Sébastien Chabal, the Williams sisters, Michael Jordan… A number of former champions have succeeded in multiplying their sporting achievements, followed by businesses that are as juicy as they are daring, once their careers have come to an end. Focus on five examples of how former champions can also be formidable businessmen and women.
Tony Parker
Retired in 2019 after a prolific basketball career and inducted into the prestigious NBA Hall of Fame last year, Tony Parker has embarked on a new career path, this time in business. The former French national team point guard and four-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs has set up Infinity Nine, a multi-activity group with around 300 employees. “I went from the basketball court to the office without any difficulty. I was even very excited about this new adventure,” the former athlete told Harvard Business Review France.
The businessman owns a training centre, ski lifts (Villard-de-Lans), a stud farm and a wine estate (Château Saint-Laurent in the Rhône Valley). Working with Saïd El Yousfi from Bordeaux, founder of Wineted, a trading house for the rarest wines, the former basketball champion, who was introduced to wine by his ex-coach Gregg Popovich, has transformed his Var estate at Morières-lès-Avignon into a complex with a restaurant, hotel, wedding reception, wine and truffle fields.
He is also chairman and majority shareholder of the Asvel Villeurbanne and Lyon Asvel women’s basketball clubs. “I’ve created a group based on passion, I’m trying to have an impact on society, it’s my way of giving back to the new generation. I share my experiences, and the human adventure takes precedence over my choices,” he explained in an interview with AFP.
Sébastien Chabal
The rugby superstar with 62 caps for France has always been able to diversify his activities. At the end of the 2000s, when he was at the top of the sporting billboard, he signed a number of advertising contracts, from Pokerstars and Orange to Seat and Dépil Tech. Then, in 2017, Sébastien Chabal, who stopped his career 10 years ago, launched ConceptSport, a manufacturer and distributor of outdoor equipment for local authorities and businesses. The sportsman also designs the Ruckfield clothing brand and runs the Au Poil hair and beard cosmetics label. The former rugby international has also been a partner in Promy, a tech-backed property company, since 2022. A few weeks ago, the man known as “Caveman” for his impressive build announced the launch of Les Burgers de Jo, a street food concept that will see a thousand partner restaurants open by early 2025. The disruptive idea is to offer any restaurant owner the chance to add to their menu, under licence and for up to two Wednesdays a month, the recipes created by Gard-based restaurateur Joannes Richard, the first non-American to win the title of world burger champion in 2023.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable sportsmen to have turned his career around. The former American basketball celebrity turned out to be a formidable businessman. Not surprisingly, he had already hit the jackpot with the creation of his Air Jordan shoe, under the aegis of the giant Nike, whose double-digit percentage on each sale largely swelled his bank account. Building on this financial success, in 2010 Michael Jordan bought an NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats. He also owns a Nissan car dealership in the United States, six restaurants, a professional motorbike team, the 23XI Racing team, the Cincoro tequila brand and an NFT collection.
Venus and Serena Williams
The Williams sisters are still going strong after their glory days on the courts, reigning over international tennis. While Venus has not officially retired, Serena, the greatest tennis player in history with 23 Grand Slam titles, will retire in 2022 after a 27-year career. Venus, who has a degree in interior design, has set up her company Palazzo, an artificial intelligence tool dedicated to the architecture and decoration sector. Serena, who is more interested in investment than entrepreneurship, is involved in SurveyMonkey, a polling and statistics company. At Vivatech 2024, the two sisters also announced their participation in Shares, a French platform seeking to democratise investment in the stock market, but also in ETFs and crypto-currencies.
Richard Virenque
The great cyclist, who won the polka-dot jersey for best climber in the Tour de France 7 times, has found new professional routes after his career came to an end in 2004. Richard Virenque, the former face of the Festina watch brand, started out as a Eurosport consultant for around fifteen years and was ambassador for the Maillot à pois sponsored by Carrefour. “Then I decided that my career change would also involve other activities. So I launched a brand of jewellery and then watches, which are sold in supermarkets. I also signed a licensing agreement with a bicycle equipment manufacturer,” the former champion told Capital. Richard Virenque has also developed property projects in the Lyon region and launched multi-sport energy products called “V7”.
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Featured photo : © DR
