That One Time The Homie Came Through: Shaq Lent John Salley $70K, Then Forgave Loan
"I went back to see him, he said, 'Nah, we're good.'"
Shaquille O’Neal has long has a reputation of being one of professional sports’ most kind-hearted people. Thanks to The Basketball Network, we have additional proof.
In a talk with DJ Vlad, NBA veteran John Salley, who was a teammate of Shaq’s with the Los Angeles Lakers, needed a loan. Shaq gave him $70,000. When it was time to repay him, Shaq declined.
“Nah, we’re good,” Salley recalled Shaq saying.
Shaq is working with TNT during the NBA playoffs, but he has other projects.
Netflix is gearing up to release a documentary, Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal, which will focus on the former Orlando Magic center making executive decisions to bring back the Reebok brand that sponsored him and Allen Iverson during their playing days.
“Reebok was Shaquille O’Neal’s first sponsor, and now we will follow him as he takes on the role of President of Reebok Basketball to try and revive this struggling brand and restore it to its former glory,” Netflix wrote. :Along with Allen Iverson as VP, we will follow Shaq and the team hustling to pull it off at the Reebok HQ in Boston.”
After hiring Shaq, one of his first moves was to sign Angel Reese, a fellow LSU (Louisiana State University) phenom, in 2023.
10 Moves To Increase Your Nest Egg As Tariffs Change Retirement Saving Plan Efforts
Making contributions, automating savings and spending extra money wisely can help boost retirement savings.
New data shows that economic and market uncertainty fueled by tariffs is hurting the ability of Black Americans to save for retirement more than other groups.
Some 43% of Blacks are more inclined to have accessed their employee-sponsored retirement plan benefit, compared to 27% for whites and 4% for Hispanics. Thirty-eight percent of Blacks now want to save extra money for a possible emergency, versus 23% of whites and 22% of Hispanics.
The findings were provided to BLACK ENTERPRISE tied to a fresh survey by the health, wealth, and investment firm Voya Financial. Some 520 American adults working full-time and eligible for benefits were questioned, including 13% of Black respondents.
The research overall disclosed how tariffs are silently fueling a financial dilemma for U.S. workers. Most expect tariffs to spark an extensive recession and higher unemployment, and perhaps lead to price increases on goods being indirectly impacted.
The tariffs imposed by President Trump are forcing Americans to reduce their savings and make other drastic changes to improve their finances. Interestingly, 21% of Blacks are moving investments to cash accounts, compared to 13% of respondents.
Based on another report, Kerry Sette, vice president and head of consumer insights and research at Voya, shared how critical it is to have a retirement plan during uneven times.
“Market volatility, policy changes, regulatory shifts, and fluctuating investor sentiment can create uncertainty, but maintaining a steady retirement savings and investment strategy is key.”
A bright spot is that there are multiple moves Black Americans can consider using to help elevate their retirement savings, based on research by BLACK ENTERPRISE:
Start contributing immediately to retirement.
If you’re starting to stash money for retirement, start saving as much as you can now. That can help you compound interest, potentially allowing your assets to generate their own earnings through such means as reinvestment.
Give toward your 401(k).
If your employer offers a traditional 401(k) plan and you qualify for it, it may allow you to contribute pre-tax money that can be significantly beneficial. You can boost your 401(k) account if you have one, even if you started working or are a seasoned investor. Experts advise reserving around 15% of your income and trying to raise your contribution by 1% each year.
Meet your employer’s match.
If your job matches your 401(k) plan contributions, be sure you pitch in at least enough to take full advantage of the match. For instance, an employer may offer to match 50% of employee contributions up to 5% of your salary. That purportedly means if you earn $50,000 a year and contribute $2,500 to your retirement plan, your employer will kick in another $1,250. This could basically be free money you can take advantage of.
Automate savings.
Consider making retirement contributions automatic monthly. This move can potentially grow your retirement savings without you having to think about it. Be sure to check with your employer to see if they offer this option, as several reportedly do.
Select investments sensibly.
When planning for retirement, being mindful means choosing investments that align with your risk tolerance and time frame to help support growth. Perhaps diversify your investments across asset classes like stocks, mutual funds, and real estate to mitigate risks. Ask what fees are tied to your investment options and monitor market conditions that could impact your investment plan.
Pull back from early withdrawals.
Stay clear of this premature approach from plans such as 401(k)s and IRAs, as it can harm future retirement funding. It can come with penalties and taxes, trim retirement savings, and possibly weaken potential investment growth and compounding returns.
Reduce debt.
Examine where you can cut expenses. For instance, maybe bargain for a smaller payment on your car insurance, eat out less, and eliminate subscriptions. The savings could help boost your retirement plan contributions, making the golden years more lucrative. Data shows hiking your contribution from 4% to 6% could add over $110,000 to your nest egg over 30 years, assuming a $50K salary.
