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NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is expanding his business ventures with a new 6,800-square-foot steakhouse and cigar lounge at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, PA, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The property’s owner, Boyd Gaming Corp., has not yet announced the name of the steakhouse or its official opening date. The company confirmed Barkley’s involvement and said the new venue will be located near the casino’s food court. Barkley, who played eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted in 1984, said in a statement that he wanted to “bring something new” to the Philadelphia area, which he described as a place that has “always felt like home.” “We’re creating a spot that’s fun, comfortable, and full of personality,” Barkley said. “I want it to be the kind of place where people can unwind, share a great meal, and feel that same energy and connection that make this community so special.” According to the Philadelphia Business Journal,...
Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson signing on to Reebok has benefited the business. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, O’Neal returned to Reebok in 2023 after walking away from a $40 million deal more than two decades earlier in 1998. He was appointed as Reebok’s president of basketball and has been “very” hands-on, he told Boardroom. “I do everything but nothing,” he said to the outlet. “True leaders don’t micromanage. If I’m gonna start a media company, I’ll call you. You do all the work, I proofread it, say yes or no, and we move on from there.” One of O’Neal’s strategic decisions was onboarding Angel Reese, who signed the company’s first major name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. Now in the WNBA, representing the Chicago Sky, Reese dropped her signature shoe line with Reebok on Sept. 18, under a multiyear contract extension, and it sold out within hours of launching, CBS Sports reports. This affirms O’Neal’s priorities when he joined Reebok. “It’s all about product, players, and...
Bourbon Steak San Francisco and The Eighth Rule are set to open at the Westin St. Francis, the only hotel located directly on San Francisco’s iconic Union Square, according to a news release shared with AFROTECH™. Bourbon Steak San Francisco offers a bold new take on award-winning chef Michael Mina’s steakhouse franchise. The Eighth Rule — Stephen Curry’s first hospitality venture — is a bourbon-forward bar developed in partnership with The MINA Group, which operates over 30 chef-driven concepts worldwide. This will mark Mina’s return to the Westin St. Francis. In 2004, he debuted his namesake restaurant there, earning two Michelin stars and cementing his place as one of San Francisco’s most influential culinary voices. “As my team and I have worked tirelessly to bring the evolution of Bourbon Steak back to the Westin St. Francis, I have felt a sense of overwhelming gratitude thinking about the early days when I was just cutting my teeth as a new chef in this incredible city,” Mina...
Former NBA player Spencer Haywood sold what would have been a lucrative stock. In 1970, Haywood, who made history at the Olympics as the youngest American basketball player at 19, took his talents to the Seattle SuperSonics, after playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Denver Rockets, according to Legends of Basketball. Haywood represented the team for five years, during which time he was offered the opportunity to wear a Nike shoe by Phil Knight, co-founder and then-CEO of the company, which began in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports alongside Bill Bowerman. Haywood agreed, he revealed on the “All the Smoke” podcast. Knight also offered Haywood stock in the company, although Haywood admitted the concept was foreign to him. Basketball Network reports Haywood was Nike’s first-ever basketball shoe endorser. “First of all, I was young, too. And I’m thinking, ‘Livestock?’ What are you talking about,” Haywood said on the podcast. Nonetheless, Haywood accepted the stock but...
Few athletes have entered the NBA with as much anticipation as Zion Williamson. The Duke University alum, a 6’6″, 284-pound basketball player, was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, according to Basketball Reference. Zion Williamson quickly became one of the league’s most marketable players, drawing early hype for his tenure in the league. Staying True To His Love For The Game Despite the media frenzy that has followed him since high school, Williamson remains grounded. According to The News & Observer, he often recalls the days when he and his stepfather trained on empty outdoor courts, focusing on fundamentals and building the work ethic that fueled his rise. His mother, who served as his first coach, was the toughest coach he ever had — he told the outlet — a formative influence that helped keep his focus on passion rather than fame. Even at the height of his draft hype, Williamson told The News & Observer, “I don’t play basketball for the money; it was...
Former NBA player Alonzo Mourning is paying it forward. Mourning had a solid run in the league, playing for four teams across 16 years and racking $147.5 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac. The Chesapeake, VA, native overcame the odds. He was born to teenage parents and spent a portion of his life in foster care, including being taken in by Fannie Threet, a retired teacher who lived in a middle-class neighborhood, CBN reports. Threet fostered 49 kids in her lifetime and taught him valuable lessons that he now carries today, Mourning said on “The OGs” podcast hosted by former Miami Heat teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. “She was a very giving person. So, she instilled all of those qualities in me through my tenure with her,” he explained. Today, Mourning, who spent a portion of his playing career with the Miami Heat, is giving back to communities through a $37.4 million affordable housing project called Astoria on 9th in Bradenton, FL. The project was launched...
Stephen Curry’s legendary NBA career may never have happened if he had taken his wife’s early advice. On the Wednesday, Aug. 20, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Ayesha Curry opened up about the pivotal moment in 2009 when her then-boyfriend was deciding whether to leave Davidson College and enter the NBA Draft. “He had a big decision to make because he still had a senior year left,” Ayesha recalled on the podcast. “It was like, do I stay? Do I go? What a lot of people don’t know is that he really thought about it. It was a torment for him.” At the time, Stephen was just 21 years old and still weighing the risks of going pro. According to Ayesha, he turned to her in one of his most vulnerable moments. “He called me crying behind a tree,” she said on “Call Her Daddy.” “I didn’t know what to do…so I was like, ‘Stay in school.’” Ayesha explained that her advice came from her own background, which valued education above all else. “I didn’t grow up surrounded by people who went...
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...
