Former Michigan players set to join Shark Tank for The Players Trunk brand

Former Michigan basketball players and managers are taking their big idea to the investing giants at Shark Tank in an episode that airs on May 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The Players Trunk, a company launched by former Wolverines Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson and managers Jason Lansing, Austin and Hunter Pomerantz, will be one of four ideas pitched to the sharks on the popular entrepreneurial show on Friday.

Michigan alums’ big idea heading to Shark Tank

The former Wolverines started The Players Trunk as an online marketplace for college athletes to sell their old or unused team gear. The company launched in July of 2020. By January of 2021, the founders received interest from Shark Tank to appear on the show.

The founders flew to California to record their pitch, which takes less than 10 minutes. They had no idea whether or not the producers would choose to air their pitch. However, they learned in the last few weeks that it was going to happen.

Although the founders aren’t allowed to say much about how their pitch went, Jason Lansing described their strategy going in.

“We had a strategy going in,” Lansing told MLive. “… Had our numbers calculated and everything like that. We knew where our cutoff point was.”

The Players Trunk will be one of four pitches in Friday’s show. The others are for a line of health products, an all-in-one body fitness tool, and a plant-based fast food item.

Famous actor/comedian and sports enthusiast Kevin Hart is joining the Shark Tank regulars for the episode. The four sharks are Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Kevin O’Leary. Given Cuban’s background as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, it’s highly likely that the Michigan alums will get a bite from him.

Although their professional basketball careers get in the way of Matthews and Simpson participating in the day-to-day operations, Matthews was part of the Shark Tank pitch. Matthews was a two-year starter for the Wolverines after transferring from Kentucky. Simpson was a four-year contributor and is now with the Oklahoma City Thunder.