Break Bread For The Holidays With These Diaspora Dishes
Consider these dishes food for thought.
Holiday meals in the African diaspora serve as vessels of history, memory, and community.
From simmering pots to sweet wrapped parcels, these dishes enable people to discuss culture, recipes, and shared identity. Each dish tells a historical tale that links Blackness across geography and time. For generations, these festive foods have fed families and friends, kept traditions alive, and contributed to a diasporic, global Black experience rooted in African traditions.
Pepperpot
The slow-cooked Guyanese Pepperpot is a rich meat stew made with beef, pork, and mutton, along with cassareep, cinnamon, cloves, and scotch bonnet peppers. Pepperpot is a traditional holiday dish in Guyana that unites Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese cultures around the festive table. The dish, best known as a Christmas morning meal, is started late on Christmas Eve to be served at sunrise. The national dish of Guyana serves as a culinary link between the Guyanese diaspora and its cultural heritage and community narratives.
Black Cake
This rich and moist dessert combines dried fruits with rum and wine through a slow baking process. The cake, which holds a special place in English-speaking Caribbean islands as a traditional Christmas and end-of-year treat, is the Caribbean adaptation of British plum pudding. Instead of brandy, Coke uses rum, which was readily available in the region and represents strength and festivity.
The Caribbean Duckanoo dessert is also known as Blue Draws and Tie-a-Leaf. The sweet, boiled dumpling contains cornmeal and sweet potato, along with coconut, brown sugar, and spices, and is wrapped in banana leaves. The dessert holds special significance across Jamaica, Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and other Caribbean islands, where it is enjoyed during Christmas and other cultural celebrations. The dish combines Mesoamerican tamale traditions with African and Caribbean flavors and techniques.
Griot
This Haitian dish consists of marinated pork deep-fried and served with spicy pikliz, along with rice or plantains. Haitians consider this a main celebratory dish served at celebrations beyond Christmas. But Griot is most popular during the holidays, when its bright flavors and communal eating traditions showcase the festive spirit of the Haitian diaspora.
Tchaka
The Haitian stew combines hominy, beans, squash, and pork to make a filling dish that requires several hours of preparation and multiple cooks. But it holds deep cultural and historical value for Haitians.
Hoppin’ John
Rice with beans flavored with herbs and spices and smoked meats is popular among Caribbean people, African Americans, and Latin American communities. The dish is believed to bring good fortune and wealth to those who eat it during New Year’s Day celebrations. Southern Hoppin’ John originated in South Carolina and Georgia, but it’s enjoyed in Kingston and Port-au-Prince. This dish unites West African rice-and-legume culinary heritage with New World cooking traditions to create a comforting, symbolic diaspora meal.
Dave Chappelle Talks Charlie Kirk And Saudi Arabia In New Stand-Up Special
Chappelle is known for provocative and sometimes incendiary commentary on politics, culture, and high-profile public figures. He’s staying true to that.
Comedian and agent provocateur Dave Chappelle has released a surprise stand-up special titled “Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable…” on Netflix.
Chappelle is known for provocative and sometimes incendiary commentary on politics, culture, and high-profile public figures. He’s staying true to that in his latest special. The Netflix original dropped without advance notice immediately following the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match.
The 75-minute special includes commentary on a range of contemporary cultural and political issues and sees the comedian addressing recent controversies directly on stage. He most notably spoke about the continuing war in the Middle East.
Chappelle weighs in on the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in September 2025. He responded to the spectator’s insistence on comparing Kirk to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during public discourse. Chappelle implied that he refused to allow the work of Dr. King to be reduced so lowly as to be compared to a “professional” debater.
In “Unstoppable…,“ Chappelle said, “Charlie Kirk was this generation’s Martin Luther King? That’s a reach… They both got murdered in a terrible fashion. They both got shot in the neck, but that’s about where those similarities ended.”
Chappelle’s material also touches on his recent performance at the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. Earlier in 2025, Chappelle faced criticism for appearing at the event because of the country’s human rights record. Additionally, fans and foes objected due to the country’s intolerance of free speech. An intolerance that was on deadly display when a prominent U.S journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was killed in Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Never one to back down, Chappelle defended his decision to perform abroad and addressed critics who questioned what his choice signaled about artistic freedom.
