Connect with us

Entertainment

WNBA star Jewell Loyd teams up with best friend’s son to raise autism awareness with his new shoes – Andscape

Published

on

Jewell Loyd is one of the crucial successful WNBA players. The Seattle Storm guard is a two-time WNBA champion, a five-time All-Star and was named to two All-WNBA selections. During her season debut, Loyd took the sector in her Player Edition Nike GT Cut 3 in the colours of a dusty cactus and blooming lilac. Her sneakers have special significance because they were designed by her best friend’s son, Justice Swann, who has autism.

Andscape caught up with Loyd and Justice’s mother, Laci Swann, to discuss the shoe’s design and the impact of its launch. The 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year also discussed the changes within the league and what it’s like to make the jump from college to the professionals.

The Seattle Storm star said he donated the design to Nike. She wanted something authentic to represent her as she tried to push the sneaker giant out of its comfort zone. “I told them the best way to understand myself is to understand my surroundings and my people,” she said. “I wanted to start with Justice.”

Loyd and Justice’s family, the Swanns, have known one another for ten years. Swann and Jewell met through mutual friends and immediately began working together. When Swann’s husband, former Florida State University guard Isaiah Swann, began playing basketball overseas, Loyd visited them over the summer. Through the visits, she and the family strengthened their bond. The relationship between Loyd and the Swann family is the main focus of GT Cut 3.

Judge Swann is wearing the Nike GT Cut 3 shoes that he helped design for Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd.

Laci Swann

The colours of the Jewell Loyd sneakers are inspired by the colours Justice Swann often utilized in his drawings.

Laci Swann

“He’s my little buddy,” Loyd said of Justice. “We were just always connected.” She didn’t know many stories about sports and autism and wanted her new publication to mix them. “It raises awareness, but it’s also educational,” she said. “(We) managed to do it with this shoe.”

Justice covered the sneakers with smiling faces and the long-lasting Nike swoosh replacing lips. Loyd said he was already drawing them across the house. His mother hired painters to paint over the faces, but the previous Notre Dame trader made sure Swann took photos to recreate them on the sneaker. “He ended up doing (the project),” she said. “So that’s how it worked out.”

Justice’s sister Sloan also contributed creatively. The shoe has two messages: “Ready, Set, Go!” on the outsole on the heel and the words “Gotcha!” within the back. Swann wrote on Instagram that Nike used Sloan’s handwriting in each phrases. She said she told the corporate it could do whatever it wanted with her kid’s ideas. Nike representatives told her they needed to specify the design because that was what Loyd had asked for.

“Every little detail, from the laces, to the interior colors, to the patterns and the placement of the faces, my children shared their ideas and thoughts,” she wrote. “Sloan’s handwriting on the back is a chef’s kiss.”

The 2014 ACC MVP said the sneaker’s launch also helped others round her. Friends and relations of individuals with autism told her about their diagnoses. People all around the world have contacted her and are pleased to show their children what is feasible. “There is a history that we can connect with Justice through sports, so it was really cool to see that,” she said. Loyd said she is learning how to help and supply more resources.

Some of the proceeds will help fund a Swann summer camp for neurodivergent children through your non-profit organization, Little Boy Blue foundation. The camp will likely be held in Tallahassee on July 22-26. They established the inspiration after Justice was diagnosed in 2020 through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Laci felt he was different when he was three months old. When the family moved to Italy, they noticed his speech was deteriorating, and although he spoke a couple of words in Italian and English, she had him tested when he stopped speaking completely. “After he was on quite a long waiting list, which is a common problem for families seeking a diagnosis, he was actually given a non-verbal diagnosis of autism,” she said. “Then we jumped into advocacy mode and started looking for source-based therapies.”

Justice’s mother stated that the discharge was significant for her family. It gives them “more opportunities to support children with fewer resources or who are unfamiliar with autism,” she said. “(We were able to) shed light on all the special characteristics of neurodivergent children, and it was a beautiful, wonderful surprise for us and everyone around us.”

Seattle Storm defenseman Jewell Loyd warms up before their game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 14 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images

Loyd said it didn’t take long to select the colour scheme. There were three to six repetitions. However, the sneaker’s design is basically a recreation of what Justice drew. She didn’t want to change it. “It’s more about making sure the colors he used, the markers, his favorite colors, his sister’s handwriting and (to make sure it was) included that there as well,” she said. “So it really just brought us together, but it brought us together authentically.”

