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☆ Shaquille O’Neal, Kenya Barris and 50 Cent Team Up to Explore Bid for BET Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | Alexandra Bruell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Shaquille O’Neal, a retired basketball star, is part of a consortium that could bid for BET Media Group. Photo: Katherine Tyler/NBAE via Getty ImagesA group including basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal , TV producer Kenya Barris and rapper 50 Cent is among the potential bidders for a majority stake in Paramount Global ’s BET Media Group , according to people familiar with the situation. The three celebrities have teamed up with Group Black—a company that aims to invest in and grow Black-owned media firms—private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Authentic Brands Group, which develops and licenses its brands to retail operators, the people said.

☆ Basketball Star Kenny Smith Learned From the Best
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kenny “the Jet” Smith won back-to-back NBA championships with the Houston Rockets in the mid-90s and has since found yet more fame as a basketball analyst on TNT. Still, he wonders what might have been if he had played for the Chicago Bulls alongside his former teammate at the University of North Carolina, Michael Jordan. “That’s why I was always jealous of Scottie Pippen. When Scottie Pippen first came into the NBA, he wasn’t a threat, but then he became one of the 75 best players of all time. That’s what Michael did for him,” he says.

☆ Prescient bets by the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Serena Williams have triggered an explosion in tech investing among Europe's sports stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

European sports stars are following US counterparts, such as Shaquille O'Neal, in betting on tech. O'Neal, who also made early bets on Google and Lyft, has shown how sports stars can become successful venture capitalists once their playing careers end. He's not alone in the US, with the football star Tom Brady and the basketball stars LeBron James and Steph Curry all actively investing in tech. The tennis legend Serena Williams went a step further and set up her own fund, Serena Ventures. Shaquille O'Neal has proven to be a shrewd tech investor with early bets on Ring, Google, and Lyft.

☆ Elon Musk is paying for a few of his favorite celebrities to stay on Twitter Blue, even after they dissed the new blue checks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said he's personally paying for several top celebrities' Twitter Blue subscriptions. Billionaire Elon Musk says he's personally paying for several well-known figures to stay on Twitter Blue after they refused to fork up $8 for a monthly subscription. "My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. James received an email from Twitter offering free verification "on behalf of Elon Musk," the outlet reported. Musk on Wednesday responded to the online discussion of celebrities receiving free verification, saying he is "paying for a few personally" to keep their Twitter Blue subscriptions.

☆ Artificial intelligence will make Big Tech even bigger. Something needs to be done about the power imbalance, researchers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She asked if the company was selling unregistered securities (which is typically illegal, by the way — here's what it means). Big Tech + AI = even bigger tech. So Big Tech companies are best-positioned to gain even more power as artificial intelligence technology — like ChatGPT — gets further developed. Something needs to be done about this power imbalance, researchers warn. My teammate Emilia David breaks down the AI power imbalance and highlights some proposed solutions in her latest story.

☆ Taylor Swift didn't sign $100 million FTX sponsorship because she was the only one to ask about unregistered securities, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX. The lawyer suing other celebrities for promoting FTX says she was the only one to ask about unregistered securities. Taylor Swift managed to avoid signing a $100 million sponsorship deal with FTX because she was reportedly the only celebrity to question the crypto exchange, according to the lawyer handling a class-action lawsuit against several FTX promoters. "The one person I found that did that was Taylor Swift," Moskowitz told The Scoop's Frank Chaparro. "In our discovery, Taylor Swift actually asked them: 'Can you tell me that these are not unregistered securities?'"

☆ Shaq was finally served in FTX lawsuit over the weekend, after a 3-month chase
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Will Gendron | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shaquille O'Neal was finally served in an FTX lawsuit over the weekend following a three month chase. Shaquille O'Neal was served papers over the weekend in a lawsuit involving the fallen crypto firm FTX — after a three month chase, according to a law firm representing investors in the suit. "Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house," The Moskowitz Law Firm tweeted Sunday night. O'Neal had evaded getting served the lawsuit for three months, according to additional tweets from the law firm. Following the collapse of FTX, O'Neal tried to separate himself from the fiasco, noting to CNBC that he was "just a paid spokesperson."

☆ Shaq is finally served in FTX investor suit, lawyers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —After months of attempting to serve Shaquille O’Neal in a lawsuit against celebrities who endorsed the now-bankrupt FTX crypto platform, lawyers for a group of FTX investors said they finally succeeded on Sunday. “Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house,” the Moskowitz Law Firm tweeted. O’Neal was the last of the celebrities in the class-action suit to be served a legal notice, according to court documents. FTX collapsed into bankruptcy on November 11 after depositors and investors yanked their money amid concerns about the platform’s balance sheet. Bankman-Fried, who was arrested in December and is out on house arrest, has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud and conspiracy.

