Business

Chris Webber Launches New Strains With ‘Players Only’

Players Only will also recruit Quavo, Raekwon, Royce da 5'9", Matt Barnes, and Jason Williams on various collaborations.

By
Benjamin M. Adams

NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber announced the launch of his cannabis brand Players Only with his business partner, Lavetta Willis—and he’s bringing several familiar faces along for the ride including Quavo, Raekwon, Royce da 5’9″, Matt Barnes, and Jason Williams.

The new all-star brand was first announced on August 11. Players Only will feature an array of strains, cannabis oil cartridges, pre-rolls, vapes, as well as sport recovery and performance products. Players Only will also roll out branded apparel and footwear.

Last March, TerrAscend secured exclusive retail rights for Players Only products in Michigan through the acquisition of Gage Growth Corp, securing the way for the brand to drop.

“Players Only is more than a cannabis brand—it’s a lifestyle brand,” Webber said. “We truly have a unique opportunity to change the narrative around cannabis, empower rising entrepreneurs and set a new standard in this growing industry. We’re thrilled to launch our versatile offerings and begin the process of creating meaningful economic change in communities across Michigan. Shout out to TerrAscend and Gage—our Michigan family. Much love to Cookies and Berner, let’s go!”

In October of last year, Webber unveiled a cannabis facility in Detroit complete with a cultivation facility, dispensary, and private consumption lounge. The 180,000 square foot Players Only facility was named the Webber Wellness Compound.

The first strains to roll out include C4, Time Out, and G.O.A.T.’s Milk, as well as Non-Laters and Whipped Cherries. Later on, the brand will roll out additional strains including Blueberry Hotcakes and Ray Jackson’s Black Sox within weeks. While C4 can give off a hashy, Afghani-like appeal, G.O.A.T.’s Milk leans more sativa with a balanced amount of THC and CBD, according to reviewers. Whipped Cherries, on the other hand, tastes exactly how you’d expect it to.

“We have been working with legacy cultivators and operators seeking to establish their place in the regulated market for quite some time,” said Lavetta Willis, co-founder and President of Players Only. “The opportunity to incorporate legacy strains and expertise into the Players Only platform and menu furthers our goal of uplifting black entrepreneurs who have been building brands and intellectual properties for decades.”

The brand also announced a partnership with Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan to launch Compliments of the Chef and his partnership with Citizen Grown. Another collaboration involves Hassim Robinson and Winner’s Circle Genetics, to bring the PB&J strain as well as Quavo’s BIRKINZ to Michigan’s cannabis market. Detroit’s legacy brand “Lil Stupid” will also launch for the first time in the adult-use market while Detroit’s own Royce da 5’9″ will roll-out his “Heaven” brand as part of an NFT. Webber’s former Sacramento Kings teammate Jason Williams will also unveil the White Chocolate strain.

Webber recently appointed Matt Barnes, former NBA star and teammate, as Chief Collaborations Officer while launching “The Smoke” with his partner and co-host, Stephen Jackson. The offering’s name is a nod to Barnes’ and Jackson’s award-winning SHOWTIME series, “All The Smoke.”

The “All the Smoke” podcast features “the brash and unapologetic NBA champions, delivers authentic, unfiltered perspective on the most polarizing topics in and around the game of basketball, including culture, social justice, politics, music and more.”

Episodes of “All the Smoke” drop each Thursday.

The launch of the brand will kick off with a limited edition brand collaboration with the Players Only x Packwoods 2.5-gram Blunt, which will be available in select stores. Learn more at the Players Only website.

Benjamin M. Adams

Benjamin M. Adams is Staff Writer at High Times, and has written for Vice, Forbes, HuffPost, The Advocate, Culture, and many other publications. He holds a Bachelor of Communication from Southern New Hampshire University.

View Comments

  • Anybody else noticed you do NOT see news like this without a sentence or two about lifting "black this" and "black that". Black privilege is now more real than white privilege ever was. Especially considering white people get in trouble for the exact. Same. Words
    Wanting equality was just a facade, when they're getting more than even the imaginary bullshit they said white people get. Believe this, if we are not equals, we are enemies. Open your eyes and make them move EQUALLY from now on, america before we have a new race of slave owners.

Recent Posts

‘Star Wars’ Blue Milk Released from Multiple Brands Ahead of May the 4th

Kemps and TruMoo are releasing limited edition blue milk inspired by Star Wars: A New…

19 hours ago

Stoners Still Gathered at Hippie Hill for 4/20 Celebration Despite Event Cancellation

The city-sanctioned event wasn’t held this year, but consumers still went to Hippie Hill and…

19 hours ago

States With Legal Weed See Increase in College Applications

Study high, take the test high, get high scores.

19 hours ago

Lena Waithe Smokes First Drafts

A conversation with The Chi creator about craft, elevating voices, and spirituality.

19 hours ago

Illinois Governor Cites Cannabis Reform While Campaigning for Biden

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker campaigned for the reelection of President Biden on 4/20, citing Democratic-led…

19 hours ago

Gen Z Consumes Less Alcohol, Prefers More Cannabis and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Cannabis consumption lounges are poised to benefit from Gen Z consumers who are drinking less…

2 days ago