak with us about how his career so far, how he manages his time between being a pro athlete and an investor, and how he stays productive.


Current role: Basketball player and tech investor
Location: USA
Current computer: Macbook Pro
Current mobile device: iPhone X
Describe how you work in one word: Efficient

Tell us briefly how you started out and how you got where you are today

I started off just asking a lot of questions; I was always asking my financial advisors a lot of questions. Why was the account up 5% versus why it was down 2%? What’s a bond? What’s a stock? What is equity? Just asking questions. And then from there, I started to venture out on my own a little bit, I became a bit more comfortable taking some risks on my own; that’s how I started.

Advertisement

Jumia with Andre Iguodala day 3 208

Walk us through a typical workday

I wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, and breathe. Open my phone and read something, whether it be a daily devotional. On my phone, there’s Headspace, which is a meditation app, so I try to do that either early in the morning or when I get to the gym -- I get there extra early so I can meditate for like 10 to 15 minutes.

Once I’m done with that, I eat breakfast: Avocado toast and eggs or I drink green tea smoothie. Then I’m off to practice -- lift weights, play basketball, and get my bodywork done. And then after that, it takes me about twenty minutes to read this newsletter called Stratechery by Ben Thompson. I read that for about twenty minutes, and take that time to relax and catch up on Twitter or Cheddar -- something I watch on Instagram (I invested in their startup). It’s content for millenials on tech and the newsfeed.

Then I like to go play golf for like an hour or two, practice my golf and then pick up my son from school, hang out with the kids for a bit and then eat dinner with them, put them to bed and then use the rest of the time to watch TV. I either watch golf or Bloomberg, and I’m following what’s going on in tech, following up on the stock market, catching up on the day. That’s pretty much my typical day.

What apps, gadgets, or tools can’t you do without?

The Bible app, the Stock app on the iPhone, my bank app, the Tesla app -- I have a Tesla so I warm-up or cool off my car. I can live without that but it’s pretty cool though. During the season, I use the NBA app because that’s work and I need that to keep up to date. The Uber app is good because I’m on the road a lot so I need to get around. GOAT app, because I have big feet so can’t find shoes, so Goat is good. Jumia is a really good app when I’m in Africa. And Twitter, because Twitter is like my newsfeed that where I get my news. And then the Email app.

What’s your favourite shortcut or hack?

I have an assistant, that’s a hack right there.

Be the smartest in the room

Join 30,000 subscribers who receive Techpoint Digest, a fun week-daily 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, directly in your inbox, hours before everyone else.
Digest Subscription

Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.

Jumia with Andre iguodala day 4 134 e1568630267338

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

I use Google Calendar and my wife uses Cozi, it’s a family planner app. So, half the time, I don’t know where I’m going, and I just hit the Google Calendar and it’s by the hour, I see what I have to do next.

How do you recharge or take a break?

Meditation is really good. I do yoga a lot, so some breathing exercises that help me recharge.

What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to? What do you recommend?

I’m currently reading a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, it’s really good. And then I have my next one Zero to One by Peter Thiel.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received: “You’re really good.” I never knew how good I was at Basketball and it took one person to tell me. He was like “you know, you’ll go pro first.” So, he helped me kind of put certain things in perspective.

Jumia with Andre iguodala day 4 183

What’s a problem you’re still trying to solve?

Personally, I can still be more efficient with my time. I can still make more time for myself. I need to make more time for myself. One day I will, but probably never.

Who would you like to see answer these questions?

My wife.


If you will like to sponsor the How I Work series, send and an email to [email protected] or call +2348186016629

I write about media, technology and internet culture.
I write about media, technology and internet culture.
Subscribe To Techpoint Digest
Join thousands of subscribers to receive our fun week-daily 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, directly in your inbox, hours before everyone else.
This is A daily 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, sent directly to your email inbox, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m (WAT) every week day! 
Digest Subscription

Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.

I write about media, technology and internet culture.

Other Stories

43b, Emina Cres, Allen, Ikeja.

 Techpremier Media Limited. All rights reserved
magnifier