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North Carolina State guard Aziaha James is elevating her game with inspiration from her late brother

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CLEVELAND — Latoya Jackson-James will immediately recognize a well-recognized difference in the looks of her daughter, NC State guard Aziha James, as she steps as much as the subsequent level on the basketball court.

Jackson-James knows her daughter’s inspiration: the memory of her older brother, Ashley “AJ” James, who died in an accidental shooting 4 years ago.

“I feel my son’s presence when she plays,” Jackson-James said, “and I know he is watching over her from heaven and cheering her on every step of the way. He leads her to the victory she so desperately seeks.”

From the beginning of the NCAA women’s tournament, an inspired James helped the No. 3-seeded Wolfpack prepare for Friday’s Final Four matchup against No. 1 seed South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, ABC).

NC State (31-6) advanced to the Final Four for the primary time in 26 years.

“We are party crashers,” James said. “People didn’t invite us here. At the start of the season we weren’t even classified. We are certainly one of the last 4 teams. That means we have arrived.”

NCAA guard Aziaha James dribbles against Tennessee guard Jasmine Powell during a second-round match within the NCAA women’s tournament at Reynolds Coliseum on March 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lance King/Getty Images

NC State made an incredible run. The Wolfpack was not included within the preseason rankings and can face a team that is on the verge of becoming a tenth Division I women’s basketball team and can finish an undefeated season because the start of the NCAA era in 1981-82.

South Carolina will play in its fourth straight Final Four and is 108-3 during the last three seasons. Coach Dawn Staley has rebuilt a team that lost all five starters to the WNBA last yr.

James is posting impressive postseason stats. The left-handed shooting average increased to 24.3 points, which is 57% from three-point range.

She is grateful to the little voice in her head.

“I will always talk to myself and my brother,” James said. “I hear him say, ‘Come on, you’ve got got it.’ You’ve got your next play. He tells me to let go of those 3 and I gave up on my last game.

James was 0-for-6 from 3-point range in a loss to Notre Dame within the ACC title game. The Wolfpack defeated Chattanooga in Round 1 and Tennessee in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament. James scored 29 points within the team’s Sweet 16 victory over Stanford 27 points within the regional final over Texas. She shot 5 of 5 from 3-point range in the primary half and finished 7 of 9 from 3-point range.

James’ mother has seen a turnaround within the last two wins.

“It was Aziah in those first two games, and she was AJ against Stanford and Texas, that was his presence,” Jackson-James said. “During these matches it was like in a movie , when Leroy had that glow around him when he fought Sho’nuff. She was like that, she rejoiced without fear.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, James learned the art of basketball from her mother and brother Ashley, who was two years older. Sister and brother became the primary siblings to be named All-Tidewater in Virginia. They repeated as All-Tidewater the next yr. James was also named area player of the yr and her brother was named first team. In his senior season, he was named regional player of the yr.

After graduating from highschool, Ashley James enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy and accepted a scholarship to Missouri State.

He won’t ever have the chance to play college basketball.

In March 2020, Ashley James was died in an accidental shooting just hours after watching his sister play within the regional highschool championship game. He was 19 years old.

James’ coach at Princess Anne High School, Darnell Dozier, who won 13 state titles and has greater than 700 wins in 29 seasons, remembers his player’s pain.

“She just cried and cried,” Dozier said. “I remember her (hugging) the basketball, going to the gym and shooting for hours. He taught her basically everything. They were really close.”

Days after his brother’s death, James scored a career-high 41 points in a playoff game. She finished her highschool profession with 4 state titles and was named Player of the Year in her class.

James signed with NC State. She was a poor performer her freshman yr, averaging 4.2 points in limited minutes. As a sophomore, she averaged 6.8 points in six starts. In the age of the transfer portal, James weighed her options.

Her highschool coach offered his opinion.

“She was confused because young people listen to other people tell them they should start or maybe they should go play somewhere else,” Dozier said. “Sometimes you just have to wait your turn. And when you get to the right place, you’re willing to wait.”

She decided to remain in Raleigh, North Carolina. A change within the lineup, including the lack of 4 starters to the transfer portal, opened the door for James. Her scoring average in the course of the regular season increased to 16.7 points and led the team. She also made the All-ACC first team.

Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said the transition from highschool to school can take a while. James joined the veteran team during her freshman yr of faculty. As a sophomore, NC State advanced to the Elite Eight with players with five years of experience.

“The good thing is that a lot of kids today wouldn’t bide their time, just go into the portal, but she was willing to be patient and work hard,” Moore said. “Now have a look at her. As she said, everyone knows her name.

And only a handful of individuals know what still motivates James. He has a tattoo of his brother near his left shoulder blade. She said this implies he at all times supports her.

“Being in my zone gives me peace of mind whenever I think about my brother and think about good memories, conversations and motivation,” James said. “These are my most important memories that I will never forget.”


