After winning an NBA Championship, Shaquille O’Neal once turned down a deal with a major cereal brand. Back in 2001, O’Neal secured his second national championship alongside his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. O’Neal put up 29 points, leading the team to victory, according to the NBA. Unsurprisingly, offers were coming O’Neal’s way, including from Wheaties cereal. They had also reached out when he secured his first championship in 2000. However, O’Neal declined both times. He was more of a fan of its competitors, such as Frosted Flakes and Fruity Pebbles. “My people said, ‘Hey man, won’t you be on the cover of Wheaties.’ I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ They said, ‘What do you mean, brother? Breakfast of champions.’ I said, ‘Don’t know what it tastes like, never gonna taste it.’ ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well, Frosted Flakes will always be my first option if you want to talk cereal business with me and Fruit Loops, then Fruity Pebbles,” he said in an interview with The Wall...

Issa Rae has opened a new restaurant in Los Angeles. The actress and serial entrepreneur , already renowned for the community-focused Hilltop Kitchen + Coffee, is expanding her presence. With the same spirit, she brings a new energy to Los Angeles through her latest venture, Somerville. “Always wanted a neighborhood lounge to complement the special community that is View Park-Windsor Hills. The genius GVO Gentlemen said, how about a restaurant? @somerville.slauson — an ode to the classic, artistic past of Black South Central L.A? And sure, the ambience will be fantastic, but the food and cocktails will keep you coming back,” Rae said in a post shared on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Issa Rae (@issarae)   Customers can visit Somerville at Park-Windsor Hills, which GVO describes as a “progressive American dining experience.” According to the restaurant’s website, its extensive menu includes the Somerville burger, pan seared ora king salmon, and Mary’s organic...

Passive income is the way to go in this economy, and one woman is using her love of designer bags to get to the money! After a friend offered to pay Princess Dior to borrow one of her designer handbags, a light bulb went off in her head, equipping her with the vision to turn her closet into a check by offering up luxury goods for rent. “They paid me to use my Dior bag for a video shoot. It was my home girl so I would’ve given it to her, but she paid me for it. She gave me $200,” Princess explained during the Millionaire Mindsets podcast. “So, I was sitting down like ‘Dang, she just gave me $200.’ I’m looking like I got like five Dior bags, I got like six Louis [Vuittons], I got a whole bunch of Gucci bags and clothes, that I’ve only worn one time because you know when you wear a print one time, or a Dior or Gucci, you can’t wear it again. So, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna make a business outta this.'” How this entrepreneur gets $5,000-$10,000 per month renting out her designer bags 😳...

Stephen Curry has made it on some of the NBA’s most coveted awards lists, but he is more than just a force on the court. An investor and advocate for human rights, Curry is using his current NBA Finals appearance to boost the names of some Black fashion designers. The tunnel walk for NBA players has become a proverbial runway. With athletes more in tune with their wardrobe, designers consider these brief moments ideal for exposure and brand recognition “Celebrities like actors and musicians only have a few red carpets a year, but basketball players play anywhere between 80 to 100 games,” he said. “They basically have a red carpet every third day of the year if you spread them out,” fashion stylist Ian Pierno told the New York Times. Check out the Black-owned fashion brands Curry wore during each game of the finals so far.

Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are all the rage, and the technology shows no signs of slowing down. With so many artists and influencers launching their respective NFT collections, the following steps are clear — the industry has to have more options and diversity around how they are sold. Ariana Waller — known as Ariana The Techie — is a Miami-based blockchain engineer and the owner and founder of Mueshi, Inc. The company launched to be a marketplace where users will be able to buy, sell, and fractionally invest in fine art NFTs. In 2021, Ariana came up with the idea for this marketplace while listening to Jay-Z’s solo album, “4:44.” On the album, the Grammy-award-winning rapper had several songs discussing the importance of investing to build wealth. Immediately inspired, Ariana jumped into the metaverse to create this emerging marketplace. “I was listening to ‘4:44’ for almost three hours a day. In a song, Jay-Z mentioned how he wanted to leave his art to his children as a part of his...

Kevin Garnett is in talks of buying the Timberwolves once again. Fadeaway World reports that the NBA superstar was reportedly approached by baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and Jet.com CEO Marc Lore to purchase fractional ownership into the team. That’s because the duo is reportedly working together to submit a bid to purchase the Minnesota franchise for $100 million. “KG’s ability to connect with players would be a major reason why they want him as part of the organization, while other plans could be carried out if the 2008 NBA champion decided to join A-Rod and Lore,” reports the outlet. Rodriguez and Lore will also reportedly build a statue in honor of Kevin Garnett outside of the Target Center if, indeed, he joins in their bid for the purchase of the team, and the bid turns out to be successful. Kevin Garnett has shown interest in purchasing an NBA team before. In the past, too, he was also part of a bid (that ultimately didn’t succeed) to bring an NBA team to Seattle. And while...

Dwyane Wade knows the value of a good hustle. In addition to his investment in the cannabis industry, the skincare industry, and even a stake in the Utah Jazz, the NBA star and Gabrielle Union’s hubby has just announced that he’s invested in a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. Essentially Sports reports that the news is part of a deal made by Smith Entertainment Group, which Dwyane Wade joined when the company invested in the Utah Jazz. Now, however, Smith Entertainment Group has invested in the Real Salt Lake franchise. The purchase was confirmed by the franchise itself. Wade himself subsequently confirmed the announcement on Twitter. Thankful 🥅 ⚽️ https://t.co/hbKjGjJXnv — DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 6, 2022 While the percentage investment was not made clear with the announcement, Wade has been confirmed as part of the deal. The outlet reports that the team has a bright future. “RSL FC is coming off an incredible run in the MLS Playoffs where they made the Western Conference Finals....

Qurate Retail has a new chief executive officer (CEO). According to The Wall Street Journal, David Rawlinson II is the next CEO of the parent company of QVC and HSN as the online retailer looks to make changes that reflect the ever-evolving habits of consumers. Rawlinson will serve as president and CEO-elect of Qurate Retail, Inc. for a two-month period before taking the role on Oct. 1. Current Qurate CEO Mike George will retire at year-end before Rawlinson steps into his new role. For Rawlinson, the new role is proof that representation matters as Qurate joins other companies who have been working to diversify their boardrooms, executive suites, and workforces following the racial reckoning in the U.S. after the murder of George Floyd. “Representation matters,” said Rawlinson in an interview. “It’s important for every young person to see that their future is limitless.” The 45-year-old says that the job drew his attention thanks to his mother who watched QVC and HSN during his...