Wine and basketball obviously don’t mix too well on the court, but plenty of players seem to enjoy good bottles during downtime or when they have a break from games. ‘It’s kind of a culture that’s intertwined with the league,’ says 27-year-old Harkless, who grew up in Queens, New York and played college basketball for St John’s Red Storm before making his NBA debut in 2012. He’s humble about his own knowledge, but he has hosted ‘Wine Wednesday’ via Instagram Live for Uninterrupted, the multimedia production group cofounded by LeBron James – who just won the NBA title with LA Lakers – and business partner Maverick Carter. ‘When I talk to the older guys in the league I feel some of them are wine connoisseurs,’ he says, mentioning players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. ‘These guys have been preaching the wine stuff for years.’
