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NBA player Jalen Williams is paying it forward to his parents. Williams was drafted into the league in 2022 by the Oklahoma City Thunder as a 12th overall pick, notes ESPN. He was signed to a four-year rookie contract valued at $20.3 million, data from Spotrac reveals . That milestone felt like a natural next step as Williams had long believed the league was within reach due to affirmations instilled in him by his parents, according to Andscape. “I would say my parents were big on if I wanted to get to the NBA, I could,” Williams recalled to the outlet. “From when I was young, I knew what I wanted to do, so I always had a good support system in regard to that. There was never a time that I didn’t think I could.” NBA Championship Fast forward to 2025, and Williams has already secured the league’s most coveted honor as the team won the 2025 NBA Championship during Game 7 on June 22, 2025, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, NBC mentions . Williams was instrumental in the team’s stretch...
Chris Paul’s plant-based venture is making its way into another major retailer. In 2019, the NBA player, who was in his 15th season at the time, made the decision to adopt a plant-based diet, GQ reports. While the initial switch was performance-driven, he made the change indefinite after noticing a reduction in routine inflammation and body aches, along with improved stats on the court. “It’s been a good lifestyle change for me,” he told the outlet. Paul, who according to Spotrac has reached $400.9 million in career earnings, has also made plant-based living a central part of his business strategy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he invested in Black-owned plant-based brand Misha’s, which is also backed by Jay-Z. In 2021, Paul also struck a deal with digital delivery service GoPuff to expand its “Better For You” product category in the interest of making plant-based products more accessible. A year later, this led to Good Eat’n being introduced with offerings such as chips,...
When Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown walks onto the court, you see precision, focus, and intent. What you don’t see is the noise, the constant mental motion, the layered thoughts arriving all at once, and the lifelong challenge of navigating it all. For the first time, the NBA All-Star and entrepreneur is pulling back the curtain on that unseen world and sharing a personal revelation: he has ADHD. “I never even knew,” Brown told AFROTECH™ in an interview with AFROTECH™. “My mom never told me. She knew I was diagnosed but didn’t want to make it a thing. So I just figured out how to push through.” Brown pushed through, knowing he had ADHD, into a purpose for something bigger: a movement to normalize tech-forward, non-invasive approaches to mental health, especially for Black men. At the center of that mission is Hapbee, a wearable device that utilizes patented frequency technology to deliver mental states such as Focus, Calm, or Alertness without the use of chemical stimulants....
Federal authorities are investigating former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley’s alleged involvement in wire fraud, gambling, and illegal prop betting, according to ESPN. The allegations stem from Beasley’s time playing for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-2024 season, sources told the outlet, with the focus on “unusually heavy betting interest on Beasley’s statistics” starting in January 2024. A gambling industry source shared that o ne or more prominent U.S. sportsbooks noticed the activity. The 18-month investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Beasley’s lawyer Steve Haney told The Detroit News. “It’s a gambling investigation involving Malik. No criminal charges have been issued. It’s nothing but an investigation and Malik is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Haney said, per the outlet. The investigation has reportedly resulted in the Pistons withdrawing a three-year, $42 million contract offer to Beasley. While...
Long before he was hoisting trophies or signing the richest deal in NBA history, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) was known for his quiet confidence and studied calm. Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, he never forced attention. He earned it. The way he played, the way he carried himself, even the way he dressed — all of it pointed to someone who understood the power of balance. The Athletic states that balance is the key, and it has taken him to the top of the league. Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the most dominant and composed players in basketball. His 2024–25 season included a scoring title, MVP honors, a Finals MVP, and a championship for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Off the court, the point guard and shooting guard leads with the same intention, building fashion partnerships and launching signature sneakers without losing his signature edge. “This isn’t just a win for me,” he said inside Paycom Center while holding the Finals MVP trophy, via the Athletic. “This is a win...