“I don’t feel guilty at all,” he continued, “These motherfuckers act like because I did a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia I somehow betrayed my principles… They said, ‘Well, Saudi Arabia killed a journalist,’ and rest in peace, Jamal Khashoggi. I’m sorry that he got murdered in such a heinous fashion. And also, look, bro, Israel’s killed 240 journalists in the last three months, so I didn’t know y’all were still counting.”
In addition to these topics, the D.C. native addressed gentrification in his hometown. He lamented that “They’re trying to take the chocolate out of Chocolate City.”
Chappele has an exclusive deal to release stand-up shows through Netflix. Thus far, the comedian has produced seven specials: 2017’s “The Age of Spin,” “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “Equanimity,” “The Bird Revelation,” “The Closer” (2021), “The Dreamer” (2023), and “The Unstoppable…”
Homecoming With Purpose: LaToya Williams-Belfort Brings Her ‘Secret Sauce’ To The Bronx Community Foundation
By Janee Bolden
LaToya Williams-Belfort has spent her career building pathways for underserved communities, but stepping into her new leadership role as executive director of the Bronx Community Foundation has even deeper meaning for her as a Bronx native.
“It felt like a homecoming,” Williams-Belfort told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Throughout my career, I’ve been really intentional and really blessed to do work for communities that I authentically understood, and then to bring people to the table to drive investment and solutions for those communities.”
Williams-Belfort was raised in the Bronx, and long before she had the language for systems and structures, she understood what it meant to live inside them. “Growing up in the Bronx, I quickly was able to start to understand systemic barriers,” she said. “It was very clear to me that my community, my family, were hardworking, God-fearing, family-oriented folks, but you would hear terms like, ‘we just can’t get a break’ or ‘we just don’t have access to certain opportunities.’”
Those early observations stayed with her as she moved through school, into the workforce, and eventually into philanthropy. Over time, they crystallized into a framework that would guide her leadership. “Ultimately landing on this word that’s been so important to my life — equity,” she said. “What does it mean having equitable opportunity? So many people think equity means equality. We know that those are two totally different things.”
By the time the country reached an inflection point following George Floyd’s death in 2020, Williams-Belfort had already spent years working inside philanthropy. What shifted then was her sense of urgency around solutions. “The country was talking about racism in a way that had never happened in my life,” she said. “But we were all talking about the problems and how we got here. The solutions conversation was where I really wanted to lean in.”
That desire to move from diagnosis to action led her to the nonprofit organization 15% Pledge, where she became the inaugural executive director. The goal was clear: use the machinery of capitalism to close opportunity gaps. “When we think about equitable opportunity, when we think about building wealth, when we think about the racial wealth gap in this umbrella of capitalism, what the pledge was doing as a release to creating scalable pathways for Black entrepreneurs felt like a tangible solution,” she said. “If we could help entrepreneurs to gain equitable access to the supply chains of billion-dollar corporations in a sustainable way and really build wealth, now we’re talking about a more inclusive economy.”
Under her leadership, the organization scaled rapidly. “I was there for almost five years,” she said. “We took the organization to a $7 million operating nonprofit, and we were able to scale $14 billion in impact for a community of over 10,000 Black businesses.” When the pledge launched, she noted that the community numbered closer to 1,000.
Still, as proud as she is of that work, Williams-Belfort saw its limits. Sustainable change required not just programs, but a capital strategy. That realization shaped her decision to step into her current role at the Bronx Community Foundation, which operates as a funding organization rather than a direct-service nonprofit.
“We don’t run direct programs,” she said. “It is a funding organization.” For Williams-Belfort, that distinction creates opportunity. “How are you supporting communities and nonprofits that are on the ground doing the work, but also thinking about sustainability, capacity building, and the technology needs to do the work in the right ways for the long term?”
The Foundation, she noted, is approaching its second decade. “The foundation is just about 10 years old,” she said. “They’ve been doing this in the right ways for a long time. But what is the next iteration of sustainability, growth, and innovation?”
Her answer is rooted in both data and lived experience. One of the greatest challenges she sees is not a lack of talent or effort in the Bronx, but a persistent narrative problem. “I think there’s just so much bias in thinking about what is possible for the Bronx,” she said. “Many people that I encounter have this 1970s, early ‘80s ideology, like the ‘Bronx is Burning’ type stereotypical understanding of what the Bronx is.”
