Russell Westbrook is returning to familiar ground with his latest investment. The NBA player, currently with the Denver Nuggets, began his journey into the league as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder, reports StatMuse. He spent 11 seasons with the team, becoming its all-time leading scorer with 18,859 points, according to separate data from StatMuse. “I spent a significant amount of time in Oklahoma City, so to me, that place is very special and is like a second home,” Westbrook told Bloomberg. Driven by his love for the city, Westbrook has reinvested in the community through sports and entertainment, partnering Russell Westbrook Enterprises with Christian Kanady’s firm, Echo. His contribution is estimated to be around $10 million. “My time with the OKC Thunder shaped so much of who I am, so becoming Christian’s partner and investing in the city’s continued growth is not only exciting personally, but Echo’s Sports and Entertainment...

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...

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.

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...