It’s safe to say the entrepreneurial spirit found former NBA star Jamal Mashburn at a young age.
Born and raised in Harlem, his inspiration came in bits and pieces. Jamal recalls watching his mother, a New York city employee, balance books as part of her job, all while instilling in him a sense of fearlessness. “I had no blueprint,” he says now. “My mom was the blueprint to give me those core values to be courageous.”
Plus, there was that proverbial “lightbulb moment” he’d often have while sitting on the New York subway, watching business professionals walk by in suits, carrying briefcases, with Mashburn often wondering what might be inside.
“I was always curious about that,” he told a captive audience last month at the Kogod School of Business.
Those early experiences, along with a father who he says struggled to find purpose after a career as a professional boxer, set the stage not just for his own successful professional basketball career, but for nearly unparalleled success in the years since.
Indeed, it’s largely what Mashburn has done as an entrepreneur since his NBA retirement two decades ago that spawned his invitation to the AU campus on September 27. He spoke as part of the Sine Distinguished Lecturer Series, hosted during the university’s fall family weekend.
“It’s not because of his basketball career, but because of his full cycle of life,” said Kogod Dean David Marchick, who introduced Mashburn—and in the process noted the NBA star’s place among professional athletes who found the greatest success, post-retirement, from Roger Staubach to Bill Bradley to Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
“Jamal Mashburn,” Marchick added, “has to be at the top of that list.”
Speaking to faculty, staff, students, families, and distinguished guests from the AU Board of Trustees and AU athletics, Mashburn recounted his professional journey. It’s one met with deep appreciation at Kogod, where a rich culture of entrepreneurship sees students, from the time they walk on campus, imagining concepts for real-world startups and pitching new and innovative ways to drive change through business.
“It hasn’t been a series of careers for you. It’s been one career, intertwined,” remarked Jason Kelly, Bloomberg chief correspondent and host of The Deal podcast, who moderated the discussion.
Today, Mashburn helms a series of successful enterprises. He’s the founder and principal of Helen Holdings and boasts experience in a wide range of sectors from media, sports, and entertainment to tourism, hospitality, food and beverage, waste management, and real estate.
Mashburn is a bona fide expert in financial analysis and international negotiations and has helmed a portfolio featuring scores of well-known restaurant franchises and car dealerships.
Kelly noted that Mashburn was ahead of his time as a professional athlete by branching beyond the court into the business world.
“We talk about this empowered athlete, whether it’s Steph Curry or Lebron James."