She has encountered that bias firsthand. “I went to high school in Manhattan, and I would meet people, and they would say to me, ‘Well, you don’t seem like you’re from the Bronx,’” Williams-Belfort recalled. “And I’d be like, ‘What does that mean?’”
Those assumptions, she said, have real consequences. “When we think about investment and philanthropy and driving resources, it is in direct opposition of this bias about the Bronx that emanated from the 70s and 80s,” she said. “And that isn’t the landscape currently. I think there’s huge opportunity to create pathways for children, families, and for Bronxites.”
She sees signs of that shift everywhere, from cultural production to political momentum. “The young people in the Bronx are making things happen,” she said. “Even if you look at the recent mayoral election, Mamdani kicked off his campaign on Fordham Road. I think that’s intentional when you think about how the momentum is swirling around the borough.”
That momentum aligns with the Foundation’s strategy, which is built around collaboration rather than siloed giving. “One of the things I’m really excited about is this expansion of cross-industry partnership,” Williams-Belfort said. “My secret sauce is really bringing folks to the table to work in collaboration, to take a collective action approach in ways they wouldn’t have necessarily seen themselves working together.”
The Bronx, she believes, is uniquely positioned for that model. “Because of the Bronx’s history with music, art, and activism, I think it’s primed for continuing to work that way,” she said. “How do we bring together corporate stakeholders, elected officials, advocates, and traditional business folks, and give a renaissance to the Bronx’s resilience and creativity when we think about who and how we invest?”
The need, however, remains vast. Williams-Belfort points to the Foundation’s extensive listening process as a core strength. “The foundation has had over 1,000 community conversations,” she said. “Having that real data around the need is important.” From those conversations, four priority areas have emerged: digital equity, housing, healthcare, and economic stability.
“What we’re doing is thinking about how do we build out our participatory grant strategy to meet those needs in a very systematized, systemic way,” she said. Just as important is how the money moves. “Not just giving grants, but thinking about capacity building, sustainability, and how we’re working as a collective action unit.”
She is also focused on trust-based philanthropy and longer-term commitments. “Two-year grants, three-year grants,” she said. “Being able to get that long lead of support to really move the needle against some of these very deep and systems-level challenges.”
Though she has only been in the role for a few weeks, one moment already confirmed that Williams-Belfort is in the right place. “I had my fourth quarter in-person full-day board meeting,” she said. “It was a roll-up-your-sleeves day. We were asking hard questions. We were talking about participatory grantmaking, sustainability, and what the next 10 years look like. We’ve invested $15 million. How do we get to $50 million?” She left exhausted and energized. “I was calling my mentors and my village saying, ‘I had an amazing day, and I think this is going to be really awesome.’”
What grounds her, she said, is both experience and family. “There’s the head piece,” she said, referencing decades of nonprofit leadership. “But the heart part of it is my two sons, both born in the Bronx.” She wants the future she is building to be tangible for them. “I want them and young people like them to have equitable opportunity, to create a life that feels joyful and allows them to thrive.”
When she looks ahead five years, success is measurable and deeply human. “It’s all in the data, it’s all in the numbers,” Williams-Belfort said. “If we can be at a $25 million marker, if we can touch 50,000, 100,000 Bronxites, I would feel like a job well done.” But just as important is the story people tell about the borough. “If we can debunk this idea of the ‘Bronx is Burning’ and reframe that narrative to the Bronx as a place of collective action, community power, and investment, then we’re doing the right things.”
For Williams-Belfort, the work has come full circle. The child who once heard her community described as lacking is now leading an effort to prove otherwise with strategy, capital, and an unwavering belief that the Bronx’s future can be defined by opportunity, not stereotype.
Communities Across America Gather To Celebrate Kwanzaa
From Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Pasadena, California, Kwanzaa observers from anywhere can take part in a celebration.
Kwanzaa celebrations have begun, with the seven-day cultural holiday highlighting the empowerment and unity of the Black community.
Since its inception, Kwanzaa, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, 2026, has risen in popularity for its themes of collective work, creativity, purpose, and faith, among others. As each day represents a new theme, multiple events and programs take place across the United States for those who celebrate.
The events signal the ongoing impact and influence of Kwanzaa as a non-religious holiday focused on the heritage and history of the Black diaspora. Now, it has become an integral part of the winter holiday season, with new ways to celebrate among the community and supporters of this cherished tradition.
