We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric Wise a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eric , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Buckets On Deck is a movement and lifestyle founded in 2010 by hoopers, for hoopers. Created for the Love of the game and the everyday grind for those dedicated to getting buckets on every level, every court, and every continent.

The founder of the Buckets On Deck is Eric Wise. Eric is a former college Division l basketball player and professional athlete. I started playing basketball at the age of five and have loved it ever since. Being a 1,700 point scorer in college, my sophomore year Buckets On Deck was invented. I came up with the idea in 2010, while sitting in my dorm room. In the basketball world, we call points Buckets. I have always said the words buckets. One day, I added the ”On Deck” after the word buckets and my teammates and I loved the saying and we have been saying “B.O.D” ever since that day. I knew Buckets On Deck was a good idea because every basketball player I mentioned it to from high school, College , NBA and professional players overseas loved the saying.

The problems Buckets on Deck is solving currently is providing and supporting athletes of all ages with quality athletic lifestyle wear at affordable prices. My organization has sponsored one youth basketball program by providing clothing to the athletes and their parents and much needed funding for their travel expenses.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The founder of the Buckets On Deck is Eric Wise. Eric is a former college Division l basketball player and professional athlete. Eric was always an overachiever and hard worker. He received only one scholarship offer out of high school, which was UC Irvine. To the surprise of everyone, Eric lead them in scoring his freshman year receiving All-League honors. After 3 successful years at UC Irvine, Eric transferred to University of Southern where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. He was an exceptional student athlete. While at USC, Eric lead them in scoring and was one of the best players in the Pac 12 receiving All-League honors again. After college, he had a successful pro career playing in multiple countries such as Israel, Belgium, Iceland, Luxembourg, Finland, Korea, and Philippines. Eric is leadings the charge because he is the definition of hard work and resilience. He will not stop until tasks are completed, always keeping in mind the importance of philanthropy and encouraging a growth mindset among the basketball community. While leading the charge Eric’s basketball knowledge and ability to connect with ballers worldwide makes this more than a basketball brand, but also an opportunity to help develop positive thinking self-esteem and resilience in basketball players while providing a comfortable stylish brand made just for them. Positive players who look good, feel good.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe my reputation as a basketball player has help built my reputation in my market. I have been playing high level basketball since the age of ten. I have played against and with some of the best throughout my life. I have always held my own if not have come out on top when I am playing competitive basketball. I received two full athletic scholarships to the University of Irvine before transferring two the University of Southern California. I was the leading scorer all four years of college. I played professional basketball overseas in the Philippines, Israel, Finland, Luxembourg, Korea, and Iceland.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built our audience on social media by working with influencers and personal relationships with athletes. Growing up playing basketball, I have been blessed with some amazing teammates and some that have gone on to play in the NBA. I grew up being teammates with Jrue Holiday, Kawhi Leonard and Dewayne Dedmon. They have each helped my brand in many ways by simply wearing our products and posting on social media

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bucketsondeck.com
• Instagram: @buckets_ondeck
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bucketsondeck
• Twitter: @bucketsondeck
• Other: email: [email protected]