NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo has launched a venture capital firm. According to Bleacher Report, the Milwaukee Bucks player has introduced Build Your Legacy Ventures (BYL). The venture capital firm, backed by institutional investors and tech veterans, aims to funnel investments into the sports and entertainment sectors. As noted in a press release, the firm will be “driven by the Antetokounmpo family’s dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.” “I’m incredibly energized to launch BYL Ventures as a way to give back and support the next generation of visionaries,” Antetokounmpo, founder and general partner of BYL Ventures, said in the release. “This fund is not just about capital; it’s about forging partnerships and opening my network to accelerate the growth trajectory for companies. I want to help other entrepreneurs, especially those who have faced barriers, to grow and succeed. BYL Ventures will be focused on finding people with big dreams and helping them make...
NFL Star Randy Moss is scaling his presence in the restaurant space. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Moss became an investor in Brittany Tolliferreo’s Philadelphia, PA-based restaurant chain, Chick-A-Boom, in 2023. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Tolliferreo reached out to Moss via direct message, and then he later liked a sponsored Chick-A-Boom post in 2022, sparking further conversation. “We got on a couple of Zoom calls, and he came here, tasted the product, and loved it. From there, he became my partner,” she told the outlet. Speaking on the investment in a press release, Moss commented: “I’m a chicken lover. Not only was I impressed by the food, but after hearing Brittany’s story and understanding that a lot of our same goals and morals align, it was only right to invest.” Today, Moss is expanding his involvement in the company, now operating under the name Crisppi’s Chicken. In December 2023, he brought the restaurant to his home state with the help of Tolliferreo...
WNBA star Angel Reese has exceeded the expectations of her former agents. During a panel discussion at ComplexCon 2024, Nov. 16-17, in Las Vegas, NV, the Chicago Sky player looked back on the discouraging advice she received from her former agents, who had low expectations for her success with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. “I used to be with an agency, and I’m not with the agency anymore,” the 22-year-old explained on the panel, moderated by Speedy Morman , according to Complex. “And initially when I was with the agency, that specific agency told me I was never going to make over $2,000. … And that was when NIL first started.” Reese would prove those agents wrong. She has secured a slew of NIL deals with companies that include: Wingstop McDonald’s Raising Cane’s Amazon Sonic Bose Banter by Piercing Pagoda TurboTax Xfinity JanSport Outback Steakhouse In April 2024, her NIL valuation had reached $1.8 million, notes The Street. Reese is now working with new agents, Jeanine...
Angel Reese plans to retire her mother. Reese, born in Randallstown, MD, on May 6, 2002, to Michael Reese and Angel Webb Reese, has grown into an influential athlete, already making her mark in the WNBA by holding the record for most single-season rebounds — before being surpassed by A’ja Wilson. Reese’s athletic genes come from her parents , both of whom played basketball in college. Her mother, Angel Webb Reese, played for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also had a professional career in Luxembourg. Michael Reese played at Boston College and Loyola University (Maryland) before competing overseas in Luxembourg, Austria, and Portugal, mentions USA Basketball. “My whole family played basketball. My aunts played basketball, my brother plays basketball, my grandparents played basketball. So, it kind of was like, ‘You’re gonna do this,’” Reese told Just Women’s Sports. Unsurprisingly, Reese picked up...
Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest athlete of all time. The Olympic champion can flex eight gold medals and two record-holding spots for the 100m and 200m races, but what’s the secret to his success? According to a BBC interview, in which Bolt appears in a hologram playing virtually with reporter Steffan Powell, he cites his success on the field to the world of gaming. “ For me, those are the things that excite me about video games. Just learning and being the best at it. I feel like it kinda helped my hunger, I would say. To always want to win. But I feel like it, in a way, kind of helped out with the track and field, because now, when you get on the track, you have that same mentality as when you’re playing video games. You just want to win ,” Usain Bolt told BBC.
Known as one of the best players to play in the NBA, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr., is one of the most successful former athletes in America. Aside from the handsome salary he earned as a pro basketball player, Magic has started several business ventures that have helped him achieve success beyond his playing days. You might be wondering, what is Magic Johnson’s net worth? It may be higher than you think. Magic Johnson’s net worth is currently estimated to be about $600 million. During his career as an NBA player, Johnson’s annual salary was around $24 million, an amount that hasn’t been adjusted for inflation. Despite his career ending prematurely due to hysteria over his HIV diagnosis, Magic Johnson had an impeccable 12-year run in the NBA. He won five championships out of nine trips to the finals, earned three MVP awards, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team nine times. With such a successful NBA career in spite of his contraction of the HIV virus, one would think Johnson...
Women are taking over in sports and leading not only in winning titles but in earnings as well. Naomi Osaka, the 22-year-old tennis superstar, made history over the weekend as the highest-paid female athlete ever earning $37.4 million in the past year, which is $1.4 million more than Serena Williams has made, according to ELLE . Forbes reported that Osaka’s earnings came from prize money and endorsements she’s racked up over the last 12 months, setting an all-time record high for what a female athlete has earned in a single year. Her new record also surpasses that of Maria Sharapova‘s 2015 record of $29.7 million. Osaka now ranks No. 29 among the 100 highest-paid athletes while Williams is No. 33, according to Forbes . They also reported that this is the first time since 2016 that two female athletes have ranked on this list, with the full 2020 list set to release sometime this week. Osaka garnered her newfound fame from defeating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final with her...