BLACK ENTERPRISE has rounded up a list of Kwanzaa events across the country for those in all regions to enjoy and engage in the celebration of purpose.
According to Pasadena Now, the 37th annual Kwanzaa celebration will bring out the Southern California community for a free event. Facilitated by the Pasadena Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Pasadena Public Library, the Dec. 27 gathering will feature live music, storytelling, and youth presentations. Through this year’s national theme of “Practicing the Seven Principles in Dimly-Lit Times: Lifting Up the Light, Hurrying the Dawn,” the event will also present children with zawadi, or gifts, as well as a traditional Kwanzaa feast and libation ceremony.
As reported by the Pittsfield Edge, community members in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, will remember the purpose and mission of Kwanzaa with their own celebrations, highlighted by the local NAACP chapter and additional nonprofits. Also emphasizing this year’s theme, speakers and programming will mark the occasion with step dancing, panels, and more cultural activities.
The Metro Atlanta suburb of Riverdale, Georgia, will also feature its own festivities. In celebration of Ujima, symbolizing collective work and responsibility, the Dec. 20 event included the lighting of the Kinara, the seven-branch candleholder used for Kwanzaa. Co-facilitated by the East Point Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., guests viewed performances by the Metro Atlanta African Dancers & Drummers while eating local “fruits of the harvest.”
In Austin, Texas, observers of the Kwanzaa tradition can celebrate in the New Year with a Jan. 3 event for Imani, symbolizing faith. Taking place at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, the event will also explore how this faith in community and its resilience can overcome any societal struggle.
For those living in Virginia Beach, the Coast Virginia Unitarian Universalist Church Racial Justice Task Force will host two events for the Kwanzaa Celebration. On Dec. 28, the task force will host a marketplace for visitors to support Black-owned businesses. According to the Virginia Pilot, an Emancipation Jubilee will even take place on New Year’s Day.
Lastly, Charlotte has an abundance of activities to delight all for Kwanzaa this year. Starting Dec. 26, Kwanzaa Charlotte in North Carolina will host daily and free programs befitting each day’s theme, ranging from artistic to educational and cultural expression. Each night will also host an African Marketplace for visitors to support local businesses in the region, as detailed by the Charlotte Post.
With Kwanzaa days away, long-time and first-time observers can find local events throughout the nation to further explore and engage in this holiday for the Black diaspora.
U.S. Military Admits ‘Mistake’ After Viral Video Shows American Civilian Body-Slammed In Japan
Video footage of the incident shows a military police officer lifting Kareem El and body slamming him on the pavement.
U.S. Forces Japan acknowledged that military police made a “mistake” when they detained an American civilian, Kareem El, in the city of Okinawa.
Viral video footage of the Nov. 22 incident shows a military police officer lifting El and body slamming him on the pavement as bystanders looked on.
On Dec. 19, in an email to Stars and Stripes, U.S. Forces Japan spokesman Col. John Severns said, “While the investigation is still ongoing, it is clear that the detention of Mr. El was a mistake on the part of the patrol, who approached him solely because they believed he was a U.S. servicemember.”
The encounter occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 22 along Gate 2 Street near Kadena Air Base. Military police on patrol detained El, a civilian from Washington, D.C., who was visiting the area. Reportedly, the confrontation continued in a base parking lot about an hour later, where military police removed El’s handcuffs and told him it was legal to detain him because he was “in our jurisdiction.”
Kareem El, a civilian from Washington, D.C., visiting Okinawa, was held by U.S. military police for declining to provide identification.
In response to the incident, U.S. Forces Japan suspended solo military police patrols in Okinawa. As the military investigated the incident, it began retraining patrol members. Joint patrols with Okinawa Prefectural Police remain in place, part of efforts to enforce an order restricting service members from drinking alcohol off base between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
El’s legal team, led by civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, has opened a separate review of the incident and is exploring possible civil claims. The 32-year-old victim of the overzealous officers described the encounter as “scary and traumatizing.” Additionally, El, who is Black, believes he was singled out because of his race.
“I have to believe that on some level when they saw me they saw someone that they could not perceive to have been a captain in the Marine Corps who has been out of the Marine Corps for six years and is now the CEO of a tech company launching a product in Okinawa,” he told the Washington Post. “That’s not what was in their head.”
