All results
Jalen Brunson is centering financial literacy and education in his philanthropic efforts. Brunson is an NBA player who was selected 33rd overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 draft, per Basketball Reference. He credits his parents for shaping his spending habits at a young age, in conversation with AFROTECH™. So when he signed his rookie contract, valued at $6.11 million over four years, according to Spotrac, he had the foundation to manage his money responsibly. “Once I got into the league, you’re given a lot more money. You obviously worked hard for it, but now you are responsible for making responsible decisions. It’s a whole different animal, but the principles are still the same,” Brunson, who now plays for the New York Knicks, told AFROTECH™. Brunson credits his parents, agents, and financial team with challenging him and guiding him through strategic financial decisions. The byproduct of their support has led Brunson to pursue business moves such as his endorsement deal...
30-year-old NFL athlete Jaylon Smith is investing his earnings to ensure long-term wealth. Smith is guided as a client by Michael Ledo’s RISE Family Office, formerly RISE Sports Advisors, a multi-family Dallas-based financial services firm with nearly $300 million in assets under management, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. RISE Family Office taps into its institutional investor network to source private company deals, creating more structured investment opportunities for athletes and high-net-worth entrepreneurs. For Smith, this led him to invest $100,000 in the Series C round of the health tech company Oura during his final run with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. “The deal was brought to me by RISE,” Smith told AFROTECH™. “And it was a thing where I was very intrigued with the health and wellness space, particularly around different devices or tools to better help gather data. Oura was one of the deals that was brought to me, and I decided to invest.” Smith has since...
Unrivaled’s second season was a slam dunk. The 3-on-3 league was co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in 2023 and has attracted talent, including Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, and Chelsea Gray, per the league’s website. In February, Gray won the league’s 2026 1-on-1 Tournament, which carried a coveted $200,000 cash prize, according to a press release. Unrivaled entered its second season on Jan. 5. The league has eight teams, and 56 regular-season games were played before the Unrivaled Playoffs, presented by Samsung Galaxy, began on Saturday, Feb. 28, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Photo Credit: Unrivaled / Hannah Kevorkian The Unrivaled Championship was held Wednesday, March 4, and ended with a victory for the Mist BC team, which faced team Phantom BC, according to USA Today . Breanna Stewart was named MVP after scoring 32 points. The game drew 314,000 viewers on TNT, making it Unrivaled’s...
Registered investment advisor Darryl Cohen has been charged with defrauding NBA player Jrue Holiday and others. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Cohen and accountant Brian Gilder persuaded Holiday and former NBA players Chandler Parsons and Courtney Lee to purchase viatical life insurance policies at inflated prices. Cohen allegedly concealed that Gilder controlled the law firm he selected to purchase the policies, which he then sold to the athletes at markups of 244% for Holiday, 222% for Parsons and 310% for Lee, per the release. A large portion of the profits was then allegedly used by Cohen and Gilder on personal expenses. This included nearly $178,462 for Cohen’s home and pool, nearly $67,500 to pay a credit card bill, and nearly $200,000 transferred to an individual with whom Cohen was romantically involved, the press release noted. Additional claims included the transfer of $500,000 in funds from Parsons’ and...
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell wants to make wellness more accessible to families. WellWithAll Mitchell told AFROTECH™ he is intentional about making moves that will last beyond his playing days. Generational wellness is part of his long-term strategy, and he aims to invest in “real, accessible tools and resources that help families take control of their health every day.” According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Mitchell is aligning himself with WellWithAll, a wellness brand co-founded by Demond Martin and Carmichael Roberts. Per the company’s website, WellWithAll is a black-owned and offers supplements and energy drinks. According to Cuisine Noir, its energy drinks contain 45 calories and 80 milligrams of natural caffeine for energy. The brand can also be found at retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Fruitful Yield Health Foods, according to its website. What’s more, 20% of WellWithAll’s profits are allocated to health equity initiatives, notes Cuisine...
