Entertainment
WNBA newcomers are ready to elevate women’s basketball

From Angel Reese to Rickea Jackson, 2024 WNBA Rookies talk to theGrio about reaching recent heights in basketball and more.
If this era in sports proves anything, it’s that the essential event is women’s basketball.
This 12 months’s NCAA Championship Game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Iowa Hawkeyes drew the biggest audience in women’s college basketball history and have become the most-watched college basketball game since 2019. peaking at 24.1 million viewers. The women’s match significantly outperformed the lads’s championship match between the University of Connecticut and Purdue, which drew 14.8 million viewers. Then, Monday night’s WNBA Draft became the most-watched WNBA event on ESPN platforms, attracting 3.09 million viewers who couldn’t wait to see where their favorite players would begin their skilled careers.
“We are witnessing a moment of transformation in sports,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a news conference Monday evening. “Women’s basketball is not a passing fad. We have been steadily building this momentum for years and we are ready for what comes next.”
The newest generation of athletes in women’s sports is raising the bar and experiencing a large number of extraordinary and unprecedented opportunities. Engelbert noted that women’s basketball, especially among the many 2024 draft class, is on the forefront of change within the industry. In addition to enormous talent, each player brings undying love and keenness to the sport. Inspired by the legendary players who got here before them like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker and coach-turned-champion Dawn Staley, the 2024 draft class is breaking glass ceilings after glass and taking every opportunity available to showcase the abilities they convey to the table – each each on and off the court.
In addition to their undeniable talent, these young women’s presence off the sphere brings a brand new level of recognition to the world of women’s sports. With the introduction of NIL (name, image and likeness) contracts, players are leveraging their unique personalities to attract a brand new fan base for women’s basketball – and this long-awaited opportunity shouldn’t be one to be taken calmly. According to former UConn player Aaliyah Edwards, who spoke to theGrio after announcing she would join the Washington Mystics next season, it is a moment ripe for “humanizing the basketball player” off the court.
Already blazing a trail of celebrity endorsements, “Bayou Barbie” Angel Reese, who raised the bar for NIL deals after announcing her departure from LSU within the semifinals to join the Chicago Sky. It has secured 17 sponsorship deals for the 2022-2023 WNBA season, including partnerships with Amazon, Raising Cane’s, McDonald’s and Coach. With each collaboration, Reese gained a brand new audience, showing not only WNBA fans however the world that there was more to her than simply basketball. As Grio said in the course of the 2024 WNBA Draft, she understands the facility behind each deal and says there is not any likelihood she’ll stop anytime soon.
“(NIL deals) bring more commitment to the game,” Reese said after falling from the head of being drafted to the Chicago Sky. “This class is historic and I think we can all continue to do so. The offers don’t end there, and we will be on the big screens. We will be in commercials that everyone can see.”
In addition to showing how influential and essential such deals may be in advancing an athlete’s profession, Reese’s success highlights the opportunities available to a lot of her WNBA teammates who try to subsidize salaries that are still a small fraction of those offered to even the lowest-ranking players. – Paid male players within the NBA.
In the 2022-2023 season, WNBA players received them average annual salary amounting to $116,580, and the highest-earning players will receive $242,000. By comparison, NBA players earned a median salary of greater than $10 million. Women in sports have been advocating for equal pay and recognition for many years, and the present generation of athletes are continuing that fight. Speaking with theGrio, the overwhelming desire of the category of 2024 is expansion and equality in basketball.
“I want everything we deserve,” said Rickea Jackson, newly drafted to the LA Sparks from the University of Tennessee, referring to the charter flights, big TV deals and nationally televised games that are standard within the NBA. “I feel like we just deserve all of this. This class in particular really takes it up a notch and raises the bar.”
As newcomers to a 27-year-old league, in addition they have an enormous burden on their shoulders. Balancing this recent chapter and advocacy responsibilities with continued agility and respect for many who paved the way in which isn’t any easy task. It’s a balancing act that the majority women know all too well. But if this 12 months’s class can learn anything from other groundbreaking women in sports, like gymnast Gabby Douglas and tennis star Naomi Osaka, it is the importance of prioritizing mental health and well-being.
