Felix Sabates Is The Most Interesting Man In The World
Episode notes
Felix Sabates could be the most interesting man in the world. He was an early distributor for one of the first commercially successful video games, Atari's Pong. He did a lot to introduce Nintendo to America from its home in Japan. And he was a founding co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA franchise.
He also loves cars. He used to own his own NASCAR team.
Sabates did all of this after fleeing Cuba as a teenager. He sat down with Camber Creek General Partner Jeffrey Berman to talk about his remarkable life and career.
00:15 Felix opens with a story about buying—and selling—a rare Bugatti within hours for a substantial profit.
06:56 Growing up in Cuba, opposing Fidel Castro's revolution as a teenager, and joining the resistance.
10:05 Escaping an armed mission that ended with nearly everyone else in his group being killed
13:54 Felix explains how his father rushed him onto a flight to the United States with just $25 and two boxes of cigars.
15:09 On arriving in the American South and the shocking encounter that forced his family to flee Ku Klux Klan intimidation.
22:07 He recalls being dismissed at a Rolls-Royce dealership until one phone call instantly changed the salesman's attitude.
25:09 How an overnight demonstration of Pong led him to become an early distributor for Atari's groundbreaking video games.
29:42 After Atari moved on, Felix helped convince Nintendo to enter the US market and then helped make it a phenomenon.
31:26 He describes turning relationships into another breakthrough by helping launch Compaq's retail computer business.
37:17 Felix tells the story of helping Charlotte secure an NBA franchise by guaranteeing the sale of 10,000 season tickets.
39:09 The conversation turns to the Charlotte Hornets' decision to trade Kobe Bryant on draft night and why Felix believes it ultimately benefited Bryant.
40:32 The memoir Felix plans to publish one day and the many stories still left untold