Jalen Rose loves the kids. Many people may know the former NBA star by his noteworthy career on the court and as a member of the NCAA squad coined the “Fab Five.” But the current ESPN sports analyst is more than his previous work in the NBA. Already reported by AfroTech, Rose opened a tuition-free school that offers its students post-graduation support, a concept the Detroit native firmly believes in. “I feel like the eight most important years of a young person’s life are the four that they’re in high school or the four that they could be in college,” Rose said in a “Earn Your Leisure” interview at the time. Rose is doubling down on this concept during the most recent NBA All-Star weekend with a partnership with STARRY, a new lemon-lime soda from Pepsi Co.

It’s the best act of service when professional athletes support their teams’ cities. In partnership with FTX, Udonis Haslem is showing love to both his home team and hometown. The Miami Heat veteran’s foundation has joined the cryptocurrency exchange firm to provide two POC business owners with $50,000 grants, according to Miami Herald. The funding aims to help small minority-owned Miami businesses flourish while being subjected to the negative impact of gentrification in the city’s neighborhoods. “You’re bringing in bigger chains and the businesses that have survived in these communities for a long time have a different kind of competition,” said Haslem, according to Miami Herald. “They don’t have access to business plans and marketing and the financial backing (needed) to sustain in gentrified areas.” Being deeply in tune with Miami, it was far from a challenge to know the ways in which fellow natives need assistance. Being from the city and a longtime resident, the issues hit...

Beauty platform Fyyne just hit the market. The ideation of Fyyne was created by Jeffrey Fasegha alongside Al-Ameen Ogundiran and Olu Olubanjo. Fasegha reveals while playing semi-pro hockey at his university, finding a reputable hairstylist for his hair type was increasingly difficult. He soon recognized fewer technologies in the beauty space were a perpetuating factor leading to less visibility for Black hair artists. Fasegha confirms many artists were using text or direct messages as their primary mode of contact for customers. “As a former semi-pro hockey player, it was impossible for me to find a barber who could cut my hair when I was moving from one town to another every other week. I had to grow my hair out and wait to go back home before I could get a cut,” said Jeffrey Fasegha, Co-founder and CEO of Fyyne, according to a press release. “When I moved to Toronto for university, I was literally stopping people on the street to ask them where they got their hair done. It took me...

When Rick Ross recently announced that he was interested in investing in the Miami Heat, he became one of but a handful of Black men and women who expressed an interest in equity in sports teams. “I’m still interested in getting a small percentage of an NFL or NBA team,” he shared during an episode of Uninterrupted’s Certified Buckets podcast when asked his stance on making a sports investment move. “I’d just invest in the Heat because we got some beautiful additions. And like I say I’m one of those people that can look three seasons ahead… I’m confident, we’ll bring them big trophies back.” This isn’t the first time Ross has expressed interest in investing in sports teams. As AfroTech reported, he expressed an interest in the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. Back then, both Ross and Diddy were eyeing the possibility of buying the team but ultimately lost out to Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion offer. Currently, there are only six people of color with ownership across all three major U.S....

NBA player Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat just gave these local Miami students the upgrade of a lifetime by surprising them with digital learning tools, Newsone reports. After teaming up with AT&T and Connected Nation, a nonprofit with a commitment to bridging broadband and digital technology gaps throughout the country, Adebayo was able to provide the after-school program with digital devices and hotspots for the next school year. The efforts will help the students further their learning both at the center and from the comfort of their homes. This comes as a part of AT&T’s $2 billion commitment over the next 3 years to address the digital divide. Oxford defines the digital divide as “the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet and those who do not.” “For so many students, our nation’s schools and nonprofit organizations are their only source for social connections and resources for remote learning that have become so vital for future success,” said...