We’ve all seen those Shark Tank episodes. Someone walks in trembling, pitches a product, gets a deal, hugs everyone — and rides off into the business sunset. Here’s a cold truth: that TV deal doesn’t mean you’re headed for easy millions. Sometimes the numbers look way better on TV than they ever do at the bank.
So when the K3 Shooting Band showed up in Season 15, you bet I wanted to know — is this just more Shark Tank PR fluff, or did founder Nicky Young actually solve a basketball problem and build a company that could last?
This is the real story behind the K3 Shooting Band’s Shark Tank swing, the founder’s all-out grind, and whether this sports training tool is more than just good television.
From Scrappy Courts to the Tank: How K3 Shooting Band Was Born
The best products are born from personal pain points. Nicky Young is proof. She wasn’t sitting in an office brainstorming what’s my next side hustle? She was hauling herself up and down real basketball courts, working three jobs, and knew what it was like to get benched because her jump shot was too flat.
Here’s the business lesson most miss: you solve a problem you live. Nicky searched the market. There was nothing doing what she needed — helping hoopers fix their shot without some massive, awkward contraption. This was her aha moment.
She took her firsthand chopped-salad of failures and frustration, and built something that actually made sense: a simple, low-cost shooting band you strap to your fingers and wrist. Cost per unit: under a buck. Retail price: $19.99. That kind of margin is what every Shark wants to see.
If you’re hustling with your own product, remember: obsession and proximity to the problem wins against generic innovation every single time.
The Main Event: Breaking Down the Shark Tank Pitch
Let’s talk attack — not just the stats. Nicky Young walked onto Shark Tank asking for $100,000 for 20% equity. She brought receipts. She told the Sharks how she’d worked her way from Southside Jamaica, Queens to a basketball scholarship to inventing the K3 Shooting Band after she got tired of bricking shots and being ignored by her own coaches.
She put the product right in Mark Cuban’s hands. She actually knew her costs, her patent position (utility patent granted, by the way), and her retail footprint. That’s a rare combo.
I’ve watched plenty of entrepreneurs stumble when the pressure is on — sweating over margins, guessing at numbers. Nicky? She handled it like she’d already played this game in overtime.
But Shark Tank always wants drama. Barbara Corcoran bowed out fast. Kevin O’Leary does the classic I’m out. Mark Cuban, the guy every basketball founder wants, passed too. You could see the stakes hit.
If you want to pitch like Nicky did: know your why, your numbers, and your actual customer — not just some demographic off Google.
Show Me the Money: Net Worth, Real Sales, and What’s Actually in the Bank
Let’s break down the numbers, not just the wow on TV. Too many businesses hype their valuation and forget sales keep you alive.
K3 Shooting Band retailed at $19.99, with a wild-low cost to produce: $0.91 including packaging. No, that’s not a misprint. That’s solid. Anything under $2 in cost for an under-$20 retail sports accessory? You’re in the game.
Before Shark Tank, sales were $43,000 in the previous year, and just $10,000 at the point she pitched. Now don’t misunderstand: that’s not a landslide, but it’s real traction for what was basically side-hustle production with no national ad spend.
Where it gets spicy — K3 had landed shelf space in Dick’s Sporting Goods (in 80 stores) and Walmart before airing. Show me another founder with just over $50K sales and that kind of retail reach? That’s a serious grind.
Even better? She’d pushed product out to NBA trainers. After one viral moment, K3 shipped bands to 31 countries in three days. That’s organic fire. So don’t discount a slow start — if you’re reading this sweating about your own numbers, remember: it’s about direction, not just speed.
How much is the K3 business or Nicky herself worth? After the Shark Tank bump and continued sales, rough estimates put K3 Shooting Band’s valuation post-deal in the $300K–$400K range. Nowhere near unicorn status, but the kind of thing every real founder understands: traction, retail, patents, some buzz.
Who Bit and Why: How the Sharks Weighed In
Too many founders lose the plot at the negotiation table — refusing to give up equity, or folding under pressure. I’ve watched them blow their chance, trying to split hairs on valuation.
Nicky had the guts to hold her ground, but not to get greedy. Lori Greiner and guest Shark Michael Rubin saw the vision. Rubin’s a billionaire, and knows sports, retail, and DTC better than most. They offered $100,000 for 40% equity — double what Nicky came in wanting to give up.
Here’s the deal logic: with Lori’s QVC muscle and Michael’s sporting goods playbook, she could scale beyond what her three-job hustle was going to allow. Nicky said yes. That’s what makes a deal work in the real world — partners who bring more than just dollars.
The rest tapped out. No shame. Not every Shark fits every business, and sometimes that’s a good signal.