Nike wants to promote the GT Cut 3 because the official team shoe of the league, so it was value collaborating with them on its player editions. There are also other projects in preparation. “He had (one) with some lightning bolts on it, which I’m going to wear this month,” she said.

The nine-yr WNBA veteran is pleased to wear the sneakers on the court because they provide her a bonus. They allow her to “stop for a moment” and “get up off the ground even faster” because she shouldn’t be “encumbered” by the shoe. “It’s really just that 1% that I think is really important… that 1% rebound, that 1% angle. It interacts with how I play,” she said. “It felt really good and I can feel the difference (due to) the lightness.”

Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd (right) drives to the basket during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 17 on the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

The “Golden Mamba”, as her close friend and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant called her, debuted in these shoes during one of the crucial anticipated WNBA seasons. After record-breaking leads to the NCAA women’s tournament in March, a few of the biggest stars of this academic discipline began their skilled careers on May 14. Loyd, who joined the league in 2015, said adapting to the physicality is one of the crucial significant differences in adapting to playing on the skilled level.

“You’re playing against people who have played abroad. They are smarter,” she said. “People pay to keep you and score points, so it’s a different physical and mental approach than college.”

The Storm finished last season with an 11-29 record and are hoping to improve with the return of former Notre Dame player and WNBA veteran Skylar Diggins-Smith. Loyd said it’s nice to spend time with her former college friend as she and Storm work to re-establish the rhythm that produced organizational championships in 2018 and 2020.

In pursuit of this goal, she’s going to have the support of her close friends each time she laces up her GT Cut 3 shoes. According to Kixstats.comLoyd has worn several different sneaker models on the court – Dallas Mavericks guards Kyrie Irving’s previous signature line, Kobe Bryant models and other Nike shoes. But in the event that they built a statue of her in front of the Climate Pledge Arena, could she be immortalized in only one pair?

“I will say a new one. “Justice” edition,” she said.

Garfield Hylton is knowledgeable journalist, ghostwriter and digital storyteller. When he is not writing essays, he’s within the gym working on his jump shot to keep young boys from running him off the court.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Jennifer Lopez allegedly wants ‘revenge’ on Ben Affleck, revealing how he ‘let her down’ in the bedroom amid embarrassing divorce

Published

on

By

jlo-ben-affleck revenge

Soon-to-be-four-time divorcee Jennifer Lopez is reportedly gearing up to disclose unflattering details about her relationship with Ben Affleck following their recent split.

According to a brand new report, Lopez, 55, who has previously praised their passionate sex life in her music, is now considering changing her praise and should be preparing to release a song that paints a very different picture.

jlo-ben-affleck revenge
Sources claim that singer Jennifer Lopez wants to embarrass her soon-to-be ex-husband Ben Affleck with songs about his poor bedroom performance. (Photos: @jlo/(Instagram; Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

As tensions between them intensify following their breakup, a more essential side of their time together begins to come back to light.

Lopez, who once bragged about watching the “Good Will Hunting” actor have sex in the bedroom while singing sensual lyrics in “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” appears to be changing his tune on Affleck’s abilities in the bedroom.

“When things were going well between them, J.Lo put Ben and his bedroom skills on a pedestal,” the insider said. revealed to In Touch, “but she’s taken off her rose-tinted glasses and is telling people he was actually a pretty selfish and basic lover.”

This marks a major change from Lopez’s previous tributes to Affleck, in which she appeared to idolize him each personally and physically.

Her latest album, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, released in February, was intended to have a good time their renewed romance.

Lopez’s ninth studio album featured a companion film that showcased their relationship in a vibrant light. While she produced the project herself, In Touch’s alleged source claims that Affleck played a major role behind the scenes, likely controlling the narrative greater than people realize.

Just two months after the project’s premiere, the couple announced their end of collaboration and have remained separated ever since.

However, Lopez’s tone has reportedly modified drastically. She not praises Affleck’s talent but as a substitute expresses frustrations about their personal lives, especially his mediocre performance in the bedroom, a brand new report claims.

“She’s so pissed she wrote all those sexy lyrics about him,” an alleged insider told In Touch, claiming Lopez is considering writing one other song that exposes Affleck’s flaws.

The person said at the time: “She says she’s now ready to write a breakup song that hits where it hurts most and makes up to him for all the ways he let her down, including in the bedroom.”

Adding that Lopez uses writing as an outlet for her emotions and that her team is fully supportive of the idea, the anonymous spokesperson said, “She’s very emotional and angry right now, and part of the way she deals with her emotions is by keeping a journal and writing. Her team is encouraging her to channel that into songwriting.”

