“A 13-year vet sitting in a college classroom, learning how money actually works,” he explained. “Early in my career, it didn’t dawn on me that you have to educate yourself before you hand your money to someone else. I watched teammates make fortunes and lose them because they trusted the wrong people and never learned the game. I didn’t want to be one of them.”
He continued, “So now I do the work myself. I read the deals. I ask the questions that make me look like I don’t know anything, because that’s how you actually learn. I’d rather understand every company I’m in than trust that somebody else does. This isn’t only about sports. Anybody who earns money eventually decides whether to understand it or hand it off and hope. I chose to understand it.”
The learning curve will also benefit Hopkins’ plans to launch his own fund, per LinkedIn.