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Kevin Durant has made a new investment to advance another area of sports. Bloomberg reports Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures was a part of an investment round led by The Chernin Group for the Premier Lacrosse League with participation from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Inc. Premier Lacrosse League founders, Paul and Mike Rabil have not disclosed exact valuations. However, the number has doubled since the company’s previous funding round in 2021.
As a journalist with over 20 years in the game, it would be remiss of Jemele Hill to hold out on shedding light on her career path. In a recent interview with Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal for REVOLT TV’s “ Assets Over Liabilities,” The Atlantic writer spoke out on the reasoning behind her making less money than her former “His & Hers” co-host on ESPN, Michael Smith.
Former National Football League (NFL) running back Clinton Portis has been sentenced to time in federal prison for his role in defrauding a healthcare benefit program created for retired NFL veterans. Clinton Portis is just one out of a slew of former players who filed false reimbursement claims that came to a whopping $2.9 million.
The future of digital collectibles is here! During the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money, Will Lucas gets the scoop on all things digital by way of sports broadcaster, former athlete and heavy digital collectible head Rosalyn Gold-Onwude. Gold-Onwude is a sports broadcaster for ESPN and a former Stanford college basketball player, who also took her talents to Nigeria to join their women’s national basketball team. As someone who believes in the power of digital technology, she breaks down an introduction to the space of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). “I started in January to be honest, right at the beginning of 2021,” she explained during the episode. “The spaces move so fast and I have picked up quite a lot of knowledge, but I’m learning. I cover the NBA, but somehow I have found myself emerging at the intersection of sports and crypto and entities, which is actually exploding because like an artist who creates art, athletes are also creators and we’re all creators...
Following a successful run as a presenting partner of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Google is making it official with the National Basketball Association (NBA). Through the partnership, Google presented search trends and analytics across digital and social platforms throughout the WNBA season, playoffs and finals. Now, the search engine giant will be expanding their partnership to officially work alongside the league, Boardroom reports. “Expanding our relationship with Google will enable fans to deepen their engagement with the game and their favorite teams during our landmark 75th Anniversary season and beyond,” says Kerry Tatlock, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships and Media of the NBA in a press statement. As a part of the multi-year partnership, Google Pixel will become the official fan phone and first presenting partner of the NBA Playoffs, opening doors for the incorporation into ESPN, TNT and YouTube TV. In addition, the partnership...
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal left more than $40 million on the table thanks to one encounter with a little old lady. In an interview with the Full Send podcast (via The New York Post ), Shaq was already representing the brand when he had an encounter with a woman while on the court. In his words, the lady “ripped him a new a**hole.” Apparently, the woman was upset at the price of the Shaq-endorsed Reeboks, and decided to take her frustrations out on the player-turned-entrepreneur. “I had $2,000 in my pocket. I said, ‘Lady I don’t make the prices. Here you go, and she smacked the money out of my hand, [and said], ‘Why don’t you motherf–kers make a shoe that’s affordable?’” Shaquille O’Neal, however, didn’t take this as a sign of disrespect. Rather, he said to the podcast, he took this as a teachable moment, and realized he couldn’t keep endorsing Reeboks — even with a $40 million price tag for his endorsement. “I was like, ‘You know what, she’s right.’ So that day, I cut ties with...
According to ESPN, Dennis Schröder has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics after turning down a lucrative contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. The point guard was the last of the top free agents on the market awaiting a new home after he refused a contract extension worth more than $80 million from Los Angeles. As of Aug. 10, Schröder is headed to Boston for a $5.9 million deal — a significant decrease from what he was hoping to lock in. ESPN reports that, “In Boston, Schroder joins a Celtics team with a hole at point guard in the wake of Kemba Walker being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, allowing him a chance to boost his value when he will hit the market again as a free agent next summer.” And, the 27-year-old seems to be in good spirits about the new move. “I’m proud to announce that for the 2021-22 season I’ll be playing for the Boston Celtics!” said the NBA player via Instagram. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history and it will be a...
ESPN is on a mission to fight cancer. The sports network and its partners had a new mission in mind for its 14th annual V Week — addressing inequities in communities of color with a focus on the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund which encourages cutting-edge research for African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities suffering from cancer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The V Foundation (@thevfoundation) Thanks to sports leagues, employees, the corporate community, and more donations from sports fans than ever before, ESPN’s 14th annual V Week raised more than $6.7 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. “During this year’s V Week, we highlighted the fact that people of color are disproportionately affected by cancer,” said vice president of ESPN Corporate Citizenship, Kevin Martinez. “But thanks to the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund and new initiatives with Alpha Phi Alpha and our first-ever Equity in Health panel, I am hopeful...
In collaboration with ABC, the NBA, and The Undefeated, ESPN has announced the launch of a new forward-thinking initiative, #ChampionBlackBusinesses as part of its “Rise Together” campaign that was unveiled earlier in the season, Black Enterprise reports . According to Black Enterprise , this co-branded community-based initiative was created to display across ESPN platforms during the NBA finals and beyond as a means to help amplify Black-owned businesses and their stories, while also showcasing their importance and impact on communities around the country. On the court, only one team can be crowned champion this NBA season. Here at ESPN, we look to crown all Black-owned businesses as true champions of their communities. Join us #ChampionBlackBusinesses pic.twitter.com/p8yB2QhbcS — ESPN (@espn) September 30, 2020 “We are incredibly humbled and proud to help tell the story of athletes fighting for not only the championship, but also social justice, and it has inspired us to extend...
Michael Jordan is taking his talents to NASCAR! Per ESPN, the former NBA superstar and Charlotte Hornets owner has teamed up with Denny Hamlin to form a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver. This makes the first time the franchise will have a high-profile pair to make up a Black majority team owner and the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level. Last night (Sept. 21) the partnership was announced via social media in posts by both Hamlin and Jordan. “Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity, and there have been few Black owners,” said Jordan in his statement. “The timing seemed perfect, as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more.” The move makes Jordan the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott drove his own race car from 1961 to 1973. Scott’s victory in 1964 at the Jacksonville 200 is the only win by a Black driver in Cup history. According to ESPN , Hamlin, a top contender for this year’s Cup...