The third-most valuable Michael Jordan trading card has sold at auction. JOOPITER The rare card has made its way to JOOPITER, an auction house owned by Virginia legend and award-winning music producer Pharrell Williams. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Williams had been a serial collector and launched the platform in 2022 “to embrace the energy that is released when objects change hands, and to respect the value that’s been created around these objects.” “Joopiter was founded to not only introduce a new voice into the auction landscape, but to recalibrate what it means to be a collector… We are excited to bring these objects to the world,” Williams said , according to WWD. Signed 1986-87 Jordan Card JOOPITER’s latest auction item was a signed 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie card, according to information shared on Instagram. Jordan’s card had been one of nine trading cards that he signed back in 2024 on his private golf course in Florida, per the auction’s page. The card...
The Stephen Curry effect is something serious! The Golden State Warriors point guard, who is one of the best shooters in the league, is loved globally, but of course heavily by his own fanbase that resides in San Francisco, CA. Curry was drafted to the NBA in 2009 by the team, and he agreed to a four-year rookie contract valued at $12.7 million, notes Spotrac. Curry has shown a similar level of loyalty to that of the late Kobe Bryant, remaining a cornerstone of the very team that drafted him. He even led the team to four NBA championships between 2015 and 2022, with the most recent victory over the Boston Celtics. “We’ve got four championships. God is great, the ability to be on this stage and play with amazing teammates against a great Boston Celtics team that gave us everything to try to get to the finish line,” Curry said in a postgame interview in 2022, according to NBA Analysis. He also earned the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2022, which was a first in his career, notes...
NBA superstar Stephen Curry is experiencing considerable success with his business venture, Thirty Ink, which generated $173.5 million in revenue in 2024, according to CNBC. Thirty Ink is a brand conglomerate that encompasses Unanimous Media, Gentleman’s Cut bourbon, and Underrated Golf and Basketball, the outlet reported. A majority of the company’s revenue stems from Curry’s Under Armour partnership. As previously reported by AFROTECH™ , he has been signed to Under Armour since 2013, with the retailer establishing The Curry Brand in 2020. The Golden State Warriors point guard, who is also an 11-time NBA All-Star, serves as the president of The Curry Brand and was awarded 8.8 million Under Armour common shares in 2023, valued at $75 million at the time, which also included awards and incentives, CNBC reported. Now as Curry’s Thirty Ink portfolio continues to grow every business is making a profit. “It’s completely unique,” Suresh Singh, Thirty Ink’s secretary-chairman, told the...
Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony have teamed up to award several HBCU students with scholarships. The trio is behind the Social Change United Fund, which was created in response to racial injustice, pooling their collective resources to support communities of color, its website mentions. It aims to create equity in entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation. “It started back in, I want to say, 2020,” Anthony told Fast Company. “It was a real moment. We were watching a moment in society and our community, and our country, and it’s right in front of our faces, and the world was watching. It was a moment where I had to figure out, ‘Da-n, what do I want to do?’ And I think everyone was asking that same question. We just talked, came together, and we founded the Social Change Fund United.” He continued, “What we did was create a really clear vision on what we wanted to do on strategy, how do we advance equity, how do we advance social justice, criminal justice reform,...
Two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo, 39, returned to the University of Kentucky (UK) this month, not for a game but for a graduation ceremony. The former All-Star point guard officially earned his bachelor’s degree in communications during the university’s May 2025 commencement ceremony at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, as Yahoo Sports reports. The moment marked a full-circle achievement 20 years after Rondo first enrolled at UK as a standout freshman in 2004, the outlet states. After two seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats, Rondo declared for the 2006 NBA Draft, where he was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns and later traded to the Boston Celtics, per Yahoo Sports. What followed was a decorated 16-season NBA career with several teams, including an NBA championship in 2008 with the Celtics and another with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Rondo last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022. He officially retired from the NBA in April 2024 with a net worth of over $45 million, as...
