Tracy McGrady has long aspired to team ownership, and now that he’s secured a stake in the NFL, he’s dedicated to increasing representation in the league. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the basketball icon was announced as a minority owner of the Buffalo Bills in December 2024. He joins his former Toronto Raptors teammate and fellow Florida native, Vince Carter, as part of a group of 10 limited partners, which also includes soccer star Jozy Altidore. This marks the first time the Bills, owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, have expanded their ownership group. “I’ve always wanted to be an owner of a franchise and really didn’t care whether it’s the NBA, a soccer league, whether it’s in the NFL,” McGrady explained in an exclusive interview with AFROTECH™ held at a private reception that was hosted by Diverse Representation and William Morris Endeavor (WME) on Saturday, Dec. 8 to honor Black professionals in sports. Kevell Byrd McGrady also reveals the backstory behind becoming a minority...
Vince Carter says he leaned on fellow NBA player Grant Hill when he was pursuing team ownership. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Hill is the owner of several teams. He has a minority stake in the Atlanta Hawks (NBA), Orlando City (Soccer Club), Orlando Pride ( National Women’s Soccer League) , and Baltimore Orioles ( MLB) . Therefore, when it came time for Carter to act on his desire for team ownership, Hill was top of mind. “Grant’s been in a situation where he’s a good friend for a long time and right there in Atlanta (GA). So, my neighbor, ” Carter told Front Office Sports. “He was, in that entire process, somebody that I leaned on, that we talked to because he’s good friends with T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) as well. So we talked to him from the beginning of this process on what we were looking for, what they were looking for, how to go about it and just kind of just listening. He’s like that big brother that I’ve been through a lot with. What better guy than him to ask?” In December...
Travis Hunter has been quietly paying it forward to his University of Colorado Boulder teammates. The 2024 Heisman Trophy Award recipient and Colorado Buffaloes football star has been raking in various name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, most recently signing a multi-year deal with adidas, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas Football (@adidasfballus) “Working with adidas is a special opportunity for me and something that I’m really excited about as I look ahead to what’s next,” Hunter said, according to Sports Illustrated. “The partners they currently have are top tier with some of the best young guys like me. I’m pumped to join the three stripes as we continue pushing the boundaries of the sport we all love.” Aaron Seabron, general manager, U.S. Sports & Creation Center Portland (Oregon) at adidas, commented: “…We’re proud to partner with someone whose passion for sport and drive to create impact on and off the field mirrors our...
Former NBA teammates and Hall of Famers Tracy McGrady and Vinca Carter have invested in the Buffalo Bill’s organization, which is currently valued at $4.2 billion, per Forbes. According to a post shared on the team’s official Instagram account, the Bills announced 10 limited partners to join the franchise, marking the first time the team has added limited partners. According to ABC News, the group was approved on Dec. 11, 2024, by owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the team for $1.4 billion in 2014 and will retain a 79% stake. The Buffalo Bills’ ownership group now includes three former Black professional athletes: McGrady, Carter, and former U.S. Men’s National Team soccer player Jozy Altidore. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) Check out the breakdown below. McGrady McGrady is no stranger to the world of business. After retiring from the league in 2013 with $130 million in career earnings, he expanded his portfolio into real estate,...
Ray Davis, a running back for the Buffalo Bills , is known for his talent on the football field and his rising career in the NFL. Throughout his first season, the 26-year-old has been a consistent standout, quickly winning over Bills fans with his stamina and drive. After being drafted by the team, Davis signed a rookie contract that provided him with both a $795K base salary for the year and a hefty $713K signing bonus. NFL rookie contracts, especially for players taken in the mid to later rounds, tend to offer initial earnings in the low to mid millions over the course of several years, and the 25-year-old is no exception. With performance incentives and future contract renegotiations, Davis has the potential to increase his earnings significantly as his career progresses. Running backs who prove themselves on the field often see lucrative second contracts, which can push their net worth into higher figures. All About Buffalo Bills Rookie Ray Davis (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)...
You work hard for your money, so how you spend, invest, or save it is your business — and it’s critically important for managing your life. Since money plays a vital role in almost everything we do, budgeting and money management tools are essential for long-term sustainability. One of the nation’s leading experts on this topic is The Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche. Aliche’s path to becoming “The Budgetnista” started with her passion for teaching. After 10 years as a schoolteacher, she transitioned into personal finance — a topic she was familiar with, having grown up as the daughter of a CFO father. Raised in a Nigerian household, financial literacy and negotiation were ingrained early on, with her mother being a master negotiator. This blend of professional teaching, family financial wisdom, and cultural influence laid the groundwork for Aliche’s successful personal finance brand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiffany Aliche (@thebudgetnista) The former preschool...
