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South Sudan’s story continues at the Paris Games, where a return basketball match with the US national team will be held

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VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — South Sudan coach Royal Ivey says his life looks like a movie at the moment.

Maybe he’s right: an underfunded team from a country that is still struggling effects of civil war and, preparing for its first free elections, stuns basketball players by qualifying for the Olympics, then nearly defeating the best team in the world to win its first match at the Olympics. Paris Games.

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Yes, it feels like a movie script. And make no mistake: the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team loves this story.

It’s just not going to deliver a Hollywood ending.

“Everyone is going to give it their all,” Ivey said. “We’re not a secret anymore.”

Absolutely. The U.S. and South Sudan will meet in a group match at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, two weeks after the African nation — the world’s youngest, having gained independence just 13 years ago — nearly stunned the Americans in a London exhibition, losing 101-100 in a match through which it had led most of the way.

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“I secretly root for him a little bit,” said U.S. forward Kevin Durant when asked about Ivey, who was Durant’s teammate and U.S. assistant coach Tyronn Lue during his NBA profession and whom Durant still considers a close friend. “Except when he’s playing with us.”

Both teams won their first of three group stage matches at these Olympics; South Sudan beat Puerto Rico while The US has overtaken Serbia. Wednesday’s winner could be certain of a place in the quarter-finals, depending on the results of other games. In the worst-case scenario, the winner could be one step away from reaching the knockout stages.

For the U.S., it’s no big deal, considering they have been to the Olympics 19 times and won medals each time. For South Sudan, all the pieces is a big deal — their first Olympics, their first victory, the first time the world will be watching to see if the Americans’ near-surprise defeat two weeks ago was a fluke or not.

“Of course, we’re very confident,” said Nuni Omot of South Sudan. “We’ll keep playing. We’ll keep defending. Anything’s possible. It’s basketball, at the end of the day. We’re all working hard. We’re all doing the same thing. Just to be able to face a team like that is a big test.”

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How this team got to Paris is a different story.

Two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng, who runs the South Sudan program and was the mastermind behind what happened, is spending a few of his personal wealth — his NBA contracts total about $175 million — to cover team expenses. The team famously doesn’t have a training facility in South Sudan because there’s nothing there that resembles an NBA-class gym. Players fly around the coach, shoving big guys into exit rows and experiencing things like seven-hour delays in Rwanda. Yet they did well enough at last 12 months’s World Cup to secure a spot in the Olympics, after which almost defeated the Americans on the solution to France.

“For us, the fact that we’re here is a huge achievement,” said striker Kuany Kuany. “So we just want to enjoy it, make the most of it, have fun and just show everyone what South Sudan is all about.”

I mean, the good side.

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South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict, then erupted into a civil war two years later that claimed nearly 400,000 lives and displaced greater than 4 million people before ending in 2018. South Sudan stays suffering from clashes, a sometimes fragile economy, and human rights groups warn of food insecurity for tens of millions of residents. The long-awaited elections were to be held in February 2023, now they’re scheduled for December.

“It’s an incredible accomplishment, considering the war that’s been going on in this region for so long, so many refugees coming to the United States and other countries over the last few decades, rebuilding their lives and building a basketball association in the midst of war and hardship,” Kerr said. “And then Royal and his staff have put together a really good team that’s playing modern basketball — stretching the floor, shooting threes, attacking the rim, it’s pretty dramatic and extraordinary.”

It also caught the attention of the Americans.

No one will be capable of take South Sudan calmly on Wednesday, especially after the last time these two teams met. The U.S. needed a LeBron James jump shot with eight seconds left to avoid perhaps the most surprising loss in international basketball history.

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South Sudan’s best player this summer has been Carlik Jones. He has NBA experience; 12 games, to be exact. And yet he scored a triple-double against the Americans in London. If this were really a movie, it could be a plot twist. But the NBA’s all-star roster is wary, rightly so, and American point guard Stephen Curry says it’s a reminder that Americans have what he calls “appropriate fear” of each opponent.

“We’re beatable if we don’t play our game,” Curry said. “But if we do play our game, we have a lot of confidence that we can beat anyone.”

Team USA said this was to be expected.

The thing is, the people of South Sudan feel exactly the same way.

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“It’s so surreal,” Ivey said. “I couldn’t have experienced anything better.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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The Spelman College competition is now the latest Tiktok madness

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TikTok, Spelman, pagents


There is spring in HBCUS throughout the country, which suggests that the competition season is right. This 12 months, the Spelman College competitions have gained a brand new audience in Tiktok as a consequence of the players’ viral movies.