Keep working.
This would give you more income and time to save for retirement.
Use extra money prudently.
Don’t lavishly spend extra money you might gain, whether from a job raise, tax refund, inheritance, or a bonus. Alternatively, use the surplus cash to build your retirement kitty. And consider putting the money into an account with tax advantages to maximize your savings.
Tap into resources to get expert help.
Don’t be afraid to contact qualified professional experts, such as a financial planner, tax specialist, and estate planning specialist, to build a retirement plan to help you reach your goals. Do online research to get more help, including checking out this site and another one here.
Composting Human Remains Will Soon Be Legal In Georgia
Terramation is a new burial option for Georgia residents. But what is it?
Human composting, an ecological alternative to burial or cremation, will become legal in Georgia beginning July 1.
Governor Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 241 into law May 9, making Georgia the 13th state to legalize this practice.
Human composting, known as terramation, transforms the body into soil through decomposition. The body is placed in a vessel with plant-based materials such as straw, alfalfa, and sawdust. These components, along with the natural decomposition process, facilitate the body’s breakdown into soil. This process takes approximately nine weeks.
“The microbes in our body —the things that transform the food we eat into the energy we use—when we die, flip on a dime,” Micah Truman, CEO and founder of Return Home, a funeral home specializing in terramation, told 11Alive news.
“They turn and transform us, and gently return us to the earth. Our process simply makes that microbial process go faster,” Truman added.
When the process is complete, the funeral home returns the soil to the family, as they would with cremated remains. But unlike ashes, the soil is fertile.
Truman recalls a customer whose deceased daughter loved bees. The motherplaced her daughter’s composted remains into bags and distributed them tofriends, asking them to plant a flower that wouldfeed the bees.
“It was stunningly beautiful,” Truman told 11Alive news.
Michelle Arivette, a funeral director at A.S. Turner and Sons in Decatur, Georgia, tellsAtlanta NewsFirst that she has seen a surge in interest in human composting.
The funeral home will offer the newly legalized service through a partnership with Recompose, a Washington-based funeral home that operates one of the nation’s first human composting facilities.
“Recompose is thrilled by the passage of the human composting bill in Georgia. This new green funeral option allows people to return to the earth after they die, and to nourish gardens and forests. We are proud to see the movement continue to grow so beautifully,” Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose, told Atlanta News First.
Last Mile Education Fund Overdelivers In Support Of Underserved STEM Students, Study Shows
The Last Mile Education Fund has a proven model that’s pouring back into the economy
The Last Mile Education Fund, the only nationwide fund supporting college students in tech and engineering, has released its five-year report, showcasing its impressive growth and economic impact.
Among the key findings: a 74% graduation rate, which far surpasses the national average, and a $246 increase in net worth gains for every $1 invested in a Last Mile graduate.
“The numbers speak for themselves—Last Mile is unlocking the largest untapped pool of tech talent in the U.S.,” Ruthe Farmer, founder & CEO of Last Mile Education Fund, said in a press release. “This impact report confirms that financial insecurity should never be a barrier to success, and with continued investment, we can ensure no high-potential student is lost to an unexpected financial hurdle.”
Since 2020, the Last Mile Fund has expanded its reach nationwide, supporting nearly 10,000 students and graduates across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. With its student-first funding model, the fund tackles crucial barriers in the tech talent pipeline, helping students facing financial hardship complete their degrees and successfully transition into the workforce.
“Microsoft believes in the power of inclusive opportunity to drive innovation,” said Vanessa Feliberti Bautista, corporate vice president at Microsoft. “Last Mile’s model is not only helping students cross the finish line—it’s unlocking the full potential of the next generation of tech leaders.”
The fund seeks to address research showing that around 14,000 aspiring technologists leave college each year due to financial barriers. Rather than rewarding past performance like traditional scholarships, Last Mile offers modest yet life-changing financial support to students with strong potential to thrive.
With the report showcasing the fund’s proven impact, Last Mile urges industry leaders, policymakers, and philanthropists to rethink how they invest in the future of tech. The goal is to ensure the financially vulnerable yet high-potential students are supported through graduation, which, in turn, fuels economic growth through a more representative talent pipeline.
Damon Dash Must Sell Assets To Satisfy Debt Owed To Author Edwyna Brooks
The Harlem entrepreneur has defaulted on payment from a lawsuit the author won in 2020
In the latest lawsuit news for former Roc-A-Fella Records owner Damon Dash, the Harlem executive has been ordered to sell his businesses to satisfy one of his debts.
According to AllHipHop, since Dash’s company, the Dash Group, is listed under his wife’s name, a federal judge has told Raquel Horn to sell her ownership in the business and his other assets. A receiver was appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to oversee the sale of her interest in The Dash Group, which, according to court filings, is owned 100% by Horn.
