The Chicago Sky team are already reaping the benefits of Angel Reese’s arrival. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Reese, a current Louisiana State University (LSU) student, was drafted to the WNBA as the 7th draft pick in the first of three rounds on April 15, 2024, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, NY. She will be joined on the team by recent National Championship winner Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina. “It’s a great moment. I’m super excited to go into the W,” Reese, 21, said in reflection during an interview on the “Today” show. “This has always been a dream for me and a dream come true. And then with amazing girls, only 15 girls get to be selected to come to New York and have this experience. And as a little girl, being able to put the dress on and actually go up there and hear a name called was amazing. So I’m just happy to be here and enjoy the moment.” Reese’s entry into the league is already being met with excitement. Within days of being drafted, the team’s...

Carmelo Anthony has launched a cannabis brand that will allocate a portion of its profits towards a good cause. Forbes reports the 10-time NBA All-Star player is launching StayMe7o Cannabis under Grand National, a cannabis-focused agency created in partnership with Lowd Cannabis’ CEO and Founder Jesce Horton and Chief Creative Director Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce. Anthony had connected with Horton when he first moved to Portland, OR, through a mutual friend. “We understand what the value proposition is,” Anthony told Forbes . “I grew up on the Grand National car, we just wanted to tap into something that was very timeless, combining the businesses of all three of us and what we bring to the table.” As for his motivation to enter into the cannabis sector, it was a culmination of remaining a student within the industry over several years and firsthand experience for sports recovery purposes. Among his chosen products were tinctures, CBD formulations, and topicals — all tailored to...

Chris Paul has entered into a partnership that considers the financial futures of the youth. Goalsetter, a fintech company founded by Tanya Van Court, has shared results from a study it conducted with Ivy League university students revealing a significant lack of understanding when it comes to personal finances. When surveying 1,065 undergraduate students from Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania, t he study revealed that the students answered on average only 51% of its financial education questions correctly. The questions were at the high school standard, and the percentage of acuity decreased even further when looking at only underclassmen, with scores of 48%. Furthermore, only 13% of students who took the quiz scored above a C-. To create better outcomes, Goalsetter is committed to targeting financial initiatives towards the youth, and the company is strengthening its efforts through a partnership with NBA player Chris Paul, Oakland Fund...

NIL deals are here to stay, whether you like them or not. After all, the NCAA generated over $1.15 billion in revenue in 2021, and up until then, it was illegal for athletes to be compensated.

When it comes to tapping into the power of how intersectional sports is, Wale Ogunleye has been at the forefront especially now as the Head of Sports and Entertainment at UBS, a global financial services company. In 2021, the former NFL player spoke with AfroTech and shared how he’s teaching financial literacy to today’s athletes. Now, Ogunleye recently hosted a fireside chat for UBS — along with Jane Schwartzberg — where he spoke with U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix. When Felix made the daring move to depart from her Nike deal due to their lack of support for pregnant female athletes and new mothers, her leap of faith was a wake up call for action heard across the nation. The gold medalist’s courage and advocacy for women and motherhood is what specifically moved Ogunleye to feature her for UBS. Photo Credit: Vivien Killilea “The sports world intersects with corporate America and corporate America puts their limitations and marginalizes women and people from diverse backgrounds,”...

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner revealed an exciting opportunity for fans to tap into the stock market on Wednesday. CNBC reported the National Football League (NFL) player has become an equity holder in Public.com, a social investing platform that allows individuals to invest in companies commission-free. In addition, Public promotes financial literacy by allowing users to follow domain authorities and familiar investors. Since the company’s inception in 2019, it has raised $310 million from investors including Accel, Greycroft, and high-profile celebrities like Will Smith and J.J Smith. While the terms of the linebacker’s agreement have not yet been disclosed, he did share the incentive for the recent venture. “I want people to understand how money works and how people invest,” Wagner stated in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. “You can have conversations with people to get their thoughts on why they are investing in certain things.” The social investment platform —...

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has a hand in nearly every industry these days, and now it’s casting its net even wider with the future of esports. Roc Nation Sports has partnered up with the Gaming Community Network (GCN) — which is also part of GameSquare Esports Inc. — to create global gaming solutions for star-studded athletes and expand their presence in esports, a press release reports. The multi-year partnership intends to build on a collaboration that will develop “authentic bespoke athlete-centric strategies” for athletes — including esports tournaments, gaming content production, live streaming events as well as ​​offer content syndication across the GCN Network, which hosts 85-plus gaming and esports-centric websites. “Partnering with Roc Nation Sports continues our growth of building GameSquare into an esports powerhouse,” said GameSquare CEO Justin Kenna in a statement. “With our recent acquisitions of Complexity and Cut+Sew/Zoned and adding Paradigm Sports to our advisory board, we...

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is taking full advantage of the NFL offseason to boost his riches. According to a source close to the franchise athlete, Prescott is reportedly ending his deal with adidas to join the Jordan brand for a huge five-year contract, ESPN reports. The new deal will make the quarterback the highest-paid NFL player aligned with the brand. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on social media late Wednesday night (June 9) tweeting, “Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is leaving adidas and signing a five-year agreement with the Jordan Brand, per source close to situation. Prescott will be the only Jordan Brand QB, the only Cowboys player, and highest-paid NFL player on the Jordan Brand roster.” Schefter also reported that the quarterback’s deal was negotiated by both the Jordan Brand team and his marketing agent Peter Miller of JABEZ Marketing Group. Both parties involved shared that they believe “this ground-breaking deal creates a perfect marketing storm around...