Angel Reese and Magic Johnson have more in common than just their love of basketball. Both Johnson and Reese have found success beyond the sport. In the business world, this has translated into significant achievements for the two: Johnson is now a billionaire , and Reese has established herself as a multi-millionaire student-athlete who successfully transitioned to the WNBA and now holds a multi-year partnership extension with Reebok. Furthermore, the pair share even more common ground: a vision for financially empowering communities. According to its website, the Magic Johnson Foundation’s mission includes providing economic empowerment in ethnically diverse urban communities, while the Angel C. Reese Foundation shares a similar mission, with a specific focus on girls. “The Angel Reese Foundation is dedicated to fostering equity for girls and underrepresented groups through innovative and impactful initiatives. Our main objective is to ensure equal opportunities for all girls in...
Former NBA player Jason Kidd has invested in another soccer team. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the 10-time NBA All-Star and current head coach of the Dallas Mavericks has continued to pursue his passion for sports well beyond his playing days. As an investor, his portfolio includes two soccer teams based in his hometown of Oakland, CA: Roots SC (men’s) and Soul SC (women’s). “In The Town when you talk about sports, we all had heroes. I’m excited to join the Roots and Soul family,” Kidd said at the time, according to Andscape. “I’ve been seeing videos of all the support they get. I’m just trying to help the family. I especially like that there are both male and female teams. Also, with the teams being in The Bay, I felt like it was a great fit.” Everton Added To Portfolio Now, Kidd has invested in another soccer team, this time joining Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is part of The Friedkin Group, the ownership group of English Premier League club Everton, mentions ESPN. The...
Antoine Walker, a 2006 NBA champion, wants athletes to learn from his financial mishaps. At 19 years old, he was drafted into the NBA in 1996 by the Boston Celtics and remained in the league for 13 years. Yahoo Finance reports his career earnings amounted to $108 million, including a six-year contract worth $71 million that he signed at age 21. While making all this money early on is an accomplishment, it also came with harsh learning lessons for Walker. “The money came so fast without the education,” he told host Ross Mac on the “Financial Freestyle” podcast. Walker’s first paycheck was tied to a $1.6 million payday, but after taxes, his actual earnings ended up being $800,000, he says. He came from “very humble beginnings” and had little understanding of financial literacy, particularly about taxes. This lack of knowledge, combined with excessive spending and real estate investments that went south during the Great Recession, contributed to his filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in...
Remaining a student has led Carmelo Anthony into various industries. The former NBA player, who retired in 2023 and is a first-ballot Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, reflects on his evolution from the 19-year-old drafted in 2003 to a businessman who is now a serial investor and founder in the wine and cannabis sectors. One of Anthony’s biggest takeaways: He is no longer operating in fear. “A top lesson that I’ve learned was ‘stop being afraid,'” he recalled in an interview with AFROTECH™. “ A lot of times when you’re younger and you in these powerful roles and there’s people who are making decisions and there are people writing checks, it’s like ‘You too young to understand it,’ until you grow and until you get older, you go through it and you understand what you truly want to do.” He continued, “At 19, 20, 21, I didn’t have any type of sense of business. I knew street business, I knew street knowledge. I have foundational ethics and morals that could carry over from the streets...
Leave it to Steph Curry and Michelle Obama to remind us that health and flavor don’t have to be enemies. The NBA legend and the forever First Lady have teamed up to launch PLEZi Hydration, a new sports drink aiming to do what health gurus allege Gatorade and Powerade never quite pulled off — offer hydration without compromising on health. Born out of Obama’s public benefit company, PLEZi Nutrition, the drink is marketed as a “healthier” option for individuals who want to stay active without consuming excessive sugar and sodium. According to its website, each 16.9-ounce bottle packs only 12 grams of sugar — less than half of what you’d find in traditional sports drinks — plus 500 mg of potassium, 120 mg of sodium (vs. 210 mg), and the full daily dose of vitamin C. And this isn’t a slap-your-name-on-it celebrity endorsement. Both Curry and Obama were deeply involved in creating the drink from the ground up. Based on a CNBC report, Curry helped with everything from the packaging to the...