Flau’jae Johnson is putting down roots in more ways than one. On Friday, the Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball guard and rapper shared that she has purchased 20 acres of land, a significant step toward turning her dreams into reality. In a celebratory Instagram post , Johnson said, “GOD IS AMAZING! I Done Got Addicted To The Acres. 20 Years Old With a total of 20 Acres !! Generational Wealth Fr @HomeDepot, what’s up?? Help me make some dreams a reality!”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Big 4️⃣ (@flaujae) For Johnson, her dreams reach far beyond her talents of music and basketball. “This land represents more than just an investment for me—it’s about building something bigger than basketball or music. I want to create opportunities for my community and leave a legacy that shows young women, especially young Black women, that we can do it all. Owning 20 acres at my age is proof that with vision and hard work, we can break boundaries and build the future we...

Since the uptick of student-athletes inking name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, there has been debate about whether or not they’re capable of maintaining five to seven-figure payouts. Now, a new proposal is looking to offset the scrutiny by ensuring schools are looking out for the best interest of the young athletes’ finances.

Shaquille O’Neal is already making major calls over at Reebok with the NIL signing of Louisiana State University basketball star Angel Reese.

A young athlete has secured a check for his talent before turning double digits. Ghalee Wadood Jr., a 9-year-old who plays for Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League, inked a six-figure name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with sports agency Family 4 Life — making him the youngest from the youth league to sign a contract — according to Los Angeles, CA-based KTLA-5, an affiliate of The CW Network. In addition to signing Wadood Jr., Family 4 Life represents NFL players from the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants.

Kiyomi McMiller has made history with the Jordan Brand.

This new deal might be the epitome of when one person eats, the whole team eats! On Friday (Sept. 2), Chipotle announced that it has officially signed Ohio State University running back TreVeyon Henderson to a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. Not only will the star of the team be joining in partnership with the restaurant chain, but his NIL deal comes with something for the entire offensive line!

Naomi Osaka has called on young Black athletes like herself to spread more awareness of suncare for melanated skin. As previously reported by AfroTech back in 2021, the tennis champ launched her skincare line, KINLÒ, to provide affordable products for healthy skin. Now, Osaka has onboarded student-athletes who are making an impact to join her in amplifying her message. Courtesy of KINLÒ

2021 was a highly successful year for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes closing on name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. Now, for this year, Black college basketball players continue to set the tone. This is especially true for Zia Cooke. Data from Opendorse — a NIL technology company — released in March shows that women ballers specifically are the second highest paid in the organization. CBS News reports that Zia Cooke was marked as “one of the highest paid college basketball players in the Final Four.” “It just shows that we can do a lot of things that a lot of people say we can’t do,” she said, according to CBS News. “To see all the girls on there for the NIL and I think it was just one boy it shows that we can do literally everything they can do. It’s a business and it’s super effective for women and men.” Along with her hoop skills and being her team’s leading scorer on the court, the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball star’s social media...