![Former NBA Player Iman Shumpert Says He Was An Early Investor In Uber And The Investment ‘Flipped About 2 [Or] 3 Times’](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.afrotech.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2FIman-Shumpert.jpg&w=3840&q=75 "Former NBA Player Iman Shumpert Says He Was An Early Investor In Uber And The Investment ‘Flipped About 2 [Or] 3 Times’")
Iman Shumpert’s early investment in Uber was a home run. Decision To Invest In Uber The former NBA player appeared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast and revealed he had a chance to invest in Uber at a time when he was making little money. When he learned about the opportunity, Shumpert shared that the concept sounded familiar, felt familiar to him, reminding him of the luxury cab service featured in the 1997 comedy-action film “B.A.P.S.” called Page-A-Cab Luxury Cab Co. “Somebody said something about that Uber sounded like, you remember rent a cab. In B.A.P.S., they basically was talking about Uber. What if you could have a private driver whenever you want… And when I heard of Uber, I’m like, ‘That’s kind of like’… And I’m like, ‘But wait a second, let me put a little money in there,'” Shumpert recalled on the podcast. Why He Sold His Shares In Uber Shumpert invested in Uber early. It is unclear how much his stake in the company was, but he went on to sell those shares because he...
College athlete Jaden Rashada has settled a lawsuit surrounding a failed NIL deal. The former Georgia quarterback sued former University of Florida Gators coach Billy Napier and a top booster over a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal valued at $13.9 million, ESPN reported. Rashada was ranked No. 31 overall in the 2023 class and had first committed to the Miami Hurricanes. He was told he would receive a $9.5 million deal with the Hurricanes. However, he switched his commitment to the University of Florida Gators, with the intent of securing a four-year, $13.85 million NIL deal, notes the outlet. Signing the letter of intent was supposed to be accompanied by a $1 million payout. Before he could step foot on the field, the NIL agreement was severed, and Rashada was released from the letter of intent, per ESPN. A lawsuit was filed in May 2024 in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola against Napier and Hugh Hathcock, a booster and automotive technology businessman, that accused both...
NiJaree Canady has achieved a new feat, launching a player edition cleat with adidas. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the softball player transferred from Stanford University to play for Texas Tech. She r eportedly secured a one-year deal with Texas Tech’s collective Matador Club that was valued at $1.1 million. According to The Athletic, this was the highest NIL deal for a softball player at the time, the second-highest deal valued at nearly $175,000. What’s more, the following year, she received a $1.2 million renewal, according to Forbes. Photo Credit: IG/ nija.canady Today, Canady continues to make historic strides, becoming the first college softball player to launch a player edition cleat with adidas, On3 reported. She debuted the shoe during a team victory against Fresno State University on Feb. 19. Fans will be able to snag a pair of the cleats later this season, according to Front Office Sports. “Such a dream come true! So incredibly blessed and thankful to have the...
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is teaming up with Crowned Skin, giving athletes access to “one of the fastest-growing men’s grooming brands in the country.” As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Crowned Skin is the brainchild of Darrell Spencer, who helped big tech make millions while working in customer sales and advertising for companies such as Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The science-backed skincare and grooming brand launched in 2024 with an initial investment from Spencer of $10,000 to $15,000 to develop products such as body butter, cologne, and body oil, all designed to empower men to build a consistent self-care routine, according to the outlet. “I just wanted to create products that made men feel seen and confident,” Spencer told AFROTECH™ at the time. Among Crowned Skin’s wins are being an eight-figure company, a top Amazon seller, the No. 2 skincare brand on TikTok Shop, and selected to soon expand its presence with Walmart, according to...
Giannis Antetokounmpo is extending his commitment to women’s sports. The NBA star, who has earned $339.9 million over his career, per Spotrac, is putting his money to good use. He has joined the ownership group of the Chelsea Women football club, according to ESPN. He joins Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian as an investor in the club, which has won six Women’s Super League titles, per the outlet. “I’m proud and honored to partner with my friend @alexisohanian, joining the ownership group of @chelseafcw, a historic club built on passion, excellence, and a winning culture,” Antetokounmpo wrote on X. “Chelsea’s history speaks for itself, and I’m excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women’s sport. This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!” PC: X/ Giannis_An34 Replying with a past photo of Antetokounmpo, Ohanian added on X, “Welcome home, my friend!” Unrivaled As AFROTECH™ previously told you,...