The incident has drawn attention from local officials as well. Okinawa City and prefectural representatives have urged careful review of patrol procedures, saying mistaken detentions “should never happen,” and Okinawa authorities are seeking further explanation from U.S. military officials.
U.S. Forces Japan did not immediately provide additional comment beyond the statement reported by Stars and Stripes and The WashingtonPost, and it was not clear when El’s case would be resolved.
JPMorgan Chase Sued By Ex-Employees, Claim Company Assigned Black Women To Poorer Areas
The company now faces another discrimination lawsuit over alleged bias.
JPMorgan Chase is facing a lawsuit by two former Black female employees who claim the company assigned them to less affluent areas in Brooklyn, New York, due to their race, Bloomberg reports.
In the lawsuit, filed Dec. 17, Laura Agard and Roshanna Richardson say race and gender discrimination prompted them to leave the investment bank in 2021.
The move to Brooklyn, they claim, allowed male colleagues to steal clients from them while limiting their commission income potential. They deem their assignment to low-income areas as discriminatory.
Furthermore, the women believe that the JPMorgan Chase bank branches systemically preferred white male advisors, who they claim were authorized to take over the women’s client books when they entered maternity leave.
“This practice was built on the stereotyped assumption that women taking maternity leave—as opposed to men taking medical or other leaves—were likely not to return to the work force after having children or were more likely to prioritize their children over their work,” detailed the complaint.
Robinson also noted an instance where one white advisor began to handle all clients with over $250,000 in assets. Ahead of their own departure, JPMorgan Chase assigned the women to branches in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Coney Island, and Canarsie, predominately diverse if not Black-leaning areas of Brooklyn.
JPMorgan Chase has weathered previous lawsuits over racial and gender discrimination in the workplace. The lawsuit highlighted a $24 million settlement from a class action lawsuit filed by Black advisors.
Following the settlement, Forbesconfirmed the company’s plans to enact bias training and a review of branch assignments.
JPMorgan Chase has vehemently denied the current allegations and that it will “vigorously defend itself” against the lawsuit. The company also emphasized its “strongest commitment to an equal workplace.”
Anthony Joshua Set to Lose $66M Despite Knocking Out Jake Paul
He still walks away with a nice chunk of change, though.
Boxer Anthony Joshua could lose millions in his knockout win over influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
In the Dec. 19, fight which took place, in Miami, Joshua knocked out Paul in the sixth round. The next day, Paul posted an update confirming that his jaw was broken in two places.
Joshua is set to take a beating, too. (Kind of.) According to Yahoo Sports, the British fighter will actually lose around half of the $140 million Australian prize purse, on top of a seven-day suspension due to boxing rules.
He will have to give up 37% due to U.S. federal income tax, in addition to $11.3 million for British taxes. Nearly $3 million more will go toward National Insurance contributions.
This leaves him with a fraction of that initial payout, totaling to a take-home prize of $74 million. On the other hand, Paul, who received the same amount as Joshua, only has to give up $55 million for U.S. taxes.
Many in the boxing community have saluted Joshua for thrashing Paul. The internet personality’s transition to boxing has garnered polarizing reactions from boxing enthusiasts, highlighted by controversial fights with retired boxing giants like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mike Tyson.
Jake Paul is the biggest clown on earth and has done irrefutable damage to boxing. Those who know, know.
Anthony Joshua getting the KO is karma for YEARS for so many REAL boxers and fighters that Paul disrespected, and had rigged fights with. pic.twitter.com/m4UiUWcJ1n
DOJ Slammed For Presenting Diana Ross–Michael Jackson PR Photo As New Epstein Evidence
The photo was released as part of a larger batch of materials made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The U.S. Department of Justice is facing criticism for releasing a PR photo of Michael Jackson and his children in the newly published Jeffrey Epstein files.
The DOJ included the image in which Bill Clinton, Diana Ross, and Jackson, alongside their kids Evan Ross, Michael “Prince” Jackson Jr., and Paris Jackson, pose together.
Faces of the children were blurred, causing some people to believe Jackson’s children were potential victims, the Daily Beastreported. But the photograph was taken at a public event in Washington, D.C., not Epstein Island, where the deceased billionaire’s crimes are allegedly occured.
“There are two types of people here,” Clinton said in a statement. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.”
The White House press office said that the image was released by the Justice Department “with redactions to protect minors and/or victims as required by law,” the Daily Beast reported.
