He Walked Away From Basketball at 17 and Became His Own Boss

Iggy Alvarez knew basketball wasn’t going to be his future — but that didn’t mean sports had to leave his life.

In this episode of Respect Your Journey, Iggy shares how he shifted his focus from playing basketball to building a business, the lessons he learned as a manager at Sagemont, the influence of his father, and how those experiences helped shape 01 Collective.

We talk about recognizing when it’s time to pivot, finding your place in sports beyond playing, building a brand from the ground up, and trusting that your path doesn’t have to look the way you originally imagined.

Topics include:

Iggy’s basketball journey, the decision to pivot, his time at Sagemont, lessons from his father, entrepreneurship, building 01 Collective, and creating a future in sports outside of playing.

🎙️ Respect Your Journey

Sports. People. Perspectives. The world of sports beyond the game.

Subscribe for more conversations with athletes, coaches, founders, parents, and people shaping the culture around sports.

#RespectYourJourney #IggyAlvarez #01Collective #Basketball #Entrepreneurship #SportsBusiness #Podcast

Subscribe for a new journey every week: https://www.youtube.com/@RespectYourJourney?sub_confirmation=1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/respectyourjourney

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:30 Falling in love with basketball

2:15 Realizing the NBA wasn't his path

4:30 Finding your role on a team

6:45 Life as team manager at Sagemont

8:15 Wanting to be his own boss

9:00 How 01 Collective got its name

9:45 Getting people to wear the first shirts

12:00 Don't quit when people don't answer

12:45 Why community matters most

13:30 Design, manufacturing and being self-taught

15:00 What's next for 01 Collective

16:30 Why Steph Curry

18:45 College plans and the million-dollar goal