This draft class has shown a surprisingly clear mental game, which it also plays. Before the draft, Reese made headlines when she revealed the mental toll of being often called a fierce competitor. In an interview with theGrio, Reese noted that she uses journaling and the support of other professionals to get through difficult times.
Similarly, Celeste Taylor, the fifteenth overall pick within the draft who’s currently headed to Indiana Fevers, told the Grio that she all the time keeps her Bible handy to stay grounded in any respect times. In addition to her mutual support and shut connection to her faith, Jackson told the Grio that when she needs extra strength, she relies on her boyfriend and her two fashionably named dogs, Chanel and Fendi.
“The women in the W(NBA) are absolutely the strongest women,” said Charisma Osborne, reflecting on her journey into the league. “Sometimes there’s a lot of adversity and seeing how far this game has grown, I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
The ultimate goal for each player on this 12 months’s draft class is similar: growing the WNBA. During their rookie seasons, each draftee hopes to proceed to raise the extent of play for future generations. As Commissioner Engelbert stated, this renewed excitement and interest within the WNBA will last “more than a while.” Her sentiments echo within the hearts and minds of each player, they usually are ready to rise to the occasion.
“(I want to) continue to make people see us and notice us and know that we are more than just basketball players,” Taylor told the Grio. “It will take some time. If you invest in us, we will repay you tenfold.”
Kayla Grant is a multimedia journalist whose work may be found on Business Insider, Shondaland, Oz Magazine, Prism, Rolling Out, and more. He writes about cultural, book and entertainment news. Follow her on Twitter: @TheKaylaGrant
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The post WNBA Rookies Are Ready to Elevate Women’s Basketball appeared first on TheGrio.
Entertainment
T-Pain desperately defends his finances after making fun of advertising by fans

T-Pain recently began to social media to straighten his haters, publishing a movie about himself on board a industrial flight, as an alternative of devoting himself to the luxurious of the chartered jet.
The winner of the Grammy Award, who became famous for a number of caring automotive, later met with financial difficulties because of poor expenses. In the last film, he emphasized the high costs related to private air travels, emphasizing that the alternative of more economical alternatives is a better alternative.
“To take a private jet from Atlanta to Vegas, and then back to Atlanta, it costs $ 126,000, and you all ask me (why I fly advertising),” he says with a laughter from a movie published on his account X with the signature: “If there is no dollars, there is no sense !!! Give me Biscoff cookies. “
After giggling rhetorically, he asks: “So you understand what I’m saying? Is everything okay now? Before you mock the purring about his decision: “Lack of a personal jet? Don’t you are taking a personal jet? Don’t you spend all this money on making money? Why would you do that? In what world is the sensible one? “
Not skipping the rhythm, he added: “Then you will all say:” He broke again! “
If there is no such thing as a dollars, it is unnecessary !!! Give me biscoff cookies 😂 pic.twitter.com/sbkc95isd3
-T-Pain (@tpain) March 4, 2025
The sincere explanation of the rapper comes from the place of hard wisdom.
Despite earning hundreds of thousands at the height of your profession, T-Pain found Sam in tragic financial straits after caught about $ 40 million.
His fall from financial grace resulted from an ideal storm of bad decisions: bad real estate investments, extravagant expenses for luxury cars and jewellery, and trusting inappropriate money management.
The awakening show occurred when his bank card was rejected when he tried to purchase his children Hamburgers Fast Food-Pokorna, which forced him to re-evaluate his relationship with money.
Fans quickly reacted to his industrial flight explanations with mixed reactions. Some supported his financial prudence while others were poisoning.
“Yes, just get the first class”, one person he was kiddingNoticing that T-Pain doesn’t even spill into dearer seats.
One supporter Praised His knowledge of finances: “That is why you remain rich and rich, my friend – because most people do not understand financial skills. Wealth is not only earning money, but it’s about knowing what to do about it. “
Some business advice offered: “To be honest, you can buy them and then borrow it to people. Then money would earn money for you. NAPPPPYBOY AIRLINES. “
To whom? Do you may have a customer base for him?
