Kevin Durant Announces Partnership With Weedmaps: ‘Destigmatize Marijuana’

Kevin Durant has teamed up with Weedmaps and is unapologetic about it. The basketball player insists that this partnership aligns with his personal life and he is aiming to change the negative stigma surrounding marijuana and athletes. Durant is excited about the partnership that was finalized this week. “I think it’s far past time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world as well as globally.” He notes that this is going to open a much-needed dialogue surrounding the use of the substance. “This partnership is going to help us continue to normalize those conversations, as well as create content, events, and a lot more through our Boardroom media network. This is just the beginning for us.”

Weedmaps is a popular app that connects marijuana users to suppliers in their community. You can also review products, compare products, look up deals and find other ways to indulge in THC besides the conventional route. The app also provides researched-based information on the cannabis plant. Durant did not share too many specifics as of yet as to how far his partnership with the popular app will extend but the possibilities are endless. It is also important to note that he did not say specifically if he partakes in the use of marijuana. However, a few years ago the baller tweet and deleted a photo of himself smoking. Plus, he would not be the first athlete to utilize cannabis and its healing properties.

The plant and its many uses have a negative stigma around it, so when Olympian hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson lost her spot to participate in Tokyo 2020 because marijuana was found in her drug tests, fans were outraged but not surprised. Now retired NBA player Thabo Sefolosha was also reprimanded for his use of marijuana back in 2018. Lamar Odom also indulged in marijuana amongst other drugs before seeking rehab. Even former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used to indulge back in the day when he was strictly a professional bodybuilder and as Governor, he helped to lighten the laws around carrying the substance.

The athlete's deal with Weedmaps is reportedly a “multi-million dollar deal” and will include a sponsorship deal with Boardroom, a company founded by Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman, it is described as a “sports business media network”. Part of the agreement states that Weedmaps will be the official sponsor of Boardroom and its podcast Out of Office. They are also working on “original content” with Boardroom. Durant's partnership comes at the perfect time because the like many, the NBA is working n changing its approach to cannabis. They stopped testing players for recreational drug use when they returned from a hiatus due to COVID-19. Needless to say, change is imminent.

The CEO of Weedmaps Chris Beals also issued a statement about the new partnership. “We are serious about our responsibility to lead the national discussion around cannabis and the need for cannabis regulations to be updated across the board,” said Beals in a released statement. He also noted that Weedmaps wants to reflect the “pivotal step forward in our ongoing efforts to break down stigmas surrounding cannabis, especially in the sports industry.”