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Coco Gauff has invested in women’s basketball. Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 basketball league announced in 2023 and founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Each player participating in its first season was granted equity in the league, setting a precedence in sports. “For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income,” Stewart said in a press release shared with AFROTECH™ . “With Unrivaled , we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.” Collier added: “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season. Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women’s sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate. We may have had the vision, but this isn’t just our league – it belongs to the players, and...
Angel Reese plans to retire her mother. Reese, born in Randallstown, MD, on May 6, 2002, to Michael Reese and Angel Webb Reese, has grown into an influential athlete, already making her mark in the WNBA by holding the record for most single-season rebounds — before being surpassed by A’ja Wilson. Reese’s athletic genes come from her parents , both of whom played basketball in college. Her mother, Angel Webb Reese, played for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also had a professional career in Luxembourg. Michael Reese played at Boston College and Loyola University (Maryland) before competing overseas in Luxembourg, Austria, and Portugal, mentions USA Basketball. “My whole family played basketball. My aunts played basketball, my brother plays basketball, my grandparents played basketball. So, it kind of was like, ‘You’re gonna do this,’” Reese told Just Women’s Sports. Unsurprisingly, Reese picked up...
Jayson Tatum is making moves on and off the basketball court as he explores potential investment opportunities in a WNBA franchise in St. Louis, MO. As interested parties compete for ownership of the league’s upcoming 16th team, the Boston Celtics star has informally committed to supporting the franchise, according to Sportico. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Tatum secured a record-breaking five-year, $315 million contract extension in July and now plans to work behind the scenes, helping attract other high-profile investors and advocating for the WNBA team. “St. Louis is a top-tier sports market, and we believe that bringing a WNBA franchise to the region will be a defining moment in the city’s ongoing revitalization,” said Don Soffer, the spokesperson for the effort to establish the 16th team in St. Louis, per Sportico. Tatum’s potential involvement follows a change in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, ratified in April 2023, which, as OnFocus previously reported, now...
Coco Gauff has scored a new victory. The tennis star reigned supreme in her match at the China Open held in Beijing on Oct.6, 2024, against the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova, which led to a 6-1 6-3 victory. In the process, she has become the first American since Serena Williams to become a champion in the China Open, CNN reported. Furthermore, this brings her Women’s Tennis Association tour finals record to 8-1, per Blavity. “I‘m happy with the fight I showed during the past two weeks here in Beijing and very grateful to walk away with the @chinaopen title❤️. Thank you for all of the love and support! #Histimingisperfect #title,” Gauff, 20, wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coco Gauff (@cocogauff) According to AS USA, Gauff also walks away with $1.1 million in prize earnings as a result of the match. She now adds to her $27.1 million net worth, which was last updated by Forbes on Aug. 23, 2024. At the time, this consisted of salary and winnings...
Stephen A. Smith knows his worth. The ESPN sports journalist and host of “First Take” is currently signed to an annual $12 million deal with the network that will be intact until June 2025. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, his salary includes an $8 million yearly salary and a $4-million-per-year production contract. Furthermore, with talks of renegotiations on the table, it has been rumored that Smith is seeking a $100 million contract to remain with the network for an additional five years. Recently, he addressed those rumors during a taping of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on Max. He was asked by Wallace, “Your ESPN contract is, what we’re told, up next year and the word on the street is, you want something in the range of $100 million for five years. True?” While Smith did not confirm whether there was any truth behind these numbers, he did confirm he is looking to be paid his worth. “I’m not getting specific as it pertains to numbers, because only a fool discusses his own...
Dawn Staley knew her worth, which led to her receiving a historic contract. Since joining the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball program as the head coach, she has led the team to 10 NCAA Attendance titles, with three appearances leading to national championships (2017, 2022, and 2024) the university’s website mentions. The 2024 win was foreshadowed by an undefeated season, with the team achieving a 38-0 run. This is merely a snapshot of the accolades Staley has secured since becoming the team’s head coach in 2008. “What women’s basketball needs is just someone that is literally a true honest GOAT. [I go so hard for Coach Staley] because no one wants her here,” WNBA player and former South Carolina Gamecocks player A’ja Wilson said, per Andscape. “No one believed she could get to this point and she’s sitting here shining. I think that is why she’s such a trailblazer for women’s basketball.” In 2021, Staley became the highest-paid Black head coach in NCAA Women’s Basketball,...
