The Washington Wizards were one of the best teams in the league by any metric going into December 2021. Going into 2022 they are on a slide but there is plenty of time to right the ship in charting a playoff course this year. Who saw the Wizards as a playoff possibility this season? Not many of the national media types gave them a chance but Dinwiddie was willing to bet on himself and his new teammates.
Spencer Dinwiddie did, $1 Championship bonus and all. He’s usually ahead of the game because he stays riding the right side of life’s learning curve waves. First, however, he had to get back on the court, and he credits Breinfuel in aiding his historic process. (Yes, historic. More below.)
As for his rehab, his journey back to the NBA hardwood, and the family fit in Washington, Dinwiddie said
“There is a lot of gratefulness. Gratitude. I’ve been very blessed in my basketball career. Off the court, where I’m at with my family, I have a lot of peace. [Looking forward] there is still so much basketball to be played. That personal journey, you want to maximize it. To be able to be healthy and to have that true opportunity in Washington was just kind of a dream come true. And not, not in the cliche overexaggerated way but in a measured way. Like, it’s dope to be here.”
The road here was tough as a three-star recruit who left Colorado his junior year in hopes of lottery gold. Dinwiddie fell to the second round and served time on the G-League circuit but now he is a bonafide lynchpin along with Bradley Beal to one of the best stories in basketball. Coming back from a partially torn ACL was not a setback but an opportunity and a reminder to keep pushing “to be the best Spencer” he could be so he was ready for the challenges that lie ahead, physically and financially.
Dinwiddie explained,
“Obviously you hear the horror stories of athletes and money all the time. So, you know, whatever you’re going to get into as an investment, you want to be as diligent as you possibly can. And for me, I like to invest in things that make sense personally. You know, whether it’s a VC deal, or traditional equities investment, or obviously cryptocurrency and other emerging markets, I like things that make sense.
You know, crypto has been one of those things that have made sense for me. Then just talking about the learning curve, distributed ledger technology, etc. Took a deep dive down that rabbit hole, it started four or five years ago now. And I’ve been, I guess, falling down a rabbit hole ever since trying to pick up some spots of knowledge along the way.”
Two of his newest spots are Calaxy and Breinfuel. Calaxy is the crypto realm while Breinfuel gives Dinwiddie a boost on the court. As for how he discovers these ventures and products,
“I tell my agent, my trainers, if they come across a product these are the things that are critical to me investing or partnering, right? When we talk there are just different core philosophies, right? Breinfuel was brought to the table by my circle in that respect, and I was gonna try the drink. I then spoke to the founders. From there, it just kind of seemed like a match made in heaven. My team knows me well and how to approach certain things so they only bring certain things to the table, assuming that it at least has a decent shot of me, like, you know, liking it. After I try a product and feel its effect, if I really do feel its effects, that’s when I started saying let’s talk to them seriously.”
As for Breinfuel specifically,
“[It] was a fit and that’s why I wanted to go from just like, you know, not just some money but equity partnership to be in this for the long haul….I’m excited to be partnering with Breinfuel as I have experienced firsthand the incredible effects it has had on my ACL recovery, providing me with both the physical and mental alertness and stamina I need to get back to playing basketball at my peak performance. I love that Breinfuel is not another sugary energy drink, but rather a blend of natural caffeine, powerful antioxidants, and fuel that my mind and body need—especially on the basketball court and in the business world….They explained their credentials. And that’s where I was like, oh, man, this definitely different level. Like, I do like your product but it’s a chance to be partnered with brilliant minds. You know, I love being surrounded by experts in their field and things like that. It’s always good to learn. So I’ve been fortunate enough to partner with them.”
His partnership with Breinfuel is just one step for Spencer Dinwiddie as he inspires fans and fellow athletes to pivot from ‘shut up and dribble’ to ‘fuel up and focus’ which is part of the Breinfuel on-bottle branding.
