The Original Profender Basketball Trainer | Shark Tank Season 3
Entrepreneur Tony Devine pitched his basketball training company during
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to The Original Profender after
Tony Devine appeared on
| Shark: | Result: |
| Mark Cuban | No deal |
| Kevin O’Leary | No deal |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No offer |
| Daymond John | No offer |
Shark Tank The Original Profender Update
- Entrepreneur: Tony Devine
- Business: Basketball mobile training device
- Ask: $75,000 for 15% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Founder of The Original Profender, Tony Devine, walked into the tank, accompanied by his son, and main inspiration, Devon. He presented his product to the sharks, highlighting that it was the only one of its kind.
The product is essentially used to teach basketball players to shoot the ball over the defense, when they try to get in the way of the shot. Traditionally, coaches have used brooms, by holding them upside down and raised in the air.
The Original Profender however, is on a rolling system with a handle, so the coach can basically move it back and forth, in front of the shooting player.
He then demonstrated how The Original Profender worked with his son, who was ultimately his inspiration for the product. It can be hard for basketball coaches to keep up with their players, especially enough to show them how to best dodge and weave.
His presentation entertained the sharks, especially Robert Herjavec and Mark Cuban. Mark even got to test out the product.
He loved it, and said there was certainly value. However, Mark wondered if it had the potential to grow into a huge business.
Additionally, Robert eventually asked if there were other products like it, although Tony said there were others but they weren’t dynamic.
Further, Kevin asked about sales, and Tony said he’d made $25,000 in the first year, simply by selling them from his truck. Mark followed up by asking how much they cost, and Tony said each Original Profender currently cost $499.95.
The sharks were taken aback by the cost, and Robert eventually asked Mark if he would buy one.
Mark said that the NBA teams could afford them, and possibly even the Division 1 schools, however the average family likely would not purchase one for the price.
Tony said they were also planning retail versions for $199.
Barbara Corcoran said that Tony was actually a good salesman, however, she was worried about not seeing the $199 model. For this reason she went out.
Next up was Robert, but he couldn’t see the market. Therefore, he was also out.
Daymond John went out too, because in the end, he also thought that the $499.95 was too high a price point.
Although Tony tried to make them see his vision, Kevin wasn’t buying it. He also went out.
When Mark was the only shark left, Tony tried to sway him, but it was too late. Mark also went out.
Ultimately, Tony had to leave without a deal since he didn’t receive any offers from the sharks.
Do you think he managed to make it work following
Our Original Profender update reveals that Tony didn’t give up. He partnered up with professional basketball training programs, and continued to develop his business.
Some of his customers included the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Vanderbuilt, and Syracuse.
Further, at his height, he was making around $1 million in annual revenue.
Unfortunately, the company is now out of business. We could not find a company website.
Therefore, this will be our final update for The Original Profender.
Interested in the other companies present in the tank during Season 3 Episode 8? Follow the links below to read all the details about them.
For even more on companies and products, be sure to stop by our Season 3 Products Page before you go!
Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!