☆ Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Google employees staged a walkout at the company’s London offices on Tuesday, following a dispute over layoffs. Trade union Unite, which counts hundreds of Google’s UK employees among its members, said the company had ignored concerns put forward by employees. “Our members are clear: Google needs to listen to its own advice of not being evil,” said Unite regional officer Matt Whaley. Last month, workers at the company’s Zurich office in Switzerland staged a similar walkout, with employee representatives claiming Google had rejected their proposals to reduce job cuts. We know this is a very challenging time for our employees,” a Google spokesperson said.

☆ This $38 million LA palace — and many others — are in a rush to be sold this week to avoid millions in the new California 'Mansion Tax'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new "mansion tax" approved by voters in November goes into effect April 1. LA voters approved Proposition ULA, commonly referred to as the "mansion tax," by a 58% to 42% margin. The Star Resort, lit up from the perspective of the 70-foot infinity pool. Yann Ippolito/Ikon AdvisorsThe Star Resort features a Kobe Bryant-themed half basketball court. Yann Ippolito/Ikon Advisors

☆ The top 4 sports and sports tech VCs are ready to open their checkbooks. Here's what they're looking for.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Courtside Ventures in January closed a $100 million fund, its biggest yet. KB Partners late last year closed a $127 million fund, also its biggest yet. If you're not in one of those lanes, don't bother reaching out, even though the firm has the new $100 million fund to dole out. Parikh expects fewer investments in media companies out of the new fund, but more investments in gaming. It's doling out the money through two accelerator programs and an investment fund.

☆ DA Fani Willis takes a breather from deciding Trump's fate in Georgia and parties with Shaq
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fulton County DA Fani Willis was spotted partying with Shaq at his birthday party over the weekend. Willis is weighing whether to empanel a grand jury for criminal indictments against Donald Trump. A special grand jury Willis empaneled completed a report into Trump in January. If Willis now refers the case to a grand jury, it would have the power to bring criminal indictments. Criminal cases, such as the Manhattan and Georgia cases, typically get priority over civil cases in court calendars when they're running concurrently.

☆ Nepo babies like Myles O'Neal and Ella Bleu Travolta do a plant-based take on their parents' "Got Milk?" ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Plant-based brand Silk has a new ad campaign that features nepo babies sporting milk mustaches. The ads are aimed at "the next generation of milk drinkers and plant-based enthusiasts," Silk said. Those ads featured celebrities from Whoopi Goldberg to Frankie Muniz donning milk on their upper lip, presumably after taking a sip from a glass. David Beckham, Kelly Preston, Christie Brinkley, and Shaquille O'Neal all appeared in "Got Milk?" US consumers bought $2.6 billion worth of the alternatives to cow's milk in 2021, according to the Plant Based Foods Association.

☆ NBC Sports hopes to make an aggressive bid to bring back the NBA, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Discovery own the NBA rights until the end of the 2024-2025 season — more than two more years from now. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. NBC aired its last NBA games during the 2002 finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets. Regular season NBA games across ABC, ESPN and TNT are averaging 1.6 million viewers this season.

☆ For fans Super Bowl no longer a game, it's an 'experience'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PHOENIX, Feb 11 (Reuters) - In just a half-century of evolution the Super Bowl has gone from sports event, to America's biggest party, to a week long and very expensive immersive "experience". Next year it will almost certainly make another leap when "immersive experience" and "party" morph into one big Super Bowl supernova in Las Vegas, as Sin City hosts the game for the first time. "If you go back 10 years ago Super Bowl was only about the game and now it is much, much more," said Wilder. For John Wegman, a businessman from Rochester and a Buffalo Bills season ticket holder, seeing a Super Bowl was on his bucket list. "Super Bowl with my father, my mother, my brother was a bucket list thing and we are doing it in style."

No one thought LeBron James would overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the N.B.A.’s career scoring leader when he came to the league as an 18-year-old. The line for LeBron James is just past the 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Table showing the scoring totals for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James, broken down by type of shot. Career points by age for top 250 scorers Line chart showing career points for the top 250 scorers in N.B.A. The line for LeBron James is just past the 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

☆ Kobe Bryant's work ethic was unmatched, here are 24 examples
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Scott Davis | Connor Perrett | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bryant had been known for his work ethic, which helped him win numerous NBA championships, titles, and even an Academy Award. Fellow NBA stars, like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James, had mentioned Bryant's intense work ethic. Just hours before Bryant's death, LeBron James remarked that Bryant's work ethic had inspired him throughout his own NBA career. Tales of Bryant's work ethic have become folklore. From his early morning workouts to marathon shooting sessions, to a relentless desire to improve himself, here are some of our favorite examples of Bryant's work ethic.

