NBA star Russell Westbrook is linking up with Hennessy to kick off a new initiative that aims to support minority business owners.
According to Hypebeast, the “Make Moves That Start Movements” program will expand on Hennessy’s Unfinished Business initiative — a platform created to provide material resources to Black, Asian and Latinx entrepreneurs who found themselves impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Westbrook himself will provide donations to aid the spirits brand’s efforts — which has already distributed more than $5 million in funding — as it looks to demonstrate community support from the NBA.
“The NBA has always demonstrated a desire to push the game to new heights and into new arenas of culture,” said Jasmin Allen — senior vice president of Hennessy U.S. “Led by the actions of players, the league, and the larger basketball communities that embody Hennessy’s Never Stop, Never Settle, ethos, the game’s influence goes well beyond the court to impact communities around the world, serving as the inspiration for Hennessy’s new campaign.”
In addition to offering financial support for the initiative, Westbrook — alongside artist Victor Solomon and entrepreneur Alex Taylor — also stars in Hennessy’s new creative campaign/ film that “depicts the journey of a basketball to demonstrate the places the game can take us, before pivoting to shine a light on communities that are moving the culture forward.”
The overall goal for the campaign is to both highlight diverse perspectives through film and offer tangible resources that support and uplift minority-owned businesses.