Jayson Tatum won’t be spending his historic contract money. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Boston Celtics player is fresh off a NBA National Championship win and agreed to a five-year $315 million supermax contract extension, which marks the richest in the league’s history, according to Bleacher Report and Chris Haynes of TNT Sports. However, Tatum will not be touching the money earned from his contract, as AFROTECH™ already told you. He made a deal with his mother, Brandy Cole — who he describes as an “overseer” because she handles his finances — that he would rely on endorsements and sponsors rather than his contract earnings. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Small Wins (@enjoysmallwins) “We had a deal before I got drafted that I couldn’t spend the money I make from the Celtics, that we have to live off endorsements,” Tatum said during an interview with “In Depth with Graham Bensinger.” “Her and my accountant agreed. They didn’t know that I would make as much as...
Jatee Kearsley refers to herself as a “generational starter.” The Queens, NY, raised pastry chef is the owner of Je T’aime Patisserie, a business located in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. The naming of the restaurant was intentional as her love for cooking was born in her teenage years while hosting weekly bake sales in front of a building she used to reside in. “You’re a kid and you want money. So what do you do when you want money? You do what you’re good at. And I was always good at baking cakes and cupcakes for my family,” she tells AFROTECH™ during the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit. “I would invite my friends over and they’ll come and eat cupcakes. I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m going to make money.’ So I took a table outside and just started selling these cupcakes that I was making. Then it just elevated into a passion.” Kearsley would continue to opt for self-teaching even as she pursued culinary education, honing her skills in baking intricate pastries such as macarons and...
Founder Wilglory Tanjong has Beyoncé’s attention. On April 7, 2024, the “Cowboy Carter” singer took to Instagram sharing two posts where she is seen wearing a Willie Nelson T-shirt, platform boots, and a jacket with a print of the American flag. She also accessorized the look with a luxury handbag designed by Tanjong and launched through the founder’s company, Anima Iris. This marks the second time Beyoncé’ has sported the brand since 2021, per CNBC. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ANIMA IRIS (@anima.iris) “ANIMA IRIS IS BEYONCÉ APPROVED… AGAIN !! Beyoncé really loves Anima Iris, no cap all facts,” Tanjong said on Instagram. “I know y’all will ask so YES, I’m releasing the bag we made just for Bey and I’m naming it the Cowboy Carter ZAZA. Available now on animairis.com…AHHH BEYONCÉ APPROVEDDD.” While Beyoncé’s interest in Anima Iris is certainly noteworthy, it is also a testament to the labor of love behind Anima Iris, which was born while Tanjong was traveling in...
Jayson Tatum is looking to support individuals in becoming homeowners. According to a press release, SoFi will partner with the Jayson Tatum Foundation to create the SoFi Generational Wealth Fund, an ambitious $1 million commitment to improve financial wellness in families. Per KSN-News in Wichita, KS, the investment will go toward grants that will provide a down payment for homebuyers in Tatum’s hometown of St. Louis, MO. For Tatum, who was raised by his mother, Brandy Cole-Barnes, and entered the world when she was only 19, the partnership is a reminder of the resources that would have been impactful during his upbringing. “Me and my mom, we didn’t know about investments or savings accounts when we were growing up. But obviously when I got to the NBA and started to make money, we had to ask questions and learn about things,” the Boston Celtics player said, according to KSN-News. As AFROTECH previously mentioned, Tatum made a deal with Cole-Barnes that he would not be living off...
For players who come from humble beginnings, earning big bucks in the NBA can be accompanied with financial shock that ultimately leads to tough lessons. This was the case for former basketball player Jalen Rose, who splurged with his rookie check.