The Grind Behind the Scenes: Nicky’s 19 Tries and Real Sacrifice
Don’t for a second think this was some overnight thing. Nicky Young hustled hard. She worked three jobs to keep K3 afloat and scale production herself. Would you apply to Shark Tank 19 times before getting even a single callback? Most founders quit at three emails.
Building a business that sticks means fighting for shelf space, cold-emailing retail buyers, hitting trade shows, begging for feedback, and shipping out test units over and over. That’s the part nobody claps for.
Too often, people think get on Shark Tank, and you’re set. The reality is, most real money is made — and lost — long before the cameras roll.
Every entrepreneur reading this should ask themselves: would I keep grinding when nobody’s watching? Because that’s the difference between wannabes and actual founders.
K3 Right Now: Is This Company Still Winning, or Was It All Hype?
Here’s the post-game report: As of 2025, the K3 Shooting Band is still in business, still shipping, and still showing up in sporting goods aisles.
Some Shark Tank companies pop, then shrink just as fast. K3 has kept moving product, boosted by that prime-time spotlight. The band is still available on the company site — and, crucially, those shelf deals with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart have stayed alive.
The real kicker? K3’s product isn’t buried in gadget land, gathering dust. Hoopers and coaches genuinely say it works. NBA trainers got it, shipments moved to over 30 countries in that initial surge, and the company has held on to a solid slice of the basketball training niche.
It’s not some nine-figure empire, but it’s beating the odds. Most Shark Tank companies never make it past year one. K3 is not just alive, but kicking.
What’s in This for You? Entrepreneur Takeaways from K3’s Journey
Let’s get surgical — what can you steal from this playbook?
1. Solve Real Problems: Nicky lived the pain point. Don’t pitch a gimmick — pitch a need.
2. Margins Matter: Under-a-buck COGS for a $20 sale? That’s the air you want to breathe.
3. Patents Protect: A utility patent isn’t sexy but keeps competition out of your sandbox.
4. Retail Is Tough — But Worth It: Getting into 80 Dick’s and Walmart with under $50k in sales is hustle porn, pure and simple.
5. Rejection Is Just Feedback: Nicky applied 19 times to Shark Tank. Most people don’t fail forward that many times.
6. Find the Right Partners: Sometimes 40% for funding AND infrastructure is smarter than holding out for more equity but less upside.
7. Shipping Is Global: That viral trainer push — 31 countries in three days. Use every free PR hit you get.
Want to win your own pitch? Know the numbers, handle rejection, partner wisely, and stay obsessed with your actual user, not what’s trending on LinkedIn.
Is K3 Shooting Band a Slam Dunk or a Brick?
Let’s call it how we see it. The K3 Shooting Band is not the next Scrub Daddy. It won’t be the Bombas of basketball. But is it a one-and-done TV toy? Not even close.
Nicky Young sold more than a product — she sold her story, backed it up with scrappy real sales, and built something niche but powerful. With Lori Greiner and Michael Rubin from Shark Tank in the mix, and a still-growing customer base, she’s already proved the doubters wrong.
If you’re reading this from the bleachers, hungry to make your own play: remember the fundamentals Nicky’s shown. Stay gritty. Fail forward. Know when to trade equity for acceleration. Never forget the power of product-market fit over hype.
The verdict? Not a billion-dollar company, but a stone-cold example of the hustle that true entrepreneurship demands. That’s a win in any street game I know.
FAQs: Real Talk on K3 Shooting Band after Shark Tank
1. Is K3 Shooting Band from Shark Tank still in business?
Yes, as of 2025, they’re still actively selling and shipping.
2. Where can I buy the K3 Shooting Band after Shark Tank?
Online at their site, plus Dick’s Sporting Goods and some Walmart locations.
3. Did Lori Greiner and Michael Rubin actually close the deal?
Sources suggest the deal closed, with both Sharks helping K3 scale.
4. How much is K3 Shooting Band worth now?
Estimated valuation post-episode is around $300,000–$400,000, boosted by the Shark Tank effect.
5. What makes this shooting band different from other basketball aids?
It targets shooting fingers directly, is patent-protected, costs less, and is actually used by real trainers.
6. Who is Nicky Young and what’s her background?
She’s a Southside Jamaica, Queens athlete, triple-job hustler, and relentless problem-solver.
7. Are NBA players or coaches actually using the product?
NBA trainers received bands and gave feedback; bands shipped internationally after appearing on their social media.
8. How tough was it for Nicky to get on Shark Tank?
She applied 19 times before getting on air — that’s next-level persistence.
9. Has the K3 Shooting Band expanded beyond the U.S. after Shark Tank?
Yes, with shipments to 31 countries in a viral stretch post-episode.
Want more brutally honest breakdowns of Shark Tank deals? Hit up SharkWorth — where you get past the glitz, straight into what it really takes to build a business that sticks.