– Malcolm Adams | Agribusiness & Economics 🌱💻 (@drmalcolmadams) March 5, 2025
Others defended the artist against critics: “People calling the millionaire broke from a flat worth USD 1,000.”
Facts 😂
– Tex (@texmeta) March 6, 2025
Since the reconstruction of his wealth, T-Pain has diversified his streams of income outside of music. He revealed that he earns more on games and streams on platforms resembling Twitch than from his musical ventures.
In 2022, he expanded to the restaurant industry, emphasizing his involvement in investing only within the undertaking, which is passionate.
T-Pain also made strategic movements to secure its financial future, including Sale of part of his music catalogwhich covers almost twenty years and accommodates many hits that defined within the late 2000s and early 2010. Although the precise amount of sales stays undisclosed, it’s an experienced business decision aimed toward long -term stability.
Today, According to For the web value of celebrities, the web value of T-Pain is estimated at about $ 10 million-which indicates his return and recent financial wisdom. His journey from wealth to rags and again is each caution and inspiration for artists moving in the customarily treacherous watts of fame and fortune.
When selecting industrial flights over private jets and transparent about his reasoning, T-Pain still shows that true wealth isn’t about flashy shows, but about making reasonable financial selections.
As they suggest his own words, if he doesn’t earn dollars, it just doesn’t make sense.
(Tagstotransate) t-pain
Entertainment
Black stars and their beloved: Night of Love and Charm in Oscars

Hollywood, California – March 2: (LR) Eboni Nichols and Queen Latifah participate in the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Love is in the air, identical to the golden statuettes of the winners through the 97th annual Academy Awards awards. In fact, black love was not the best presence in the Great Night (the last NAACP awards, definitely take it to this crown!). Nevertheless, a number of of your favorite black stars and stars caught their romantic partner, fell into a flowery dress and the Tux/Suit situation and made an Oscar at night. From effective entries from a red carpet to intimate moments divided between Blichtz and Charm, these couples reminded us that true love and undeniable style are at all times in the season. Even at night dominated by prizes, their connections were independently.
For example, you may at all times count on Ryan Michelle Bathe and Sterling K. Brown to make them look absolutely great next to the award season. Zoe Siedaña and her husband Marco Perego-Saldaña just run away love and worship. And Lena Waithe will at all times be there for support for a partner and Oscar nominated Cynthia Erivo. But wait, there may be more!
Scroll right down to see the couples we checked out through the Academy Awards awards. They dazzled on the red carpet their undeniable chemistry, impeccable style and sometimes pure elegance.
Entertainment
Meek Milla verse on Friday “Proud of Me” is painfully beautiful – and a landscape

The keyword in the next sentences is “should”. Because FridayA recently released double album, It ought to be intended for fulfillment-perhaps even a grammy nominee for grammy. A well -balanced Odyssey, which fulfills its title, the project is declared with a mixture of what is a hit, for instance Fehlani Feed “Saving my love“” “One call“With Chris Brown and”The worst within the room. “However, the meat and potatoes of the album are when it attracts an emotional heart in songs such as”Do it home“” “Without you“And inspired by the Gospel”Better days. “
However, down the spiritual tip of the project “Proud of me“Thanks to the guest eternally with Meek Mill. In the general public opinion, Meek has not recently had the best time. The last yr of his life consisted in posting his name within the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Musically, his profession didn’t make noise either. His account X (previously Twitter) was still a ship for his deepest thoughts broadcast on a public platform. In many respects, the platform has turn out to be the worst enemy of Meek. That is why his confession within the Friday album has a lot weight.
Writing seems unfair. At least, plainly it appears to be a box. Black art has long been seen as affected by regret and traumatic. Nevertheless, the perfect form of rapping Meeka discusses monuments, experiences and losses he survived, growing up on the streets of Philadelphia. For every knocking Meek as an artist, one thing through which he all the time stood out is graphic street novels. He is in a constant fight against remorse. It is a constant reminder of the long matrix of the justice system in America. And he personifies these many years and generations of emotions once they are boiling.
