Getty Former NBA star Michael Jordan and President of the Los Angeles Lakers Jeanie Buss.
On top of the Lakers and Jeanie Buss’ numerous other business ventures, it was announced early Monday morning that Buss was entering business with Michael Jordan (as well as a few other NBA owners) to start a new Tequila company.
Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss & Michael Jordan Unveil New Tequila
JUST IN: Michael Jordan, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, Lakers owner @JeanieBuss and Bucks owner Wes Edens launch new @cincorotequila. Prices: $70 for Blanco, $90 for Reposado, $130 for Anejo & $1600 for Extra Anejo.
The first look at Buss & Jordan’s new tequila came via social media. Called Cincoro Tequila, the idea came to fruition during the NBA’s Winter Meetings when Jordan met up with Buss, Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, and Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck & his wife Emilia Fazzalari. Tequila happens to be Jordan’s spirit of choice and the group got to talking about how it might be possible to create an even better tequila.
Jordan himself spent months testing thousands of different blends before settling on the mix that Cincoro plans to roll out upon its release. The tequila is a blend of highland and lowland agave and is typically six to eight months old when harvested. The agave is then cooked for 35 hours before being deemed ready for use in the making of Cincoro.
“The challenge was finding that balance between smoothness and finish, because what we noticed was that as we were making it smoother, sometimes you lose the finish,” Fazzalari told Forbes. “It’s very hard to get an ultra-smooth tequila with a long complex finish with a fine flavor.”
Along with spearheading the tasting, Jordan also took the lead in designing the bottles. FOr the task, Jordan called upon longtime collaborator and Nike VP of Innovation Special Projects Mark Smith.
“The glass bottles have five sides shaped loosely like an agave leaf, with a base that tilts up at 23 degrees in a subtle nod to Jordan’s iconic jersey number,” Forbes explained, “The stopper is an inverted replica of the bottle cast in crystal, down to the 23-degree angle at the top. The extra añejo bottle is even more exotic, made from a hand-polished black crystal adorned with gold.”
LeBron James Checks in to Congratulate Jeanie Buss
@JeanieBuss CONGRATS on your Tequila announcement and unveiling!! Beautiful bottles. @CincoroTequila. 🙏🏾
One of the first people to jump into the mix and congratulate Jeanie Buss for her new business venture was current Laker – and arguably the only rival to Jordan’s GOAT mantle – LeBron James. James and Buss have developed a close relationship since James joined the Lakers. James is known for working closely with the front offices for teams he plays for and considering Jeanie Buss plays a more hands-on role in the front office compared to other owners, it makes sense the two have become fairly well acquainted.
Coming off an injury riddled season, James looks to be fully healthy and with new superstar Anthony Davis in town, has arguably the most talented running mate that he’s ever played alongside in his career. Despite the offseason turmoil involving Magic Johnson stepping down and the Lakers sending off nearly their entire young core, Buss seems to have built extremely strong relationships with the players the Lakers decided to hang onto. Along with James, Buss publicly has a very strong relationship with young forward Kyle Kuzma – the last remaining member of the Lakers’ young core.
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Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss & Michael Jordan Unveil New Tequila