Former NBA player Al Harrington wants to get in on the marijuana industry. And it all started, surprisingly, with his grandma.
“She suffered from glaucoma and diabetes...I was reading about all the medicinal benefits of cannabis, and I said that she should try it,” Harrington told Cheddar.
Initially his grandmother resisted, but after her very first try she was already feeling a lot better. “She inspired me to invest in a company to get into the cannabis space.”
Later this year, Harrington will release his own line of marijuana products aimed at pain relief for athletes, one he created by drawing on his own experiences. He had 14 surgeries throughout his career and told Cheddar that he suffered from chronic pain.
In the next three to five years, the NBA may even remove marijuana from its list of banned substances for players, starting with CBD products, says Harrington.
“Players should have access to...an alternative way of medicating themselves.”
“I’m a firm believer that if I had known this information that I know now, I probably could have played another three years in the NBA,” says Harrington.
Harrington spent 16 years in the league, most recently with the Washington Wizards, before retiring from the Sydney Kings in 2015.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-former-nba-star-al-harrington-is-capitalizing-on-cannabis).
It's no secret that much of the popularity of Epic Games' smash hit Fortnite comes from its status as a free-to-play game. Now, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter says two other surprising titles may make the switch: Overwatch and Call of Duty.
It's become par for the course for Epic Games to release game-changing items in Fortnite just before tournaments. Ghost Gaming's Kayuun shares his worries for what that means for competitive Fortnite.
In a sign of how attitudes around gambling have changed as laws around it have softened, the NFL announced its first-ever partnership with a gambling company, naming Caesars as the league's official casino sponsor. Chris Holdren, chief marketing officer for Caesars, told Cheddar that the sponsorship represents the beginning of a relationship that could eventually become one where the NFL is directly endorsing sports betting.
Bull riding isn't just for the rodeo, anymore. It's coming to a major city near you ー and streaming online ー thanks largely to the efforts of Colorado-based Professional Bull Riders (PBR). And PBR CEO Sean Gleason told Cheddarthe organization has plenty more tricks up its sleeve to keep its momentum going.
The markets opened up sharply higher on Friday after Thursday's big sell-off. The turnaround was due in large part to investor optimism over the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks but also the December jobs report. The U.S. economy added 314,000 jobs last month, topping the 184,000 jobs expected. Plus, Professional Bull Riders CEO Sean Gleason and bull rider Tanner Bryne stopped by to chat about growing bull riding in the U.S. in an ever-changing media landscape.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Fitness and beauty booking tool Mindbody is planning to make a play for the next big thing in wellness ー on-demand video, CEO Rick Stollmeyer told Cheddar on Thursday. "You can expect us to be playing in that space because we think that the on-demand and streaming video revolution hitting the fitness space is a big breakthrough," Stollmeyer said.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.
There's a new mixed-martial arts league on the block. The Professional Fighters League ー or PFL ー is wrapping up its inaugural season with a championship match on New Year's Eve. According to Peter Murrary, the CEO of the league, the match's purse, $1 million, is a major draw for athletes ー money talks, and can mark achievement.