“It says it on the drink but when you talk about just focusing on ‘shut up and dribble’, I would say it goes back to the comments that reporter made about Lebron. There’s an evolution of that happening right now. We’re trying to be mindful athletes. We’re trying to push forward by having smart investments and take better care of our bodies. It goes into what we put in our bodies and when I think about ‘fuel up and focus’ I think about that.”
As for what songs and albums kept him hyped up and fighting for the quickest ACL recovery in history (Just five and a half months!), Dinwiddie jumped up in his seat.
“Savage Mode II by Savage 21 and Metro Boomin! Yeaaaaa!”
And what does he watch during his downtime and road trips?
“I’m a huge Iron Man fan. A big Black Panther fan. Then when we get to the Avengers, the Marvel series, and stuff like that…Those are the type of movies that I watch. I usually watch movies that are about escaping reality. I work really hard so that’s what I usually watch. I like documentaries but I don’t usually keep it heavy. Sometimes you just gotta be like…”
And here he pulled a decompressing, relaxing, no-stressing face.
Dinwiddie has been making too many moves to be seen resting up for long. His focus is usually on getting better. At what? Doesn’t matter. Just get better. Strive for a larger understanding. A healing hooper can still find ways to get better.
“Better educate yourself on whatever topic is at hand. So, you know, basketball, sometimes that means just watching film or games. I’ve just been kind of bought into the process for the recovery and with ACLs it is all about being diligent in all of the recovery modalities including what I put into my body. And then everything else just in terms of training and sleep schedules, stuff like…you can always find those little tricks to the trade and little nuances that make you one percent better. And that applies across the board to kind of how can I be a better father to my son? How can I be a better son for my father and a better brother and all those things.”
What’s the thought process behind that and how does he see the benefit?
“So the two things I mentioned right. I like things that make sense. I like things or areas where I can continue to be one percent better. So in that respect, Breinfuel checks both those boxes. For me, it makes perfect sense to have a drink that helps with focus especially with a profession that you know, one shot one misstep is the difference between a win and a loss. In terms of what one percent better means, it’s all about getting just one percent better in the recovery process, right? Like, you want to get the maximum out of your workout, right?
You want the collagen supplementation joints and things like that. You want all these little factories that continue to give you an edge. The proof is in the pudding. Like, I came back [after] maybe five and a half months. As far as I know, that’s fast and recorded history. Well, I think my first game was eight months post-op. I was cleared at five and a half months and obviously just with the way the season fell, I ended up playing eight months post-op. Pretty much have no limitations and all they are going to do is hold me out of back-to-backs just based on an abundance of precaution, but that’s not something that’s like, clinically necessary.”
It could be easy to rest on the laurels provided by a three-year $34 million contract but that would almost be too boring. And that’s $34 million in looking good pre-taxes and fees money. Dinwiddie is aiming for even longer money that adds interest and feeds wealth back into the community.
“For me, it is a lot of fun. So I have a passion for off-the-court business stuff. That’s why I’ve had the different ventures that I’ve had to expand my portfolio. The whole mindset of doing stuff that’s authentic to me is informed by that original passion. You know, there was a time where I tried to, you know, probably do a lot of different things just in terms of being a part of this company, or sitting on this board, etc, etc. I didn’t have the same type of passion for things that I didn’t actually like, or use, or find value in. So that’s where, as I’ve grown older and matured in the investing process, I continue to try to pare down my investments and that will make them more meaningful and impactful as we go.”
And, it’s just damn fun. As for being the face of a brand, maybe getting to do a national commercial, and just what he gets out of all the extra work that comes with these projects Dinwiddie did say he’d have to get with his people about designing the commercial. He didn’t give up his flavor of Breinfuel when I tried to slip it in.
“Nope. Nope. See, you almost got me. I’m not going to go on record with that. I need y’all to try every single flavor and figure it out for yourself then we could do a raffle, giveaway, or poll. Something like that to see what the community says.”
You can catch Spencer Dinwiddie and the Wizards in their next game against the Rockets on Wednesday, January 5th at 7:00PM ET.