This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Netflix sued over streaming issues during Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight

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Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Boxing, professional record, July 20, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations


More than 60 million viewers reportedly tuned in to observe the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, with many experiencing issues while streaming the event on Netflix. Given the issues one man needed to cope with because of streaming difficulties, he sued the streaming giant for $50 million.

According to , Florida resident Ronald “Blue” Denton filed a class-action lawsuit on November 18. The lawsuit related to a fight between the 2 men on Friday, November 15, which resulted in a unanimous decision victory for Paul over Tyson. The viewer is suing the corporate, amongst others. for breach of contract.

reports Denton wrote: “60 million Americans were thrilled to see “Iron” Mike Tyson, “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” versus award-winning YouTuber Jake Paul.” What they saw was “The Worst Streaming on the Planet.”

As the fight continued, many individuals on social media complained that they were having trouble watching the fight. Some complaints included buffering issues or inability to access the app.

Stating that “over 100,000 people have complained online,” the lawsuit said that “boxing fans, in addition to average Americans wanting to see the legend in what is probably going his final fight, have been faced with legendary issues including lack of access, streaming glitches and buffering issues.”

reported that Netflix admitted it was aware of its customers’ streaming issues during the boxing match.

“We don’t want to downplay the bad experience some members had and know we have a lot of room for improvement, but we still consider this event a huge success.”

Netflix announced that the fight was watched by 60 million people worldwide and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams.

Tyson (58), who has not boxed for several years, is over 30 years older than Paul (27).


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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In 2025, the Basketball Africa League play-offs will move to South Africa

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The 2025 Basketball Africa League season will feature a brand new venue for the finals and playoffs and will also start at a brand new location.

The BAL 2025 Playoffs and Finals, scheduled for June 14, 2025, will happen at the recent home in Pretoria, South Africa. This will be the first time the BAL playoffs and finals haven’t been held in Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL 2025 season will also debut in a brand new location in Rabat, Morocco on April 5, 2025. During the BAL 2025 season, 12 of the best club teams from 12 African countries will play 48 matches in Rabat, Kigali and Dakar, Senegal, before traveling to Pretoria for play- offs.

“Over the first four seasons of BAL, we have seen tremendous growth in on-court competition, attendance and engagement from fans and partners in Africa and around the world,” BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said in a press release. “Our groundbreaking fifth season will build on this momentum and continue to showcase the level of talent and passion for basketball in Africa, including through the first BAL games in Morocco and the first BAL Finals in South Africa.”

The 12 teams will be divided again into three conferences of 4 teams each. The group stage of the Kalahari Conference will happen from April 5 to 13, 2025 in Rabat. The group stage of the Sahara Conference will be held in Dakar from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The group stage of the Nile Conference will be held in Kigali from May 17 to 25, 2025. Eight teams from the three conferences will qualify for the play-offs in Pretoria, which will start on June 6 and end with the BAL 2025 finals.

“The Kalahari conference marks another expansion of BAL into a new country on our continent and we are more than satisfied,” FIBA ​​Africa president Anibal Manave said in a press release. “The competition continues to grow each year, providing greater exposure for our sport and helping to raise the level of basketball in Africa, making the league increasingly competitive.”

National champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia routinely qualify for the BAL. The remaining five teams are from FIBA ​​Africa’s Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments.

In the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda of Angola became the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to win the championship. According to BAL, the 2024 BAL season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of greater than 120,000 fans in the 4 host countries and generated greater than 1.2 billion views across the NBA and BAL social media channels.

Marc J. Spears is Andscape’s senior NBA author. He used to have the option to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to do it for years and his knees still hurt.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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NFL star Terrell Owens signs a contract with Michael Strahan’s talent agency

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Terrell Owens, NFL, Football


NFL Hall of Fame receiver and podcast host Terrell Owens has signed with a talent agency to further strengthen his claims within the entertainment game.

According to , Owens was signed by SMAC Entertainment, headed by host and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz has also joined SMAC Entertainment.

“We are excited to add TO and Jordan to the SMAC family. They are both at the top of their game and set the standard in their industry,” Schwartz-Morini said in a written statement. “TO and Jordan have already brought an infectious energy to our team, and we are excited to help them realize their vision for careers in media, business and branding.”

A five-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Owens played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. In 2018, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A member of the 2000 NFL All-Decade Team, Owens finished his profession with 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards, 14.8 yards per catch and 153 touchdowns, rating third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Since retiring from skilled soccer in 2012, Owens has already made several moves. He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including “,” and in addition had his own reality show, “, on VH1.

He currently co-hosts the podcast with former NFL player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.

SMAC Entertainment is home to stars similar to rapper and actor Common, Wiz Khalifa, Strahan, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and current NFL players similar to Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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