Give us an introduction on your upbringing and experience with the game! 

I’m originally from the southside of Chicago. I’ve been playing basketball basically for my entire life until a few years ago. I went to basketball powerhouse Whitney Young on the Westside of Chicago, where I played 3 years varsity and we were always ranked in the top 10 nationally. We were number one in the country my Junior and Senior year. I ended high school with 3 city championships and 1 state title. Basketball and school were always two of my biggest priorities, so Whitney Young was a match-mate in heaven for me with it being one of the top Public schools in the country. My mom is a Stanford grad who took education very very serious for her kids growing up. This led me to obtaining a 4.0 gpa before heading off to college and graduating college well exceeding the 3.0 standard.

Fill us in on your playing style? 

I was a very aggressive player on both ends of the court. I always wanted to lead by example to my teammates not only vocally but primarily through hard work and my actions. I was always in practice early and 90% of the time the last to leave. I knew I wasn’t the most talented in D1 so i always was watching extra film with my coaches, getting extra treatment from the trainers, getting extra reps in before the game, etc. I wanted to do anything that gave me a competitive advantage from my opponents, and I knew in some instances I wasn’t always going to just outplay them, I had to outsmart them. 

I loved to shoot the set three. I believed if my feet were set and I was shot ready, it was cash money. In Oklahoma and Pacific I got stronger and could get to the cup a lot more. A lot of nice finishes around the rim, improved my midrange game. I just got better every year. The player that came in as a freshman at St. Louis is totally different from the player that left Oklahoma as a senior. 

Outside of the court I always wanted to take advantage of the resources that came with basketball. I would go see my tutors almost everyday when my schedule permitted and I would even tutor other kids myself sometimes. I got to experience so much since I went to 3 different Universities. I’m very grateful for that.

From City of Palms to Loop Wealth and now Coco 5 give us a look into your relationship with D’angelo Russell. How has it developed over the years?

D’Angelo has been one of my good friends for a really long time now. We met in 7th grade at a Jr All-American camp and really hit it off from there. We’ve had some crazy battles on the court, but nothing like the City of Palms match-up. It was probably the most highly anticipated because his school, Monteverde Academy was #1 and we were #2. They ended up beating us in double overtime in easily one of the best, most fun games I’ve played in even though we lost. Before that game I think I might’ve had only like 2 or 3 scholarships, but after that game my stock was soaring like crazy. We both ended up making 1st team all tournament.

Since high school our relationship has developed like crazy and it seems to keeping getting stronger every year. When I was at Pacific and he was on the Lakers, I would drive like 6 hours to LA to hang with him and work out and his hospitality was always incredible. Everything has always been genuine with us since we met in 7th grade and I appreciate him for that. 

Fast forward to last year when my dad and I started our Wealth Management division, we knew D’Angelo was a guy we wanted to bring in on deals with us and make him an owner of companies we get involved in moving forward. Our first acquisition at Loop Wealth was Coco5, a natural hydrating coconut water that we absolutely love, and D’Angelo is a minority owner in that. It’s our first deal of hopefully many. Looking back it’s so cool to see how our friendship has translated to the business world because we love and trust one another. Super thankful to have DLo in my life.

You’ve found success outside and within basketball. How can others who play the game find their niche outside of the sport?

I think that plays into high school and maybe even middle school. I’ve learned that what you indulge in or take part in you want to be passionate about. Most times basketball players or athletes don’t find what they are passionate about outside of the game because they don’t want to face the reality that no matter when you stop hooping, there’s hopefully still another 40-50 years of life.  So by the time the ball is done bouncing no matter when that is. People have a hard time finding a career afterwards because they never thought outside of basketball. The game takes so much time, focus and dedication at the college level and beyond people don’t think that far ahead. I was lucky because my parents were very realistic people. They always made sure I had other passions outside of basketball. 

For example, growing up for middle and high school I was on the math team because I was gifted with math and numbers. I wanted to quit the math team because I wanted to be looked at as a serious ball player, not a math nerd. Which was very silly of me and I’m glad my teachers didn’t let me see that through. 

I kind of knew that my family was deep in the Finance industry and by the time I got to college I knew I wanted my major to be finance and I worked towards that goal. 

Find other things you’re passionate about outside of basketball. I’m not saying take any passion away from the game because it takes all of that and more. The best advice I can give is that it starts before. Find what you’re passionate about and see how you can best one day monetize that.

With that said. You are engaged in many different worlds from financial to beverage. Take us through your involvement with those fields. 

My dad founded Loop Capital, the biggest minority owned investment bank in the world. Him and I created a subsidiary under Loop Capital called Loop Wealth. At Loop Wealth, we manage athletes, entertainers, and certain executives capital directly into various investments. Our first deal was Coco5. About 13 months ago we bought a coconut water company called Coco5 that was originally based in Chicago and we put together a team that consists of some of our clients at Loop Wealth. Apart of the team we have Devin Booker, D’Angelo Russell, Derrick Rose, The Morris Twins, Charles Barkley, Michael Wilbon, and a couple others I can’t quite share yet. In less than a year we got into 125 Fry’s and to finish the year we will be in Whole Foods, Sprouts, along with many other retail distribution meetings on the horizon. We will finish the year in a little over 1000 doors. We’re growing at a great pace but very organically and developed amazing relationships in the beverage and retail industry. We envision that we can do something with our guys and our investment team that is similar to what Body Armour has done with their athlete investors over the years.

Style is a big part of your brand. What pieces or go-to looks do you have?

Man, I pride myself on versatility but lately I’ve been wearing minimalist and simple looks. Simple but super clean fits. Out of all brands my favorite is Kendall Miles Designs. Just last week my sister was able to get shoes on Megan the Stallion, Latto, Lizzo a few months back, so I get a lot of my style tips from my sister who is directly in that world. Besides Kendall Miles, Prada and Balenciaga have been two of my favorites this year.

With Kendall Miles designs we’re going to expand from all female wear. We had one collab shoe with me called the “Miles Shoe.” It was a big success and we received great feedback on the process, design and quality. It ultimately sold out and we will expand on a men's collection in 2023. That brand will be taking a huge leap in the upcoming months. 

You seem to move through your career paths pretty well. What advice do you have for our readers? 

I guess I would just preach hard work and to always treat people with great respect. You never know how a person will effect your life one day, and you always don’t know what other people are going through or their situation. I’ve seen people in the business world who see things with the wrong perspective. They view things from a negative perspective first which is the first step to setting yourself up for failure. They’re setting themselves back against guys like me, who are going to go into things thinking very positive thoughts, ready to work hard and make the best of any situation. Opportunities are hard to come by, so when you get them, be gracious and do whatever it takes to make the most of them. Everyday from middle and lower school my dad would tell me, “You’re going to treat that janitor the same way you treat the principal.” Treat people with the respect they deserve. It doesn’t matter how high in the ranking they are because the tables can turn at any moment. 

With so many things accomplished. What’s next for Miles Reynolds?

Right now I think the thing most important to me is to continue to learn and study the business every single day. I’m so thankful for basketball because even though I’m done playing physically, I still maintained all of my good habits that I obtained through the game. I was able to take that discipline and hunger that I needed to even have a chance in hoops to the business world. I know various opportunities are going to continue to come naturally so I really want to just keep becoming more knowledgeable. I live in LA now so I’m currently in the process of enrolling in some finance classes at UCLA, and I also travel to NY every few months for some courses out there through a program called “Training The Street”.