This decision comes after author and filmmaker Edwyna Brooks returned to court in December 2024 because Dash had not fulfilled his financial obligation to her stemming from a case she won against him in 2020. She stated in the recent lawsuit that Dash and Horn, “[comingled] and [used] their companies as one entity and attempt to use the entities in an elaborate liability shifting scheme to avoid judgment debtors on behalf of themselves and their entities.”
Brooks won a $300,000 copyright infringement case against Dash after accusing him of marketing and selling a film project based on one of her characters, a female crime boss from a book series she wrote, “Mafietta.” He then countersued but eventually lost that case as well.
The suit, filed in December, alleges that Dash and his company, Poppington LLC, tried to hide his assets by moving them to a company not named in the suit.
“Mr. Dash has about $10 million in personal debt. If we would have been made whole from the auction, this lawsuit would not be necessary.”
“Poppington began fraudulently conveying Poppington assets” to a new entity, The Dash Group, “to avoid Brooks’ judgment.”
The Dash Group owns the America Nu streaming network, the CEOByDash website, and the children’s book “Dusko Goes To Space.”
The judge has stated that proceeds from the sale will go toward the debt owed to Brooks.
John Ewing Jr. Becomes Omaha, Nebraska’s 1st Black Mayor After A Year Of Racial Limbo
History was made after Ewing, the Douglas County Treasurer, beat Stothert, who served for 12 years, in a rare fourth term race in Nebraska's largest city.
Omaha, Nebraska’s first female mayor, Jean Stothert, conceded in a major upset to the city’s first Black mayor, John Ewing Jr, CNN reports.
History was made on May 13 after Ewing, the Douglas County Treasurer, beat Stothert, who served for 12 years, in a rare fourth-term race in the state’s largest city, which has nearly 25% of Nebraska’s population. In her concession speech, Stothert said Ewing is receiving a city with a strong foundation.
The overall population of Black folks in the state is 23%.
“I called John Ewing, and I congratulated him,” Stothert said. “John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful.”
The heated race between Stothert and Ewing revolved around local issues such as street repairs, garbage service, hiring more police officers, and affordable housing, something Ewing claimed the incumbent did not focus enough on. However, voters took on more hot-button issues on the national scale, like the President Donald Trump administration and transgender rights, that sent the former police officer over the winning edge. “People just feel like she’s had her time, and it’s time for somebody new,” Ewing said.
While the city’s mayor’s office is labeled nonpartisan, the candidates clarified their party stances. Stothert ran a TV ad saying, “Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls’ sports.” In response, Ewing said being treasurer has not given him much time to deal with topics like transgender issues. Swinging back, the retired Omaha Police Department officer labeled Stothert as being connected to the Trump administration with a split screen saying, “Let’s say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done.”
According to KETV 7, state GOP Gov. Jim Pillen said he was “disappointed in Ewing’s win and pointed the finger at conservatives for not showing up to support Stothert. “I have great confidence, even though tonight ended the mayor’s run four years early, I have great confidence because of extraordinary leadership,” Pillen said.
“We all know culture wins and that culture will withstand decisions that none of us are going to agree on for the city of Omaha for the next four years.”
But not everyone showed the same disdain. Republican Congressman Don Bacon, representing Nebraska’s second congressional district, congratulated the new mayor and wished Stothert well.
“We will work together to serve the great citizens of Omaha,” Bacon said.
President and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, Heath Mello, also congratulated Stothert on the legacy she built for the city. He acknowledged wanting to work with the newly elected mayor during his tenure. “Congratulations to Mayor-Elect John Ewing on his election victory,” he wrote in a statement.
“We look forward to meeting with him soon and collaborating on plans for Omaha’s bright future.”
‘Beyond The Gates’ Renewed For Season 2, Veteran Black Soap Stars Are Thrilled
The New Blackity Black soap opera is making waves—and instilling hope.
Beyond The Gates, the first soap opera to feature a majority Black cast since 1991, has been renewed for a second season.
The show premiered in February and averaged 2.28 million cross-platform viewers in its first week.
Darnell Williams, who played Jesse Hubbard on ABC’s All My Children from 1981 to 1987, said he is hopeful the show can provide more opportunities for Black actors.
Meanwhile, Veronica Redd played Mamie Johnson on The Young and the Restless.” Redd said she was both surprised and impressed with the show’s first season.”
“I was not prepared,” she told the Associated Press about the opening episode, which starts with a woman driving a Mercedes-Benz through the gates of a country club while “Best of My Love” by the Emotions played in the background.
“They got me hooked,” Redd said.