The competitors presented their beauty and brains in the social application and attracted latest viewers outside traditional circles. While the Miss Spelman College competition won’t announce the winners until April 14, latest fans wrote about their favorites once they immersed in the competition.

Participants became popular for his or her excellent introduction, showing their abilities to the crown. Various competitions happen throughout the school, including Miss Black and Gold and Miss Africanidad competitions.

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“Your search for the queen is officially completed,” said player No. 4, Aziyah, a younger specialist in political sciences from Atlanta. “Because, like my institution, I start without any.”

Player No. 6 was also his own case for the Crown.

“Slow and stable, this is how queen arise,” said Madison, an English major from the third 12 months in HBCU All-Women. “So I waited patiently, but it’s my moment in the end. Oh, and trust me, I’m going to have it.”

Those who’ve never experienced the culture of HBCU competitions now taste greatness, while loving every second. One asked why public opinion would just discover about this spectacle sector.

“How should I do something,” asked the delighted Tiktker Suzanne Lambert. “And what I want to know, why no one has presented it yet?”

She added: “This is my version of March Madness now.”

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Another user has spoiled, as “encouraging” is content because he promotes black perfection.

“This competition revealing” school stunning “in the best possible way. If you know you know, “said the Couture Couture Tiktker.” And all the energy that I spent on the bama rush and breaking it should be spent on this competition. “

The enthusiasm of competitions for Tiktok is much like the previous trend “Bama Rush”, during which incoming student student girls detailed their journeys to affix the brotherhood. Now the headlight light applies to those HBCU women once they race against the crown, while paying national attention.

(Tagstotransate) Miss Spelman College (T) Spelman College (T) Tiktok (T) HBCU Pageants (T) HBCU CULTY

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Own #syn son brings black mother to dating drama – literally – essence

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Thanks to the kindness of Warner Bros. Discovery

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Finding love is one. This is one other thing to do it with watching mom. From the subsequent room. OWNThe latest reality series, accepts Hashtag viral They are once celebrated black women showing an actual, intentional romance and turns it right into a full dating experiment-with only his own accent. The program premiered on Saturday, April 12, and follows three successful black men searching for love – with a really stubborn mother (or mother), who goals to go. Not figuratively. Literally. They are at home. Sitting on dates, offering unmistakable comments and, yes, sometimes throwing the entire key in a beginner connection – all within the name of affection and heritage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7X0xK92CQ

One of the bachelor in the guts of this journey is James Hatchett, a 29-yr-old cyber security engineer with the energy of somebody who’s all the time five steps-and this also applies to his love life. “I always think about things and leads forward,” says James. “It’s just me. I am a person thinking about the future. You even know … If things become serious, I will start to wonder what your name is my name, a kind of things. So I definitely think about the future when it comes to relationships.” At the identical time, James is rooted in the current – he doesn’t waste time for vibrations that don’t equalize. “If I don’t see things that work as in the future, I will cut it out there.”

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Own #Syn son brings black mother to dating drama - literally
James Hatchett and Charlease Hatchett accept Daters within the lounge

This sort of brightness can have something to do with a girl who raised him. His mother, Charlease – Aka Charlie – shouldn’t be only present within the series; She is strength. And she has a transparent vision of a partner that her son deserves: “To be honest, honesty is crucial. Based on faith is the first. The family is really crucial,” he says. “Many people say:” Well, you do not marry their families. ” I’m begging you.

But her presence within the series is that it’s about matches – it is also about evolution. For Charlie, this experience became the moment of settlement, a reminder that parenthood is its own love story, filled with chapters of edition and reality.

He remembers the way it was to bring James to the world – after which she had to leave him within the hospital because of significant heart complications. This early separation shaped her protection, she says, although she understood the difference between protection and control. “You parents are different when they are young when they are in high school … and then you have to change,” he wonders. “Now that he is 30 years old, I just try to keep faithful to what I know. If I see red flags, I talk about them – but in a way that is not confrontational. He sits down and talk. And surprising, he received a lot.”

One of its theme rules? Communication. “I deliberately did not want to raise a male child who did not know how to communicate,” he adds. “Because the lack of communication kills everything.”

For James, being was not nearly finding love – it was also a chance to understand his mother’s perspective on real -time relationships. “I think that with my mother practically dating these women, when I date them, I could see how, when these women begin to open up and reveal things about myself, my mother processes it” – she shares. “She comments on these things and it allowed me to understand how her thought process is going. I am at home with her, I live through her and start seeing how she creates her perception of people.”

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James was not all the time easy to reconcile the comments of his mother together with his own feelings. “He has his opinions, about which he talks to my dad or something, and then draws his conclusions. And I will say:” Where does it come from? “In fact he is a very honest person. When he comes to it, he wants the best for me, but at the end of the day he wants to protect me. And I appreciate it.”

