Brian Davison’s path into the sports industry wasn’t traditional—it was relentless.

After leaving a college coaching job, he started selling sneakers at a Nike outlet for $11/hour. Over the next decade, he networked his way into corporate Nike, became one of the company’s elite EKINs, and eventually landed on the Nike basketball team, helping re-sign Giannis Antetokounmpo on a $240 million deal.

This week, Jake and I sat down with Brian to unpack that entire journey—from cold-emailing executives to flying on private jets, and why he ultimately left it all to launch Sports Business Ventures, a company focused on mentorship and access in sports.

Whether you’re chasing your first job or thinking about your next one, this episode is full of practical lessons on career building, brand storytelling, and staying relentlessly visible.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Intro00:57 – Brian’s early dream to work in sports03:35 – Coaching at a small D2 school (and working 3 jobs)06:06 – The moment he realized coaching wasn’t sustainable08:23 – A trip to Salt Lake City changes everything10:24 – The dream to become a Nike EKIN is born12:10 – From retail store to Nike email address13:51 – Cold-emailing Nike execs from the manager’s office16:58 – Flying to Beaverton on his own dime to pitch himself20:19 – Turning down a pro basketball contract to keep chasing Nike22:15 – Winning EKIN of the Year and getting closer to sports marketing26:10 – How he converted 1,900 youth teams to Nike30:14 – Moving into product creation at Jordan Brand33:50 – Joining the Nike basketball team and working with Giannis35:07 – How Nike values signature athlete deals37:53 – Leaving Nike for the Milwaukee Bucks front office42:35 – Winning a championship and still feeling unfulfilled43:10 – Launching Sports Business Ventures45:43 – What SBV actually does47:13 – Advice for anyone trying to break into the sports industry51:46 – The importance of storytelling, perspective, and effort54:07 – Outro