The show is a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, in partnership with P&G Studios. It tells the story of the Duprees, an affluent and influential family living in one of Washington, D.C’s most posh suburbs. Underneath the prestige lies a web of family secrets and unscrupulous endeavors.
Michelle Val Jean, show creator, showrunner, and executive producer, said she wanted to create a project that features some of the genre’s most loyal viewers.
“Black women are big soap opera viewers. I grew up in a soap opera-watching family. My grandmother watched. My mother watched. But one of the things that troubled me was that there weren’t many people that looked like me. There was an occasional best friend. Sometimes a family would come in and go out. I didn’t see people who looked like me driving the story. I think a lot of Black women felt that way, “ she told Soap Opera Central.
Beyond the Gates CBS airs weekdays on CBS at 2 p.m. EST. It’s also available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+ and CBS TV.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Angela Rye, And More To Speak At Third United Justice Coalition Summit
A lineup of powerhouse criminal justice reform advocates are taking to NYC for the third UJC Summit.
The United Justice Coalition (UJC) and Roc Nation have a powerhouse speaker lineup for the third Justice Coalition Summit.
Taking place at The Shed in New York City on May 30, this year’s summit will feature over 30 leaders, advocates, and changemakers for a full day of powerful conversations on criminal justice reform, a press release announced. Speakers include UJC Advisor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who will deliver the invocation, along with IMPACT Strategies CEO Angela Rye, CNN anchor and Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.
Panel discussions will explore urgent issues at the heart of America’s fractured justice system, including probation, prison, and parole reform, police misconduct, the link between mental health and incarceration, and the unique challenges faced by women behind bars. The sessions will lean on insights from industry experts, personal accounts, and actionable steps toward real change.
One of the featured panels, inspired by the Corruption Uncoveredpodcast, will explore the widespread corruption within the Kansas City, Kansas, police department under the leadership of the late former detective Roger Golubski, 71. Accused of decades-long misconduct, Golubski was found dead in Kansas just hours before jury selection was set to begin in December 2024.
Survivors of abuse and justice advocates featured in the podcast will share their stories in a powerful discussion examining what paths to justice remain when accountability breaks down—a reality all too common in cases of police misconduct. The families of Atatiana Jefferson, Botham Jean, and John Albers will also take part in the summit to share firsthand accounts of the lasting pain of losing their loved ones to police-involved shootings and their ongoing pursuit of justice. They will share their stories while also offering actionable steps to bring communities together to create meaningful change.
A vibrant community exhibition space will be a centerpiece of the summit, aimed at bringing together over 40 nonprofit and advocacy groups from across the nation to engage with attendees and spotlight their work. Participating organizations include the American Probation and Parole Association, Center for Policing Equity, Children of Promise, Dream.org, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Sheriff’s Association, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Right on Crime, Gathering for Justice, Ladies of Hope Ministries, Until Freedom, and many others.
The new wave of speakers follows UJC’s announcement earlier this year that radio and television personality Charlamagne tha God, MSNBC host Ari Melber, and Innocence Project Co-Founder Barry Scheck would be taking the stage to speak on the crucial need for criminal and social justice reform.
Alondra Nelson Resigns From National Science Board And Library Of Congress
She resigned with a clear message that she will not participate in dishonest systems
Despite Alondra Nelson’s deep care for the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council, the policy advisor says certain boundaries have been crossed, leading her to step away from both federal institutions.
Nelson, the Institute for Advanced Study’s Harold F. Linder professor, explained that her decision to resign stems from the growing realization that institutions like the National Science Foundation, the Library of Congress have lost sight of integrity and “it is impossible to fulfill their missions in good faith.”
Nelson wrote that scientists, librarians, program officers, and policy analysts have continued their work despite the increasingly hostile political environment among these institutions. Since January, she has witnessed civil servants face termination under claims they did not reach the mark, vendor contracts ignored, and the cancellation of grants and fellowships.
“In both these roles, over the past few years, I’ve been asked to serve on diverse bodies that offer guidance about how the executive and legislative branches can be stewards of knowledge and create structure to enable discovery, innovation, and ingenuity,” wrote Nelson. “In the instance of the National Science Board, this ideal has dissolved so gradually, yet so completely, that I barely noticed its absence until confronted with its hollow simulacrum.”
Nelson was appointed to her role with the National Science Board in 2024, an independent agency that has invested in transformative technologies and supported vital research in the social and behavioral sciences. However, the arrival of the Department of Government Efficiency may have resurfaced tension between “the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control.”
“Last week, as the Board held its 494th meeting, I listened to NSF staff say that DOGE had by fiat the authority to give thumbs up or down to grant applications which had been systematically vetted by layers of subject matter experts,” said Nelson. “When grant applications are vetoed, and whole organizations restructured, the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard.”
Nelson now believes her course of action lies in the refusal to participate in dishonest systems.
