GRIND on 'Shark Tank': Who is the founder, what is the cost, and where can you buy portable basketball shooter that fits into a duffle bag
Any basketball player will vouch for how useful and efficient a basketball shooting machine is when it comes to boosting their dunking techniques on the court. While there's no denying on the importance of this handy machine during the practice sessions, unfortunately not many athletes get an opportunity to take advantage of them.
Owing to its cost and its bulky size, very few athletes have access to these incredible machines. Thomas Fields, the founder of GRIND, experienced this first hand while he was playing basketball for his school. Frustrated by the many barriers that existed between the shooting machine and the athletes, he decided to develop a shooting machine that would not only help the athletes improve their talent but also be affordable and accessible to everyone. This gave birth to GRIND- a portable basketball shooting machine that can easily fit into a duffle bag! Read on to know more about this incredible product that will soon be featured on 'Shark Tank'.
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What is the GRIND?
GRIND is a portable and affordable basketball shooting machine that was specifically designed to improve basketball players; catch-and-shoot efficiency, footwork, balance, explosion, follow-through, creativity, and focus. GRIND machine is essentially a large 12-foot funnel-shaped net that snugly sits around the rim of the basketball net, so that the machine traps the ball and returns it back to the court, allowing the player to shoot continuously with one ball while getting more reps in. In addition to developing a great shot, players learn to: Move without the ball, catch and attack, make shots while fatigued, and perfect their footwork.
Some of the key features of this product are:
Automatic Passing and Rebounding
Holds 1 basketball (one-ball)
Rotation: Manual 5- Spot Passing
Portable: 110Ibs and folds into a 4'x2' Duffel Bag
According to the brand's website, the goal of GRIND is to change the world through sports. "Our mission is to design, develop and test interactive products that solve problems for athletes. We believe that passion & inspiration can change lives and inspire kids to be more than athletes."
You can watch GRIND's founder Thomas Fields demonstrating how the basketball shooting machine works here
Who is the founder?
Thomas Fields is the genius behind GRIND. He started GRIND when he was just 19-years-old with his college refund money after his dreams of playing for NBA were cut short due to ACL injuries. On the brand's website Fields reveals, "I was super competitive, and I played against some of the best. I was the guy who would put in the work, waking up at 5 a.m. and grinding. Things were on track until the injuries started. I was really broken at that time,” Fields said.
“The worst part was that I came back the next year and got to 100 percent and even started dunking. Then I landed on a dunk wrong and tore my left ACL.” It was during the recovery from that injury that Fields got a different high school coach who bought the school’s first shooting machine. “I loved that thing,” Fields said. “Because I could see how it was making me better. Plus, I knew that all of the elite players were using shooting machines all the time. It became like an obsession for me. The problem was he would never let us get on it.”
Thus, prompting the 5 a.m. frustrated brainstorming sessions in front of the high school gym. Fields had two main goals in the initial design: Make it affordable and accessible.
“We didn’t have a lot of money and I wanted to be able to take it anywhere,” Fields said. “What better way than to be able to fold it into a duffel bag and be able to take it to the park with me.”
Over the past decade-plus, the game has become guard dominant with shooting being the most important skill. With that in mind, Fields designed the GRIND Machine with a 12-foot net around the rim, which forces players to put more of an arch on their shot. That translates into a higher percentage of made shots and muscle memory. “All of the players in the conversation for the best on the planet can shoot the ball,” Fields said. “You practice 10 times more efficiently using the machine. It was important to design this for practical use. I wanted this to be loved by basketball players, trainers and coaches because they can use it whenever, wherever. This might be the most ideal shooting machine ever designed for athletes.”
What is the cost and where to buy GRIND from?
The GRIND portable basketball shooting machine retails for $1695, but the brand is currently selling it at a discounted price of $1595, which comes out to be a lot less expensive than other basketball shooting machines currently available in the market. It comes with a one-year warranty, and payment plans are available too. You can get your very own GRIND machine from the brand's website here.
The basketball shooting machine has already become a huge hit amongst its customers. The brand's website and social media pages are filled with several glowing reviews about it. A customer named Gabriel A. wrote, "We use it every chance we get. Having this shooting machine in the backyard is a gamechanger for us."
Where is the GRIND now?
GRIND has plans of developing an app that will track the players' shots made and missed shots. They also want to create software that allows players to track their analytics and challenge other players around the world. They also hope to offer interactive shooting drills and shot tracking through their mobile-based app. So, clearly, GRIND has some big plans in the near future. According to the brand's website, "Fields plans to have machines implemented for various sports plus apparel and other ventures in GRIND’s next phase. However, the company’s main mission is to push young inner-city kids to think outside the box, inspiring them to pursue careers in engineering and technology." The brand is also accepting pre-orders for batch III of the machines.
Who will steal the deal?
Mark Cuban might close the deal with GRIND. Since he's an NBA team owner (Dallas Mavericks), the GRIND machine could be a huge gamechanger for his team, so we wouldn't be surprised if Cuban decides to snatch the deal. Ultimately the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 23 returns to ABC after a week's break on May 7, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like BeerMKR, Creation Nation, and Grind airs on May 7, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.