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Steve’s Bio

Steve Banks is the Founder and President of Banks Sports Ventures., a sports management company which represents and guides the careers of professional athletes.

Prior to re-establishing BSV, he served as CEO of ShotTek Inc., a sports technology wearables company and the creators of Peace Shooter, the world’s first smart shot trainer (or real-time-feedback shot trainer) for basketball players.

As a consultant with ShotTek, “I saw the long-term goal and the vision of Larry Peterson, Founder and President of ShotTek”.  Having served in several roles as Steve’s professional career has continued to evolve,

Eli Lilly was a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of the sports world. Steve worked for Eli Lilly in the Diabetes Unit facilitating presentations for Endocrinologist’s, Primary Care Physicians, and clinic staff, bringing awareness to all of the benefits our diabetic medications provide.

In 2015 while working at New York Life his first child was born, in which the decision was made to take a couple of years off after a two-year stint as a Life Insurance Executive. “My time there was an amazing ride, having been recognized as the Top Performer in the African American Unit, 2014 “Rookie of the Year”, and the culmination of it all was receiving the Ben Feldman “Life Excellence Award” which is considered the Heisman Trophy of the life insurance industry.”

Before joining New York Life, Steve was a successful sports agent having worked with the likes of Gary Payton, Rodney Stuckey, Kevin Durant, Jamal Crawford, Dwight Howard, DeMar DeRozan, and Isaiah Thomas to name a few. His main reason for wanting to be in the Sports Management industry was he saw a need that was not being met by most agents, and that was a lack of education & empowerment of African American athletes. 

In representing athletes, it was important for Steve to make an IMPACT off the court. If you were to speak with any of the athletes that he’s worked with, they would tell you that Steve always promoted LEGACY and using your platform to create an eco-system of business minded individuals!!!

“Legacy is powerful, and more often than not, it is easily overlooked and as a sports agent, I have an obligation to look out for not only their best-interest, but also their families.”

In life, sometimes there is a higher calling, and I was always taught that when called upon, you must be obedient. As a sports agent, it was hard to be in a world where you often need to keep your inner circle small, not knowing who was looking out for you, so I made the decision to walk away.

The beauty of this story is that Steve Banks is back where he belongs and will make an IMPACT in the lives of the athletes that have a desire to be great. “Being able to incorporate my values, standards, morals into my work are what truly drives me to lead.”

In his free time, Steve serves on the Board of Trustee’s for The Bush School. He volunteers with members of his fraternity – Phi Beta Sigma

Fraternity, Incorporated. Steve also serves on the board of Baseball Beyond Borders, a non-profit organization that uses baseball as a platform to engage inner-city youth, while developing a passion for education and developing life skills.

As a Black man, it is critical that he dedicates time to mentoring and supporting the upcoming generation of young people. Steve received his Bachelor of Science from Eastern Oregon University, where he was a student athlete. He is also a graduate of Georgetown University where he received his Masters of Sports Industry Management. Steve, his wife Maryjane and their two sons live in the Central District area of Seattle.

We talked about the following and other items

The Bush School

Becoming a sports agent

Legacy

The power of visualization

Making an impact

Banks Sports Ventures

Steve’s Social Media

Steve’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bankssports/

Steve’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bankssportsventures/

Steve’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSportsVentures

Steve’s Advice

I've recently been talking to some people about investments.  This is the one thing I will share with entrepreneurs. Don't be so fixated on the product, as you're thinking about if you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to step out of your comfort zone. The one thing that I've learned is that people often times get fixated on the product. What I've learned traditionally is that people invest in people, right? The product okay, that I get it. But I want to know about you.