Father’s loss is not the one thread related to Friday and gentle. However, this is one of essentially the most, if not essentially the most personal connection. The tragic similarity in the tub and Friday’s life is that the loss of his father can mutilate a young black boy. After his father’s death last yr, Friday said that “Proud of Me” is not only his favorite song, but additionally therapy. And each artists merged with mutual losses.
“I won’t lie. Meek remained in the stand for 11 hours. He fought for probably three (hours). He just stayed there ” Friday said Journalist Keith Nelson Jr. “I say he doesn’t even drink water or anything. He just stayed there. We were there from 23:00 to 11:00. When he finished this verse, everything I wanted to do was cry all the time. “
Father Meek’s death is not an important news. Meek in March last yr He began to social media Talk about his killed father who was killed when he was only five years old in 1992.
“My dad died … making a robbery in armament” Meek published. “It made me want to get rich, it was a return. A person who killed my dad, probably 60 … Talking about dead people, will not hurt me … killing all my compatriots for a mistake, you must constantly drink a bent. ”
This verse was different. It was not a introspective rapper on a random function in a random rhythm. He was a young boy who became an imperfect man – and the face of a conversation surrounding the reform of the judiciary in criminal matters – revealing his soul with one biggest tragedy in life that is not a stranger. The tragedy would open the gate to so many meekly in his life.
Meek wondered.
In May 2024, test At the top of about 1.19 million children within the years 1999–2020 lost their parent as a consequence of overdose of drugs or violence using weapons. A transparent 11% difference between years was discovered, and black youth was largely influenced by this. This was primarily attributable to the killing of fathers. “Youth (American) is at a high and growing risk of experiencing parental death by drugs or firearms,” said the report. “Efforts to stop this problem should prioritize to prevent the overdose of drugs and violence in the field of firearms, especially among structurally marginalized groups.”
Meek lost his father long before starting his education, but he is still one of those children within the ghetto. A boy who by some means found a approach to turn out to be a man despite all of the obstacles before him. And a success story without an honest induced and social trap.
Meek begged his father.
How often did America skip shouts besieging black communities? How often did they call them shouts of the ghetto and second -category residents who would never finish the one circumstances they knew? The answer is so often that it defines the massive pockets of America’s history. Meek is a product of American misinvestment. Is a child of a project born within the years of Reaganomics, Mole bombardment and a involuntary soldier within the war with drugs, which began long before his birth.
There is a generation of lost children. The generation of lost souls running on everyone recognized licking or a threat to master. And the generation of black boys and girls was considered irreversible because of their environment. In a method or one other, Meek checks all these boxes.
There is a visceral response that got here Mik, which pours his soul when he threw out: “!” In a world that is so connected and disconnected, as he has ever been, the meek verse is a reminder of how music feels when it doesn’t touch the soul, but around it. His grasping heads of social media antics, lustful rumors associated together with his name-all went for a small time. Throughout their entire profession, the spoils that got here with music were never removed from his lyrical praise. Audmar watches, foreign cars, housing estates in various cities. Everyone became synonymous with Braggado -percent personality of Meek. But the implementation hit him at the top of his verse, through which he already begged to provide up any material to regain time with family members, similar to Robbie and Terry.
“Meek summarized”, “
Another artist or other song could be as defenseless as Meek, but in 2025 it is difficult to assume someone who is greater than he does. “Proud of Me” is a verse that defines a profession and a publicly personal moment that the artist could have on wax. It is a survivor of weapon violence, which the country has long refused to treatment. Real black accounts from real black communities are on such critical platforms because real life Black history and stories They are perceived because the enemies of the state.
Meek Mill made his immortal father in “Proud of Me”. He became greater than a nameless victim and statistics. In this process, he reminded everyone who listened to it at its best, only a few can create art from regret like a meek. As for what society has done in order that Meek has a lot of pain from which you’ll be able to draw, this is a huge responsibility and conversation, which seems less and less likely that he is interested in the day responsible.
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