Throughout the season, he bends into the strain between generational expectations and modern dates. These women don’t need to be chosen. They also select. The series shouldn’t be only the matchmaker game; It distinguishes what happens when women-women and daters-are under one roof.

And it is not just James. Each bachelor brings its own story, its own luggage and its own version of what black love should appear like. Joshua, a 28-yr-old NFL agent, brought up by Aunt Ome, a nurse who played her mother for many of her life. He is in search of a girl who has equal ambitions and coldness – his equilibrium version. 30 -year -old Chadd, financial analyst with SEC references and a prayer list. His mother Katina, a cosmetologist and minister joins him. Together they’re in search of a girl who is prepared to construct each a house and heritage. But whatever the path, the essential message is obvious: it is not nearly chemistry – it’s about compatibility, belief and whether you might be ready for a sort of relationship that asks you to develop, and not only appear.

It stands out, as he treats black love not as a spectacle, but as a holy process-man, multi-layered and deeply common. He asks questions which can be rarely posted publicly, especially black men: what do you actually need? Who taught you ways to love you? Are you ready for the kind of relationship that occupies the village?

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There will probably be moments of awkwardness. There will probably be motherly side eyes. There could also be even a couple of tears. But at its foundation is a vacation of affection that requires work, intentions and all hearts.

Saturday evenings just happened.

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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The dramatic metamor of Arnold Schwarzenegger

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One of the kids of Arnold Schwarzenegger has undergone noticeable body transformation over the past few years.

The 77-year-old actor began 4 children together with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt born in 1989, Christina Schwarzenegger born in 1991, Patrick Schwarzenegger born in 1993, and Christopher Schwarzenegger born in 1997.

Arnold also began the fifth child, Joseph Baen, together with his housewife. Baena was also born in 1997 in the course of the 25-year marriage of the previous Republican Governor of California.

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A number of days after the celebration of the National Day of Siblings on April 10, online fans still appear to talk concerning the oldest photo, Katherine, shared about herself, Christina, Patrick and Christopher on her verified Instagram account.

Most often he noticed that Christopher’s dramatic weight reduction was after the beginning of Fitness five years ago, in accordance with Daily Mail.

Arnold praised his son for obtaining a diploma at studies at Michigan on Instagram on Instagram 2020, which contained a photograph of psychology psychology before he dropped a major number of kilos.

“Christopher, you are a master and I love you. I know that your completion of Michigan was not a great holiday you dreamed of for years,” Arnold wrote In the social media application.

He continued: “But crossing the stage is not what makes me so proud of you: it’s your compassion, hard work, your vision, your critical thinking and selflessness make me burst with pride. I can’t wait to watch how you climb and success.”

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(L) Christopher seen on August 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo BG004/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) (R) Christopher Schwarzenegger, for the premiere of season 3 Los Angeles “The White Lotus”, which took place at Paramount Studios on February 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo of Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Christopher’s twenty fourth birthday in September 2021 Instagram signature. The motion movies icon emphasized that Chris is taking boxing, weightlifting, stretching and cycling.

In August 2023, Paparazzi caught Chris in a slimer frame during his hometown in Los Angeles. Usually a personal Hollywood Scion shocked observers with its slimmed figure.

#Nationalsiblingday’s image of Christopher on the web site of his sister Katherine on Instagram last week led to quite a few comments on a few years of changes in his body structure.

“Looks great, no matter how he lost weight !! handsome,” wrote the reader Daily Mail within the comments section in the shop. The second person said: “He doesn’t even look like the same person. Amazing.”

“He looked unhealthy. I am glad that he had lost some weight. A convenient lifestyle can make someone lazy and fat,” he suggested one other person. And the commentator noticed: “Now it looks amazing.”

While Chris remained within the highlight, his 4 siblings accepted being public. Patrick won a groundbreaking acting role within the third season of HBO “The White Lotus” Series of murder murders.

Katherine is the writer of kid’s books “Good Night, Sister” and “Maverick and Me”, in addition to the book “The Gift of Scority”. Like her mother, Katherine married the actor. She married the star of “Guardians of the Galaxy” Chris Pratt in 2018.

Christina produced an hourly Netflix document “Take Your Pills”, which included students and dealing adults who use hyperactivity disorders with Adderall’s attention deficit.

Christopher’s half -brother, Joseph, followed his dad, became a bodybuilder and actor. He entered the world of reality television, competing within the thirty first season of “Dancing with the Stars”.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjoz-vtwgiw

(Tagstranslate) Arnold Schwarzenegger (T) Maria Shriver

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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