Lopez’s longtime manager Benny Medina and her team are reportedly urging her to pursue the project, though some speculate they’ve been working behind the scenes to break Affleck’s image since their marriage began to unravel.

This alleged manipulation is not any stranger to those that have previously been involved with Lopez’s life.

Her first husband, Ojani Noa, recently spoke to the Daily Mail about the similar treatment he experienced during his marriage to the star.

“(Her people) wanted her to look good for everything that was coming out — the movie, the album, and they didn’t want any bad publicity,” Noa claimed. “They made it sound like I didn’t want to be with her, and it was the opposite.”

There’s no word on whether Lopez plans to officially channel her frustrations with Affleck into recent music. She’s currently promoting her latest film, “Unstoppable,” a project she co-produced with Affleck and his longtime friend Matt Damon. Lopez recently attended the Toronto International Film Festival to advertise the film, although Affleck was noticeably absent.

Despite their split, the duo have remained in touch, reportedly raising their combined family together. Lopez and Affleck were recently spotted at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they met up with their children — Affleck’s daughter Seraphina, 15, son Samuel, 12, and Lopez’s twins, Emme and Max, 16 — for a family chat.

Art often imitates life, and Lopez’s story suggests she could use this tumultuous time to fuel her creativity. Whether it’s a chart-topping song or successful movie, the fallout from this breakup could encourage her next big hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMFIOGsIdA


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
Continue Reading

Entertainment

Fans slam Oprah Winfrey’s ‘shady’ move to hide her secrets after blocking upcoming documentary on her life

Published

on

By

oprah winfrey documentary

Oprah Winfrey has officially halted production on her online documentary, but fans want to know why.

The billionaire actress and former talk show host reportedly spent “a fortune” to make sure the docuseries never saw the sunshine of day after she fell out with Oscar-winning filmmaker and director Kevin Macdonald over the biopic project.

oprah winfrey documentary
Oprah Winfrey faces criticism after paying a “fortune” to block a documentary about her life. (Photo: MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Page SixA rep for the 70-year-old media mogul confirmed she paid to shelve the documentary after her content take care of Apple expired in September 2022.

“As her Apple TV+ deal was coming to an end, Ms. Winfrey purchased the rights to her docuseries and has since decided to put the documentary on hold,” Oprah’s spokesperson told Page Six.

Additionally, one other source said, “Kevin made a video, but Oprah didn’t like it and refused to make changes, so Oprah gave Apple her fee back.”

While speculation suggested McDonald refused to comply with Winfrey’s requests to edit, the TV personality’s team denied the claims, with Oprah’s camp insisting to Page Six that “it just wasn’t the right time to do the documentary.”

It comes amid speculation that Winfrey spent “millions” on the rights to the documentary. However, Team Oprah dismissed the concept the deal was price seven figures.

Deadline Originally announced as an Oprah Winfrey documentary for Apple TV+ in January 2021, MacDonald teamed up with Emmy-nominated producer Lisa Erspamer to create the now-cancelled biopic, which was to be presented in two parts.

They previously worked together on the documentary “Whitney,” which premiered in U.S. theaters in July 2018.

Internet users reacted to the news that the documentary had been frozen, with many wondering whether Winfrey was fearful that some damaging information was about to be released.

“Well isn’t that suspicious!” one person wrote within the Page Six comments section. Another person asked, “What is she afraid of or hiding?”

Similar footage appeared on the X program. For example, in response to an article concerning the cancellation of the documentary, an individual identifying himself as a Donald Trump supporter he tweeted“What is Oprah hiding?”

Another X account published“Oprah Winfrey spent a fortune to prevent a documentary from being released, that sounds credible… money tells the truth… not the truth.”

Winfrey was a goal of conservatives throughout the 2024 presidential campaign. The Tennessee State University graduate endorsed Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, drawing the ire of Donald Trump’s MAGA legion.

After making a surprise appearance on the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, Winfrey faced backlash from Trump supporters over allegations of abuse related to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa.

Winfrey apologized to the parents of scholars who accused a Leadership Academy worker of molestation in 2007. Tiny Makopo, a dormitory supervisor at the college, he was acquitted of 14 charges related to allegations of abuse.

Winfrey’s announcement that she would hold a virtual “Unite for America” ​​rally in support of Harris also sparked outrage from the appropriate.

Critics have relentlessly hounded the “Beloved” star over her alleged “disappearance of girls” allegations, despite no evidence to support the disappearance of any Leadership Academy students.

Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. After graduating from college and dealing in journalism, she became a household name, hosting the favored program “The Oprah Winfrey Show” from September 1986 to May 2011.

The so-called “Queen of All Media” has built an empire price $3 billion. Winfrey earned an Oscar nomination for her role within the 1985 film “The Color Purple.” She can be a two-time Emmy winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMFIOGsIdA

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
Continue Reading

Entertainment

‘Family Matters’ Star Jaleel White Admits to ‘Damage’ He Suffered Playing Steve Urkel

Published

on

By

Jaleel White opens up about the

Fan-favorite Family Matters actor Jaleel White was a fan favorite on the enduring ’90s sitcom, which ultimately resulted in damage to his voice.

White, who played Steve and Steffon Urkel, was a special guest at this yr’s 90s Con in Daytona Beach, Florida. On Sunday, September 15, he spoke on a panel moderated by “Halloweentown” star Kimberly J. Brown.

Jaleel White talks about the
Jaleel White opens up in regards to the “damage” he suffered while playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters. (Photo: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

According to Peoplethe 2 discussed the 47-year-old’s run because the country’s favorite nerdy neighbor. White revealed that the “high-pitched, nasal” voice that has develop into synonymous along with his character actually “damaged” his voice.

He said he saw a physician and was told, “What happened was that I spoke in the same tone for a long time during puberty. If the tone had been everywhere, it wouldn’t have damaged it as much.”

He added: “It’s in remission and I feel good now.”White, who joined the solid of the hit series when he was 12, told Brown that his voice problems got worse when he was about “15 or 16.”

“I felt like I was really losing control. I kept getting messages from the network saying, ‘We can’t hear him. Please be more clear,’” White said. “It was terrifying for me.”

He told the audience that he didn’t work with a vocal coach during his time on the show, so he didn’t know the way to properly protect his voice. People magazine also reported that White, who’s now the host of the sport show “The Flip Side,” is now working with a vocal coach and a physician to protect his vocal cords and “get them under control.”

White expressed no regrets when asked if he would change Urkel’s famous voice. “I wouldn’t do anything differently. It was a great experience and a small sacrifice to make to leave a hell of a legacy,” he said.

Family Matters aired from September 22, 1989 to July 17, 1998. During this time, White’s voice was also very talked-about within the animation world, as he lent his voice to Sonic within the Sonic the Hedgehog series from 1993 to 1996.

Although he has played many roles in his nearly 40-year profession, White is best often known as the sensible pest Urkel. But it wasn’t meant to be.

On a 2021 episode of TVOne’s Uncensored , White revealed that his suspenders-wearing character was supposed to appear on the sitcom only once. But his infectious personality and “did I do that?” catchphrase caught America by surprise, and the writers kept him, unknowingly making him the star of the show. He confessed that the remaining of the solid didn’t prefer it.

“I wasn’t cast at all,” he says within the clip. “They knew what it was about… I didn’t think about being cast in ‘Family Matters,’ because it was just going to be a guest appearance, one and that was it.”

In this episode, White examines the initial resistance from the “three adult” solid members, who already had established careers but now felt they were being overshadowed by a toddler actor.

The “Three Grownups” featured Jo Marie Payton, who played Harriette Winslow, whose character was based on the TV series “Perfect Friends,” Vel Johnson, who played Carl Winslow and gained notoriety for “Die Hard,” and Aunt Rachel, played by Thelma Hopkins, who starred in the favored Eighties sitcom “Gimme a Break!”

“I didn’t see myself stepping on anybody’s toes, stealing anybody’s shine,” White said within the “Uncensored” special, later adding, “And I don’t have to keep telling adults that. They know what I mean.”

In 2022, Payton revealed that White “wanted to physically fight” her after she objected to a scene through which he portrayed Urkel’s “gangsta” cousin, OGD, which stood for Original Gangsta Dawg.

But she admitted that she’s had nothing but love in her life these days, something she revealed in an interview with Atlanta Black Star last October.

“I don’t like to repeat things. Things happen and we move on,” Payton explained, sharing that she expressed the identical sentiment during a performance at 90s Con this yr.

YouTube courtesy of People

“As I said on that panel, if I saw Jaleel today and he said, ‘Hey, Jo Marie,’ I would hug him. No hard feelings,” she added.

At the price of his voice, White made Steve Urkel one of the recognizable figures in American television history and a popular culture icon.

In his upcoming memoir, “Growing Up Urkel,” White recounts his life as a toddler actor and the way he became an adult star. The book is about to hit shelves in November.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMFIOGsIdA


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending