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Allen Iverson has made history in the world of memorabilia. Iverson is recognized as a legend in the NBA. He retired from the league in 2013 and was later inaugurated into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His name remains influential today, extending his impact beyond the court. The Virginia native currently serves as Vice President of Reebok Basketball (as of 2023), working alongside the President of Reebok Basketball, Shaquille O’Neal, to shape the next generation of the game. “We gonna do big things. We gon’ work hard. We gon’ give people what they want. We gonna take care of our youngsters,” he said in an interview uploaded to YouTube. Iverson’s involvement with Reebok also includes a lifetime deal. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he initially signed a 10-year deal valued at $50 million when he was drafted to the league, securing a spot with the Sixers. In 2001, he earned a lifetime deal after the team made its way to the finals and earned MVP. He now receives...
Shaquille O’Neal went several years without spending a dime of his first NBA paycheck. O’Neal’s glory days in the league date back to June 24, 1992. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic as a first-round draft pick, according to ESPN. His initial contract was a four-year deal valued at $17,400,000, notes Spotrac. O’Neal’s talent and charisma made him a sought-after player among companies looking to endorse the young player. In fact, he sustained himself solely through his endorsements until he had his first child, Taahirah, in 1996. “I didn’t spend my first NBA check until I started having children. I had so much coming in, I was like, ‘NBA money over there, and I’ll just live off endorsement money,'” he said during a 2022 interview with Gayle King on “CBS Mornings.” When he became a free agent, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, ultimately leading to three national championship rings. He earned his fourth with the Miami Heat in his 14th career year. Beyond his success on the...
NBA star Jimmy Butler has brewed his love for coffee into a storefront in Miami, FL’s Design District. After teasing the concept for some time, the Miami Heat star officially opened his first BigFace Coffee shop on Dec. 5, 2024, according to Axios. The café boasts a chic interior design, a selection of merchandise including hats and jerseys, and an outdoor courtyard featuring ample seating. “This is a dream of mine,” Butler said at the grand opening, CBS News reported . “I get to come in here, chill out, meet people, vibe out, and become friends. Coffee is life. It’s how I start my mornings, watching my daughter play while I enjoy a cappuccino. For me, that’s the quintessential coffee experience.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by La Marzocco USA (@lamarzocco.usa) Besides Butler, other basketball figures at the grand opening included Carmelo Anthony , Heat center Kevin Love, and former NBA guard Brandon Jennings, according to Axios. DJ Khaled and French footballer...
LeBron James’ name is now attached to another accomplishment. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, a St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey, worn in high school by the current Los Angeles Lakers star made its way to Julien’s Auction in Gardena, CA. The jersey was sported during a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover titled “The Chose One,” captured by Michael LeBrecht, who served as a Sports Illustrated photographer at the time, per the auction house’s official site. “This was the first time I shot LeBron and these are the images here. Just kind of a simple setup. I had him dunk the ball at least 40 times. G ot him praying to make the NBA, and then I just felt like, ‘Okay let’s get a little bit more animated.’ He’s posing, I’m like, ‘J ust reach out like this’ and I’m like, ‘G ive me a woo.’ And he’s like ‘Woo!’ Y ou look back and you don’t realize it was a real turning point,” LeBrecht said in a video shared by the auction house. That photoshoot remains a memorable moment in sports , and now the...
A new venture capital firm is on the block with significant capital at its launch. According to WWMT-3 TV, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures (KZFV), reportedly the first Black-owned investment fund in Southwest Michigan, has launched with $50 million in capital, derived from limited partners. The firm has as its purpose to arm underrepresented founders residing in Kalamazoo, MI, as well as startups. “We came up with that fund by thinking about what we want to accomplish in the community, the ecosystem, and the funds started growing as the ideas started growing,” Eric L. Wimbley, CEO and founder of First Line Risk Management and managing partner of KZFV’s venture capital fund, explained, according to the outlet. Jamauri A. Bogan, CEO of Bogan Developments and KZFV general partner, commented: “It’s our job now as investors to this community and this ecosystem to now get that capital to folks who traditionally never have it.” Also a part of the group is Bobby J. Hopewell, who was the former...
Udonis Haslem understood the power of collaboration as an NBA player, and he is carrying those learning lessons to improve underserved communities. The Miami, FL, native entered the league as a free agent in 2003 and remained with the Miami Heat throughout his 20-year career. He won three national championship rings and would be seen as a well-respected veteran on the team, even leading former players LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh — known as the Big 3— to take pay cuts to keep him on the Miami Heat roster in 2010, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “When I talk about LeBron James and Dwayne Wade and being a part of that process, that’s one thing that I was able to understand, it’s that even though we were friends, we respect people for who they are and what they are. You know what I mean?” Haslem said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “ And LeBron, Dwyane, they already respect me for who I was and what I was. They were Southeast guys. I was a Miami guy. They were...
Shaquille O’Neal says he took a pay cut while playing for the Miami Heat. The NBA Hall of Famer played for the team for four seasons, between 2004 and 2008, according to Sports Illustrated. Previously, he was a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played alongside his teammate Kobe Bryant. O’Neal’s tenure with the Heat was accompanied by a decision that cost him $20 million, he explained on “The OGs” podcast. He recalls a conversation with former Lakers head coach Pat Riley, that presented him an ultimatum surrounding his salary. “Pat came in and he said, ‘Shaq I love you. I can give you the whole 120 [million] and we can have nobody, or I can give you 100 [million],'” O’Neal said. “‘Give UD some more money. I can bring in Posey. I can bring in GP. I can bring in all them guys.'” O’Neal decided to take the pay cut because he was purely motivated by his desire to win. He added, “And I was like, ‘You know what. I need to win. Cause I gotta win one before Ol’...
It’s an undisputed fact that Stephen Curry has been a leading force for the Golden State Warriors since he was drafted to the team in 2009. Over a decade, the NBA star has counted off leading them to three championships and being crowned MVP twice. The achievements put him up there with the greats that the league’s court has ever seen and transformed the Warriors into a super-team. The Golden State Warriors took early notice of what he brought to the franchise — prior to the aforementioned acclaimed success — in 2012 with a four-year, $44 million extension. According to Insider, although others thought the deal was far from reflecting his foreshadowed worth, in Curry’s eyes, it was “maybe the most favorable in NBA history.”