Didi Gregorius
New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is a serious ballplayer, which he proved in 2018 with career highs in both home runs (27) and RBIs (86) before blowing out his elbow in the ALDS. But in the time it took him to rehab from Tommy John surgery, he also proved he is seriously good at several creative pursuits. Gregorius taught himself to play the piano, so well that he can crush John Legend’s “All of Me.” He also honed his already stellar photography skills. His Instagram is rife with the fruits of his labors, and so are the social media pages of his Yankees teammates, who use Gregorius originals as their cover photos. Gregorius favors low-light, nighttime and long-exposure photography and has also learned digital drawing. “It’s a distraction,” he told a TV crew from B&H Photo in Manhattan. “The job is already hard, so you need something to relax your mind. And I don’t want to be pegged as a guy who can only play baseball.”
Russell Wilson
“If you have a billion-dollar idea and you don’t have a billion-dollar mindset, it doesn’t matter,” says self-proclaimed go-getter Russell Wilson. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback grew up fielding queries from his dad from the back seat of the family car. “Tell me where you see yourself at 25,” he would say. “At 30? At 40? Paint the picture for me.” And if Wilson’s dreams weren’t big enough, dad would push for more. Now, Wilson is a Super Bowl Champ and six-time Pro Bowler. He is married to pop star Ciara. And he is a bona fide entrepreneur. His successful clothing line Good Man Brand gives 3% of its proceeds to Wilson’s Why Not You foundation, which appropriates money to children’s charities. His production company, West2East, provides photo and video storytelling services to worldwide brands. And his latest venture, the predictive analytic gaming app Tally, is backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. So far, his picture is perfect.
Stephon Marbury
You may know Stephon Marbury as a 22-year standout in the NBA and New York City high school basketball legend, but he is a legitimate megastar in China. Following his NBA career, he won three Chinese Basketball Association championships with the Beijing Ducks, and the hearts of the Chinese people, who gave him his own statue, stamp, museum and stage play. Marbury is currently the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters, but he is also upping his game off the court. He is chairman of the sports blockchain group at media mogul Bruno Wu’s Sun Seven Stars Investment Group, where he directs planning and operations for the company’s athletic content and branding services. Additionally, Marbury has opened several youth basketball camps in China, his sports gear line Starbury Sports offers stylish and affordable high-performance sneakers and Starbury Media will be running exclusive esports tournaments in both the US and China. “I was focused on basketball when I was playing basketball,” Marbury told The Undefeated. “But now I’m focused on sports. Sports is the revolutionary wavelength to allow people to connect with each other.”