Since the release of the files and the scrutiny surrounding the redactions and misleading photos, the DOJ has removed 16 images it presented as part of the Epstein investigation, including an image of President Donald Trump, according to the Daily Beast.
Great catch by @MeidasTouch “The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files & falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson & Ross’s own children pic.twitter.com/zHFCeutmi2
The photo was released as part of a larger batch of materials made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The federal law requires unclassified DOJ records related to Epstein to be published. The act set a Dec. 19 deadline for the release of all such documents, but the initial files have drawn criticism for heavy redactions and the omission of key materials.
The documents disclosed in the files are extensive. They include court records, flight logs, and law enforcement materials.
However, large portions have been redacted to protect victims’ identities and ongoing investigations. Many victims have been vocal about their experiences with Epstein on his island. Consequently, many observers declare the files fall short of full transparency.
NFL Player Bobby Wagner Earns Master’s Degree From Howard University
And he finished months ahead of schedule.
Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner has graduated from the Howard University School of Business Executive MBA program, ESPN reports.
The program is fast-tracked, designed for experienced professionals seeking advanced training in leadership, strategy, and organizational management rather than a traditional two-year MBA track.
Wagner enrolled in the 18-month program in January 2025. He actively played in the NFL, balancing coursework with professional responsibilities. But he worked through the year and competed the course in only 12 months.
In an interview with ESPN, Wagner said his goal is to earn long-term opportunities outside of football, and be respected as a businessman.
“Sometimes when you come from playing football and go into the business world,” he said, “a lot of people feel like the reason why you’re able to get into those spaces is because of people that you know and they feel like we skip steps or they feel like we haven’t done the work.”
Howard University officials praised Wagner’s educational journey and described his participation as aligned with the institution’s mission to educate leaders across industries.
Wagner has previously spoken about his interest in ownership, investment and community development initiatives after his playing career. Wagner believes his pursuit of higher education in business is a natural pathway.
“You can master the field you’re in and also learn and study other things,” he told ESPN.
Wagner’s academic milestone comes as more athletes use the offseason to prepare for second careers, with executive education programs increasingly positioning themselves as bridges between elite sports and corporate leadership.
While some may criticize his decision to attend the HBCU, Wagner said the criticism does not faze him.
“From the outside world, if you do something else, then they feel like you’re not focused,” Wagner said. “And then when you retire and don’t have nothing going on, they’re like, ‘Why you didn’t do something else?’ And so you can’t really listen to what people saying because they’re not you at the end of your career and trying to figure stuff out. I’m trying to break that concept.”
Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan Card Scores $3.17M At Auction
It is one of the most valuable basketball cards ever sold at auction.
A rare basketball card featuring Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan sold for $3.172 million at a Dec. 19 Heritage Auctions event.
The card is a 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection dual Logoman, numbered 1-of-1 and graded a 6 by Professional Sports Authenticator, ESPN reported. The sale ranks as the seventh-most expensive basketball card auction ever.
The card is from the debut year of Upper Deck’s dual Logoman series and does not contain autographs, distinguishing it from the even more expensive 2007-08 signed Bryant/Jordan dual Logoman card that sold for $12.932 million in August, the most expensive sports card ever sold at auction.
According to a post by Heritage Sport on Threads, the deal is a “huge result as it is the highest-selling unsigned card made after 2003.”
Jordan-Kobe 2003 Exquisite Logoman sells tonight for $3.17 million, second modern card in 24 hours to sell for $3M+ (Ohtani). pic.twitter.com/IGo5lD4Pum
In the same Heritage auction, vintage baseball cards also attracted strong prices. Two 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards each topped $850,000, with one graded an 8 by PSA selling for more than $1.55 million and another featuring a high-grade autograph fetching about $945,500, ABC30 reported.
Since Bryant’s 2020 death in a helicopter crash, the NBA legend’s sports memorabilia has commanded a high price. Exalted by some as the greatest basketball player ever, there is no shortage of demand for his mementos.
In April 2024, Bryant’s 2000 Los Angeles Lakers championship ring sold for $917,000 at auction. The ring marked the first championship won by the eventual five-time champion. Bryant gave it to his father, Joe, a former pro basketball player.
Kobe’s parents, Pam and Joe, sold the ring for $173,000 in 2013. Subsequently, the new buyer made over $700,000 at the time of the auction.
