Spencer Dinwiddie Will Address National Debt With His Jersey Inscription in Orlando
ESPN reported this weekend that the National Basketball Players Association was in discussions with the NBA to allow players to inscribe some sort of message pertaining to social causes on the back of their jerseys instead of just their names when the NBA season re-starts. But I'm not sure anyone could have guessed what Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie would choose to dedicate his nameplate to.
Dinwiddie, No. 26, says he plans to have his nameplate read "trillion" to signify the United States national debt of $26 trillion.
There was initial confusion and some backlash to Dinwiddie using his jersey to address the United States debt rather than some causes others view as more pressing, but Dinwiddie explained why this is such an important issue to him in the fight for social justice.
Dinwiddie has a long thread on Twitter with more thoughts on the issue, but made it clear that he views this as an issue that is more important to society than the amount of attention it garners and he wants to use his platform to bring attention to it.
Dinwiddie has made interesting headlines as it pertains to finance and basketball previously, attempting to allow fans to buy shares of his contract and invest in his future performance.
Robb Report — Earlier this month, Dinwiddie posted a video on Twitter in which he claims that after months of negotiations between his advisors and the league, he would begin selling shares in his contract—which is for three years and $34.36 million—starting January 13. His company DREAM Fan Shares, a blockchain investment platform, would sell 90 shares in his contract for $150,000 each to verified accredited investors under SEC Regulation D, Rule 506(c). The league is now reviewing the new proposal.
Finance is clearly something Dinwiddie is interested in and cares about, so good for him if that's what he wants to use his jersey to advertise when the NBA resumes its season in Orlando. I guess only time will tell if this practice comes to pass and if this will even be one of the more noteworthy jerseys in the league.