The Antetokounmpo family doesn’t play when it comes to their own. Nike has been a long supporter of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family since the very beginning of his career in 2013, and it’s also what encouraged the NBA superstar to pass on another endorsement deal with one of the athletic apparel company’s competitors. According to Bleacher Report, during an appearance on the “Thanalysis Show,” Antetokounmpo recalled the moment he decided to walk away from a deal at Adidas because he was in a position where he needed to help support his family. After an initial offer featuring a deal for both Giannis and his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Adidas backtracked on the plan, prompting Giannis to turn down the proposal. “[An Adidas representative] brought the contract and put it in front of me, and I’m like, ‘Okay great, where is my brother’s?’” Antetokounmpo explained, per Bleacher Report. “And he was like, ‘We’re not going to sign your brother’s today. You’re going to sign yours,...

Never underestimate the power of a good hobby! Following his retirement from the NBA, Dwyane Wade, like many greats who have since left the league, picked up a new golfing habit, which ultimately led him to become a minority owner in the NBA team Utah Jazz. According to Boardroom, the move made in 2021 by Wade continues to get better with time. When he initially joined the ownership group, the former Miami Heat star saw the team at a valuation of $1.75 billion. Today that number has increased to $3.46 billion, per an April 16 Instagram post by Boardroom. “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore,” said Wade on social media at the time of the deal. “Second act activated.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Boardroom (@boardroom) The Sporting News reports that the deal was made possible thanks to a friendship between the majority owner, Ryan Smith, and Wade that began on the golf course. Smith, a billionaire whose fortune was...

Robin and Andrea McBride have done what most would consider unimaginable within the wine industry, but for them, like most big moments in their lives… every step of the process has been pretty kismet, according to Robin. In 2005, the McBride sisters started their wine journey when they began importing grapes from New Zealand (called Aotearoa by the indigenous Maori people) . By 2009, they began to cultivate juices together, and before they knew it, in 2017, the sisters began producing wine straight from their respective homes in Monterey, CA, and New Zealand under the McBride Sisters Collection label that they are known for today. When recalling what makes her most proud of this journey, Robin honed in on their initial vision and mission for entering the wine industry, and that was “changing the perception of wine being elitist and exclusive.”

Damon Dash’s shares in record label Roc-A-Fella Records may soon be no more. According to a report by Rolling Stone, despite his estranged relationship with fellow Roc-A-Fella owners — music mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Kareem “Biggs” Burke — all have remained connected to the label on paper. However, this could all change soon. The latest development in ownership occurred in February 2024 when “a New York judge ordered Roc-A-Fella Inc. to deliver Dash’s company shares to the US Marshals to satisfy a $823,000 judgment from movie producer Josh Webber and Muddy Water Films.” The judgement was the result of a 2019 lawsuit against Dash led by Webber and the production company, accusing him of defamation and copyright infringement related to the movie, “Dear Frank,” according to Rolling Stone. Dash had been fired as its director and allegedly attempted to sell the movie on his own under a new title, “The List.” Manhattan lawyer Richard Roth of The Roth Law Firm stated that the most...

What started as a hobby during the pandemic quickly launched Lara Adekoya into entrepreneurship, selling cookies to consumers in Los Angeles, CA, including some of Hollywood’s hottest stars, including Issa Rae, Lena Waithe and others. Today, Adekoya is taking things one step further by launching her very first brick-and-mortar for Fleurs et Sel. “I’m really happy and I’m just ready,” Adekoya told AFROTECH™. “I feel like I’ve been ready to make this jump or transition for a while. As you know, it’s not something that’s happened overnight.” In a previous interview with Adekoya,  AFROTECH™ learned the backstory to how she launched her business, which has grown rapidly over roughly four years. Fast-forward to the present day, she says there wasn’t a specific incident that encouraged her to open a bakery, but it will be in a historically Black and brown neighborhood in Los Angeles. “I’m opening in West Adams, which is a historically Black and brown neighborhood in LA that has been...

The woes of the American health system have reached one of its former leaders after he received a high medical bill following a visit to the emergency room. According to Fortune, Dr. Jerome Adams, the former 20th U.S. surgeon general and Purdue University’s health equity initiatives director, took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the details of his medical trip to an out-of-town ER facility in Scottsdale, AZ, due to dehydration. The trip resulted in a hefty post-insurance bill. “Yes, folks. THIS is America. Land of the free, and home of the medical bankruptcy,” Dr. Adams told the outlet about the posted photo of the bill. The medical invoice ultimately totaled $4,896.43 after he underwent a few lab tests and three intravenous (IV) bags during his visit, though it’s unknown what was being administered to him in the IV. What’s more, he mentioned that he opted for monthly payments to tackle the large bill, but Dr. Adams knows this is not always an option...

Encouraged by rap-artist -turned-businessman Bun B, Derrick Turton elevated his interest in cooking. Turton, who was born in Brooklyn, NY, moved to Miami, FL, in 1998 and enrolled in culinary school. Upon graduation, he secured his first job as a line cook at a Red Lobster, according to The New Tropic. However, he disdained his time at the restaurant and made his exit. “I thought I was going to be a ‘Top Chef,’ and I got my first job at Red Lobster,” Turton told the outlet. “It was either Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, and [orders] were coming out of the register [nonstop]. I was just staring at it, and I was like ‘I’m out.’” He then pivoted, becoming a club promoter, which was his entry into the music scene. As he moved into record label promotion, this put him under the radar of rapper and record executive Luther Campbell, and he began to work for Campbell’s record label, The New Tropic reports. Turton was introduced to Armando Christian Perez, who is widely recognized as...

In light of recent news that Oprah Winfrey is stepping down from her position on the WeightWatchers board, the media mogul continues to use its impact to uplift the community, according to Variety. Per to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Winfrey donated her shares of company stock to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. “As our largest donor, Oprah Winfrey is, without a doubt, an essential champion of this museum,” said Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon director of the NMAAHC. “Her legacy as a culture icon and supporter is a testament to her steadfast commitment to inspiring the next generation of philanthropists and preserving Black history.” No stranger to putting her support behind the entity, Winfrey made an initial financial pledge to the museum idea in 2007. What’s more, in 2013, per a report by NPR, after she pledged millions of dollars to help break ground to construct the building that now sits on the...