Deion Sanders Jr., the oldest son of NFL legend and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, turned some of his famous family’s private issues into public matters. According to Deion Jr., his mother, Carolyne Chambers, has spent much of the past quarter of a century in financial turmoil. Sanders Jr., who his father routinely refers to...
Andscape at the Olympics: Talking USA Basketball, opening ceremony
Andscape at the Olympics is an ongoing series exploring the Black athletes and culture around the 2024 Paris Games. PARIS – Welcome to Andscape at the Olympics, a video series in which Andscape columnist William C. Rhoden, senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears and Andscape/ESPN commentator Ari Chambers will discuss the key topics about Black...
How Victor Wembanyama’s unearthly size and still-growing feet made him Nike’s ‘Alien’
As soon as “Wemby” landed in conversation, Nike CEO and president John Donahoe beamed in fascination of basketball’s French-born, 7-foot-4 anomaly, Victor Wembanyama. The moment occurred in early April at Palais Brongniart, the former home of the Paris Stock Exchange. Donahoe reaffirmed Nike’s early investment in Wembanyama, who signed with the Swoosh years before his...
Novelist Jake Lamar followed his Black writing role models to France
Black Americans in France is an ongoing series highlighting African Americans living abroad during the 2024 Paris Games. PARIS — “There are three types of Black folk living in Paris,” novelist Jake Lamar told me recently when we met at a cafe near his home in Montmartre. Lamar, 63, became part of a long rich...
Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole holds youth basketball clinic for Washington-area children
WASHINGTON — A child is waving his hands and shaking his head at Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole while waiting in line. In the middle of Poole’s free basketball clinic at the team’s practice facility in southeast Washington, the very small child — barely 3 feet tall — is clearly talking trash to the former...
Brittney Griner ‘blessed’ to return to Europe for Olympics
Andscape at the Olympics is an ongoing series exploring the Black athletes and culture around the 2024 Paris Games. Brittany Griner is back in Europe for the first time since being detained in Russia. But this time with USA Basketball’s women’s national team, she feels safe with her sisters and she is focused on a...
Langston Galloway helps USA Basketball prepare for the Olympics
The experience of a lifetime for former NBA guard Langston Galloway as a member of USA Basketball’s Olympic team ends tonight in London. However, the memories of playing in exhibition games wearing a USA jersey and having handshakes with Vice President Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will last a lifetime. “I’m...
WNBA All-Star: Allisha Gray makes history, wins 3-Point Contest, Skills Challenge
X Instagram Allisha Gray, of the Atlanta Dream made history Friday night, crowned winner of the WNBA 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge at WNBA All-Star weekend. Photo Credit: Nick Davis/Ballislife PHOENIX- Prior to the WNBA events on Friday night, Allisha Gray continuously had the media in hysterics. She’s made it clear she’s visiting Disney World...
Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston benefits from prioritizing her mental health
PHOENIX – Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston headed into the WNBA All-Star break with a smile on her face and a lot of hope for her team this season. Boston is averaging 18 points and 9.5 rebounds in July alone while shooting 65% from the field. While preparing for her second WNBA All-Star appearance in...
WNBA legend Candace Parker sees a bright future for women’s basketball
PHOENIX – Candace Parker arrived at WNBA All-Star Weekend for the first time as a retiree. Parker, a three-time WNBA champion and seven-time All-Star, believes that the game is in great hands as she is proud of the growth of the not only the WNBA All-Star Weekend to major coverage but the league’s overall popularity...





