Towering over the basketball court at 6 feet, 10 inches—four inches taller than the average NBA player—Philadelphia 76ers star Simmons stands head and shoulders above other pro point guards, a position typically played by the shortest player on the team. “At an early age, I was encouraged to handle the ball and not be pigeonholed into a traditional position,” says Simmons, whom the Sixers selected No. 1 in 2016 after notoriously tanking the prior four seasons to win the NBA draft lottery. Now the two-time All-Star’s five-year contract is slated to be worth $177 million (endorsements will add $6 million annually). He recently added esports company FaZe Clan to his investment portfolio, which already includes a stake in performance technology company Hyperice. “My strategy here is simple: to invest in what I know and believe in,” says the gamer. “I think the future of esports is as strong as the NBA’s.”
As North America settles in for a long pandemic winter, there are bright spots on the horizon. Hundreds of them. The 600 young entrepreneurs, activists, scientists and entertainers featured in our 10th Annual Forbes 30 Under 30 give everyone reason to hope. Some are defying the odds and building businesses despite Covid-19; others are helping to fight the illness, serving on hospital front- lines or working with A.I. to discover new drugs. This year they were photographed by one of their own: Mamadi Doumbouya, a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea who appears in this year’s Art & Style group. Collectively, our Under 30 trailblazers have raised over $1 billion in venture funding and are proof positive that ambition and innovation can’t be quarantined.
Read the full list on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2021/
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