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Joe Pompliano Profile picture
@JoePompliano
Sep 29, 2020 • 10 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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When the Miami Heat tip off the NBA Finals on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, they'll be significant underdogs.

The craziest part?

Their entire roster is used to it.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇
1) Head coach Eric Spoelstra started his Miami Heat career as a video coordinator back in 1995.

Since then, he's worked his way from the video room to 3x NBA Champion and is regarded as one of the best coaches in the NBA today.

The lesson?

Keep going.
2) When it comes to Jimmy Butler, you couldn't make up his story if you tried.

- Homeless at 13
- 73rd ranked SG in Texas
- No D1 offers, attended JuCo
- Last pick of 1st round

Now, Butler is a 4x all-star with $220M in career earnings - looking to win his 1st NBA championship.
3) Duncan Robinson has continuously believed in himself, even when others didn't.

- No D1 offers
- Attended DIII Williams College
- Transferred to Michigan
- Undrafted in 2018
- Signed with Heat

Now he'll start in the NBA Finals as one of the best 3-pt shooters in the NBA.
4) Since going undrafted in 2018, Kendrick Nunn has fought his way to back to relevancy.

Nunn spent a year in the G-league, but impressed Heat coaches with a 40-pt game this preseason.

In total, he started 67 games this year and finished 2nd in ROTY voting behind Ja Morant.
5) Jae Crowder spent 2 years at JuCo before transferring to Marquette.

After staring w/ Butler at Marquette, Crowder was selected in the 2nd round of the draft.

Despite being a quality player, Crowder has been traded 4 times - yet he hopes to have finally found a home in Miami
6) Udonis Haslem is considered the heart and soul of the Miami Heat.

His story:
- Undrafted in '02
- Spent a year in France
- Lost 50lbs in 8 months
- Signed with Heat in '03
- 3x NBA Champion

The craziest part?

Haslem has played with Jae Crowder and his father, Corey.
7) The mastermind behind the Miami Heat?

Pat Riley, who has been a dominate fixture in the NBA Finals as a player, coach, and executive.

Finals Appearances (@CBSSports)
As a player: 3
As a coach: 9
As an executive: 5

Already a legend, Riley looks to add to his legacy.
8) When the NBA Finals tip off on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will start 4 players selected in the top 10 - including three #1 overall picks.

The Heat?

That number is 0.

They may not look like much individually, but together they just might be the best team in the world
If you enjoyed this thread, you should:

1. Follow me, I tweet cool sports stories everyday.

2. Subscribe to my free daily newsletter where I give detailed analysis on topics involving the money and business behind sports.

huddleup.substack.com

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More from @JoePompliano

Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Mar 1
The 2024 Formula 1 calendar is insane:

• 24 races
• 21 countries
• 5 continents
• 180+ hours of flights

Teams will travel 75,000 miles & transport 1,500 tons of equipment.

This makes it a logistical nightmare, so here's a breakdown of how Formula 1 pulls it off.

THREAD 👇
1) The simplest way to explain Formula 1 logistics is by breaking the calendar into two parts:

• European Races
• Flyaway Races

Let's start with European Races.
2) European races are self-explanatory — these are races that take place in Europe.

Examples:
• Monaco
• Monza
• Zandvoort
• Silverstone
• Spa

These races are easier and cheaper logistically because everything is transported by trucks rather than planes and boats. Image
Read 16 tweets
Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Feb 7
Apple Music pays the NFL $50 million annually to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show.

But Usher won't get any of that money.

Instead, he'll perform for free, leveraging the exposure to gain followers, sell tickets, and increase streaming numbers.

Here's how it works 👇 Image
1) Some of the world's most famous artists have performed at the Super Bowl:

• Prince
• Michael Jackson
• Bruce Springsteen
• Beyonce
• Justin Timberlake
• The Rolling Stones
• Rihanna

But NONE of these artists were paid. Image
2) Here's how the financials work:

• NFL signs a $50M sponsorship deal
• Artists get a ~$15 million production budget

This budget covers 2,000 to 3,000 part-time workers, including set design, security, dancers, and marketing.

But artists don't get any of the money.
Read 11 tweets
Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Jan 27
My favorite sports business story involves two brothers turning $1 million into $800 million as basketball team owners without ever owning an NBA team.

It's a masterclass in leverage, long-term thinking, and the power of equity and ownership.

Here's the crazy story 👇 Image
1) The story starts with Ozzie & Daniel Silna.

The two brothers were born in New Jersey after their parents immigrated from Latvia in the 1930s.

They worked at their dad's small textile business, but when he sold the company, they started manufacturing polyester in the 1960s.
2) As polyester sales skyrocketed throughout the 1960s, Ozzie & Daniel Silna's business grew.

So they used $1 million in profit to buy the ABA’s failing Carolina Cougars in 1974.

They then moved the team to Saint Louis and rebranded as the Saint Louis Spirits. Image
Read 12 tweets
Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Jun 13, 2023
I asked my audience: "What is the best sports book you've ever read?" — and received more than 1,000 responses.

Here are the Top 10 👇

1) Open, an autobiography by Andre Agassi.

Everyone needs to read this, seriously. Image
2) Moneyball by Michael Lewis

This book follows the Oakland A's historic 2002 season — 103 wins with one of the lowest budgets in MLB —and details how the Athletics pioneered the use of analytics and advanced statistics.

This is a must-read, plain & simple. Image
3) The Score Takes Care Of Itself

This book breaks down the leadership lessons Bill Walsh installed as head coach of the 49ers, taking the team from a 2-14 record to Super Bowl Champions in just 2 years.

It's full of great stories.

And it's so good that I've read it 3-4 times. Image
Read 12 tweets
Joe Pompliano Profile picture
May 31, 2023
Conor McGregor in 2007:

• Working as a plumber
• Living with his parents
• Thousands of dollars in debt
• Cashing $235 welfare checks

But now, @TheNotoriousMMA has made over $600 million and is one of the world's highest-paid athletes.

This is his WILD story 👇 Image
1) McGregor's story reads like a Hollywood script.

He was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Crumlin, Ireland, who started taking boxing classes after being bullied by kids at school.

"Things like this happened a few times, so I thought, f**k this. I am going to go and train." ImageImage
2) McGregor started training at the Crumlin Boxing Club.

But then he discovered MMA at 16 and fully committed his life to the sport.

McGregor would watch delayed recordings of UFC fights and then practice the moves in his backyard.

But there was a problem. Image
Read 14 tweets
Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Apr 27, 2023
The NFL Draft is a MASSIVE event:

• $3 million construction cost
• $100 million economic impact
• 10 million viewers and 300,000 fans

But it wasn't always this big.

ESPN *made* it this big.

Here's the fascinating story 👇 Image
1) The NFL didn't have a draft for its first 14 years.

But Eagles owner Bert Bell got tired of losing — the best college players signed with the best teams — and pitched an idea to level the playing field.

And the NFL draft was born.

However, it looked different back then. Image
2) The first NFL Draft was held in 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia.

• Draft picks written on a chalkboard
• Only 81 players selected (262 today)

Even crazier?

That year's #1 pick, Heisman winner Jay Berwanger, turned down the NFL to become a salesman instead. Image
Read 11 tweets

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