Karrine Steffans, also known as “Superhead,” is a former video vixen, author, and public speaker who gained fame in the early 2000s for her appearances in hip-hop music videos and her tell-all books. Steffans’ controversial memoirs, which detailed her relationships with high-profile figures in the entertainment industry, made her a prominent yet polarizing figure. As of 2024, Karrine Steffans’ net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 million, largely accrued from her book sales, speaking engagements, and previous work in entertainment. Here, we’ll dive into those financial moves and see how she built that impressive amount. Rise To Fame Karrine Steffans was born on August 24, 1978, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She moved to Florida as a teenager and eventually relocated to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in entertainment. Steffans initially gained attention as a video vixen, appearing in popular music videos alongside some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Jay-Z...
Deion Sanders cares about the financial future of his players. Sanders, the head coach of the University of Colorado’s Buffaloes Football, brought forward eight players who are parents during a meeting held Aug. 25, 2024, per The New York Times. “Want y’all to know, ain’t like you’re in trouble,” Sanders said, according to Sports Illustrated. “You ain’t done nothing wrong. Matter of fact, you did something right. And a child is not a mistake. A child is an opportunity to mature you, grow you, advance you, and give you some skills. Y’all know how I am about fathering.” He added, “You know I would not hire a coach unless he’s a great father. I don’t hire a coach that’s a deadbeat, I don’t hire a coach that’s not taking care of his responsibilities. I would never hire a man that he says he’s going to look after y’all but he won’t look after his. That don’t make sense to me.” After affirming the players, he shared, alongside the school’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) collective 5430...
Hollywood Hair Bar Founder and CEO Tiffany Rose Dean hopes her story inspires Black woman entrepreneurs to chase their dreams on their terms. According to Hollywood Hair Bar’s website, the former celebrity fashion stylist created the haircare company to help people grow their hair with products made from natural ingredients. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hollywood Hair Bar (@hollywoodhairbar) During Dean’s appearance on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, hosted by Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, she recalled studying online marketing from 2008 to 2018 before officially launching her business. The entrepreneur also shared that she put in the work to get traffic to Hollywood Hair Bar’s website and ensured advertisements on the social media platform Facebook had all the data necessary to reach the target audience. After collaborating with a marketing agency, Dean says she saw more revenue come in. She claims on the podcast that the company went from making $50,000 a month...
One thing that’s true for the Black community is that it will claim people who are not biologically related as relatives. This concept even applies to celebrities, particularly influential figures, who have massive admiration. One of the individuals who has walked into the fold as one of the culture’s internet aunties is Niecy Nash-Betts. Born Carol Denise Ensley, Niecy Nash-Betts has been the imaginative, joyful spirit the world has come to know and love from a very young age. According to the Los Angeles Times, Nash first found inspiration for her career’s future after seeing singer and dancer Lola Falana’s lavishness on television. At the tender age of 5, Nash-Betts would adorn herself in scarves, Mickey Mouse sunglasses, and fancy dresses. “I want to be Black, fabulous, and on TV,” she told her grandmother one day, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The Black part I couldn’t do anything about. But the fabulous and the being on TV … I got to work on that.” And the rest, as...
In the arsenal of Black culture are movies many within the community can pull from as classic unified entertainment. One of those films is the 1999 release of “The Best Man.” The movie is mainly centered around the long-lasting friendship of four chosen brothers and the nuanced complexity and beauty between them. As standard with most feature films, a soundtrack and title track communicate the movie’s themes through music. R&B artists Ginuwine, R.L., Tyrese, and Case came together to produce the song “The Best Man I Can Be.” In it, they sing about the support of having brothers, whether by choice or blood. The Coogler Brothers — Ryan, Noah, and Keenan — bring all these concepts together as they make their mark on the industry. Many are pretty familiar with the work of Ryan Coogler. He debuted in 2013 with his first feature-length film, “Fruitvale Station.” He would go on to write and co-create Marvel’s hit films “Black Panther” and the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Ryan...
“You don’t have to be this wealthy, well-resourced person to actually make a difference,” The Human Utility’s Tiffani Ashley Bell shared with AfroTech, ahead of her TED Talk at TED 2022: A New Era. While Bell’s goal was to get people in the room in positions of wealth, power, and influence to actually help benefit people, she herself is an example of still making an impact without it.