☆ How Kobe Bryant became one of the NBA's all-time greatest players and an almost mythical figure in the process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Scott Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Kobe Bryant died three years ago today, on January 26, 2020, leaving behind a legacy as an all-time great NBA player and sports icon. From the moment he entered the NBA, Bryant had a platform to become a transcendent star. An impressive resumeOver 20 years in the NBA, Bryant built one of the more impressive resumés. Like many legendary athletes, Bryant's career didn't end in grand fashion. The Lakers won 21 and 17 games in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Bryant's last season in the league.

NBC News reporters tracked seven bellwether counties as part of the "County to County" project for the 2022 midterm elections. However, as the Omicron variant swept its way across the country last winter, even Democratic voters were in a sour mood, showing pandemic fatigue amid Biden’s stalled legislative agenda. Democrats doubled down on the message even as polls showed GOP Sen. Ron Johnson gaining momentum with a message on crime. For young voters in Dane County, it was a message that worked. Democrats were enthusiastic, and they'll continue to look to Dane County as key to their path to victory in 2024 and beyond.

☆ Shaq — who starred in an FTX commercial in June — says he 'was just a paid spokesperson' for the exchange and doesn't believe in crypto
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shaquille O'Neal said he was paid to appear in an FTX ad and was never involved in the firm. "A lot of people think I'm involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial," O'Neal told the outlet. The former basketball star, who's now an angel investor and businessman, starred in an FTX commercial released on June 2. In the ad, O'Neal said he was excited to partner with the exchange to "make crypto accessible to everyone." The NBA hall of fame member did not disclose how much money he received for appearing in the June FTX commercial.

☆ 24 top sports managers and agents helping athletes from LeBron James to the Cavinder twins build successful careers as content creators
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Colin Salao | Ashley Rodriguez | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have shown that athletes can build lucrative media businesses. Meet the people helping athletes tell their stories and build their brands off the field or court. Many of these athletes are driven by the behind-the-scenes work of their talent managers and agents. Insider is highlighting for the first time those talent managers and agents who are guiding athletes as they build successful careers in entertainment and content creation. These people are helping athletes elevate their social content, strike brand deals, launch podcasts, or break into TV and film.

Shaquille O'Neal wants to make one thing clear: He doesn't believe in crypto, if he ever did. That's after being named in a class-action lawsuit against now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX last month, for promoting the company in a June commercial. "A lot of people think I'm involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial," O'Neal says. Customers have been unable to withdraw funds from FTX since the company declared bankruptcy last month. Texas is now separately investigating some celebrity FTX endorsers for potentially violating state securities laws, according to Bloomberg.

☆ Must-watch videos of the week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Mariah Carey rolls with a wardrobe malfunction, a dog misbehaves at daycare, and a dinosaur discovery. These are the must-watch videos of the week. Watch Mariah Carey freestyle during costume malfunctionVideo Ad Feedback Wardrobe malfunction interrupts surprise Mariah Carey performance 02:00 - Source: CNNWhose wardrobe malfunction was worse … Mariah’s Carey’s or Rudy Giuliani’s? Amateur fossil hunters find rare intact plesiosaur skeletonVideo Ad Feedback Amateur fossil hunters find 19-foot-tall, 100 million-year-old skeleton 01:02 - Source: CNNAmateur paleontologists in Australia uncovered a rare,100 million-year-old marine reptile’s skeleton. Shaquille O’Neal pushed into Christmas tree during on-air raceVideo Ad Feedback Shaquille O'Neal pushed into Christmas tree during on-air race 01:34 - Source: CNN BusinessKenny Smith pushed co-host Shaquille O’Neal into a Christmas tree.

Three people close to FTX and Bankman-Fried told CNBC that the former CEO lobbied aggressively for a partnership with 11-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. Bankman-Fried's commitment to getting the Swift deal done despite the deteriorating business environment fit a pattern of ignoring his lieutenants and going it alone, a half-dozen former company insiders and business partners said. The Financial Times reported earlier that FTX held talks with Swift about a potential sponsorship. Part of the Swift deal would have included the production by the singer of a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), or digital items that can rise and fall in value. Beyond that, there was a lack of clarity over what Swift would be doing for the company, sources said.

☆ Shaquille O’Neal pushed into Christmas tree during on-air race
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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