NBA player Spencer Jones is already being strategic about his life beyond the league. Jones was a high school basketball player in Kansas and saw the sport as a path to a great college, he shared with Front Office Sports. It wasn’t long before he had been accepted to Stanford University in 2019, which sits at the heart of Northern California’s Silicon Valley, where he studied management science and engineering through 2024. The outlet reports he appeared in 146 games during his time at the university, averaging 11 points per game on 40% from three-point range and showing defensive versatility. Though he wasn’t drafted to the NBA, he went on to sign a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets in 2024 and is in his second season with the team, per the outlet . “I was not planning on making it big,” Jones told Front Office Sports. “The goal was just to use basketball to get into a place like [Stanford]. Everything else kind of felt like a bonus.” What’s more, Jones’ identity isn’t tied...
Former NBA player Michael Redd is now a serial investor. Redd spent 12 years playing in the NBA. Basketball Network reports he was a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA draft and became an All-Star after three seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, but also played for the Phoenix Suns, before officially retiring in 2011 with $101.9 million in career earnings, per Spotrac. Beyond the sport, Redd took an interest in venture capital (VC). He admitted he “was never satisfied just making it to the NBA,” a ccording to Basketball Network. “The narrative had been how much the players make in the NBA; I was intrigued by who was paying us,” Redd said, according to Columbus Business First. “Our owners were the inspiration and motivation for me. Owning a basketball franchise was just a hobby for these guys. It was an interesting world. I didn’t find too many African American men in that world.” 22 Ventures James tag-teamed with attorney John Weaver in 2019 to...
LeBron James is no stranger to making the right moves on and off the court. The Los Angeles Lakers player has been in the NBA since 2003. His imprint on the league includes four championship rings, four Finals MVP awards, becoming the all-time leading scorer, and many other accolades , according to his NBA profile. Business Pursuits Beyond The NBA Aside from his on-court success, LeBron has built a lasting legacy through his philanthropic initiatives, including the I Promise School established by his foundation in 2017, and in business as a lifetime Nike athlete and serial investor, as AFROTECH™ previously shared . It had been reported that he invested in the English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Club in 2011 alongside his business partner, Maverick Carter, securing a 2% stake in the team for $6.5 million, according to Basketball Network. However, the outlet shared that was not the case after all. Instead of paying out of pocket, the deal granted the parent company, Fenway...
Simone Biles walked away from a Nike deal that paid her more than $1 million a month. Nike Deal As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the most decorated gymnast in history signed an endorsement deal with Nike in 2015, believing the brand was a great fit for women athletes. Nike has represented some of the greatest athletes in the world, including Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, per the outlet. As an Olympian, Biles represented Nike at the 2016 Rio Games and was featured in its video and print advertisements, WWD reported. She was making as much as $1.6 million a month through the deal, according to Essentially Sports. In 2021, Biles made it clear why she decided to part ways with Nike just three months before the Tokyo Olympics. She wasn’t chasing a check. Instead, she was seeking alignment with her personal values, more support, and greater creative input, according to Marca. Athleta This led to her signing a long-term partnership with Gap Inc.–owned...
Coco Gauff has doubled down on her commitment to HBCU students. Gauff comes from a family of HBCU graduates, Tennis reports, but didn’t have a chance to follow suit, choosing her tennis career instead. She has secured numerous titles, including 2025 French Open champion, 2023 U.S. Open champion, and is the highest-paid women’s athlete for the third year in a row, according to Sportico. Yet, she told Tennis that if she weren’t playing the sport, an HBCU would be in her playbook. “If I didn’t play tennis, I would have loved to attend an HBCU,” she told the outlet. “I have family members on both sides, both my grandmothers went to HBCUs, uncle and aunt went to HBCUs, and growing up, just attending, going to HBCU Classic games and things like that.” Coco Gauff Scholarship Program Gauff donated $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in 2025 to provide scholarships to HBCU students playing competitive tennis. This led to the launch of the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program, which...