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Athletes’ mothers are often their biggest supporters but rarely is that celebrated despite the fact that many players, including my son Kevin, lovingly tell the world about the impact their business-savvy mothers have on their careers.

Nuanced depictions of Black mothers on big and small screens aren’t much better. When we’re not shown sobbing over injustice toward our children, we are portrayed as angry, aggressive, loud women who harshly discipline our babies instead of hugging them.

So you can imagine the pleasure I derived when I recently sat down to watch the new movie ‘Air,’ which comes out Wednesday and tells the inspiring story of how Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) signed Michael Jordan to a deal in the 1980s, just before his meteoric rise in the NBA.

In the first scene that grabbed my attention, Sonny’s co-worker Howard White (played convincingly by Chris Tucker) tells him that in the Black community, you have to ‘go through the Mamas.’

That’s precisely what Vaccaro does as he sits down with Michael’s mother, Deloris Jordan (portrayed beautifully by Viola Davis), and explains why his tennis shoe company is the best choice for her son.

Vaccaro even accurately predicts how each company’s pitch will go, which endears him to Deloris as those scenarios play out before her eyes. What Vaccaro doesn’t expect is just how strategic Deloris Jordan is when it comes to getting her son the best deal possible, and when she finally does reveal her master plan, it is beyond uplifting.

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Like Deloris Jordan, I heard Nike’s sales pitch to my son

I didn’t have the level of intel that Vaccaro armed Deloris with when Adidas and Nike courted Kevin nearly 15 years ago, but there were surreal parallels between Michael and Kevin’s journeys, like walking into the Nike headquarters for the first time and hearing the pitch.

Like Michael, Kevin chose Nike. And like Deloris and James Jordan (played by Julius Tennon), his grandmother, father and I accompanied Kevin to Nike headquarters, which was much more diverse then than in 1984 when Howard White was the only Black Nike executive at the table.

Seeing the fictional Jordans in that room (the audience never sees the face of the actor playing Michael), I thought about the sacrifices Kevin and our family made that got us to that place. I can only imagine what it took for the Jordans.

Like Deloris in the film, I was laser focused as I listened to every promise and weighed our options. Part of our story was captured in Lifetime’s 2016 made-for-TV movie ‘The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story.’

As audiences learned, I was a loving disciplinarian, staunch supporter and an encourager to my sons, Tony and Kevin. Organized sports were a way for me as a single mother to focus on each of my children individually and celebrate them outside of our home as they developed a love for basketball, fueled their competitive natures and earned scholarships.

In return, I worked night shifts at the U.S. Postal Service’s mail processing center and did everything I could to show up and be present for my two favorite guys.

I attended most of their AAU games, started practices if coaches ran late and gave rides to my sons’ teammates (and sometimes their parents). Occasionally, I would catch the first quarter of one son’s game and then jump in my car, drive across Prince George’s County, Maryland, and catch the final quarter of the other son’s game, all while cheering from the bleachers.

Kevin’s intensity for hoops became apparent as he missed family cookouts and made other sacrifices to perfect his skills for many years with the help of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at age 35, and for whom Kevin numbered his jersey.

I knew early on that the NBA was Kevin’s ultimate goal, so I became savvier, too. When it was time to zero in on the NBA, I enlisted the help of Goodwin Sports Management and read and learned everything I could to help Kevin and our family make decisions that best benefited him.

Men doubted my ability to advise my son as he advanced to NBA

I also prayed and ignored the unsolicited comments of men who doubted if I, as a woman, could participate in the conversation about my son’s future. Some were subtle, and others asked outright whether I understood what was happening.

Initially, I snapped back with quick-witted responses. Later, I just smiled.

Kevin is an NBA championship-winning superstar and one of the few professional athletes to have the opportunity to sign a signature shoe deal with Nike. Like Michael, LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant, Nike believed in Kevin’s potential before he played in his first NBA game.

That was an emotional time for me to watch him be drafted into the NBA and then sign a deal with a behemoth like Nike.

In watching ‘Air,’ I learned just how brilliant Deloris Jordan was during the negotiations with Nike. She asked that her son be paid a percentage of earnings for every pair of Air Jordans sold, and it was Deloris, with that one request, who changed the game for many athletes to this very day. I didn’t know that Mama Jordan was the first to make that request.

This was one of the sweetest moments for me and it made me cry. The hairs on my neck stood up, and I got chills. God used Deloris to secure her family’s legacy, and now, because of her, all of our sons with signature shoe deals have benefited and have lucrative legacies of their own.

Not only did she change the trajectory of her life and her family’s lives, but she changed the trajectory of the lives of thousands and thousands of people. That gives me goosebumps, and we owe homage to her.

Deloris later founded the James R. Jordan Foundation, in honor of her late husband, to assist students with their education. Every time the foundation helps to produce a surgeon or a teacher, it is a part of her legacy, one that opened the door for LeBron James’ I Promise School, the Kevin Durant Family Foundation, the Wanda Durant Real MVP Charity, Inc. and other NBA-related charities.

It brings to mind the story of actor Jason Weaver and his mom. Weaver had a deal to sing ‘Hakuna Matata’ in the original 1994 ‘Lion King’ movie. Disney offered him substantial money, but his mom asked for a smaller amount and royalties. Some 30 years later, he still receives royalty checks because of his Black Mama.

We need more of these types of layered stories of Black motherhood. ‘Air’ depicts the courting of a legend, and it busts the narrative of the athlete’s mother, particularly Black mothers, in such a beautiful and mind-blowing way. Of course, you don’t have to be a Black mother to enjoy this movie, but watching ‘Air’ as one makes the message deeper and sweeter.

Wanda Durant is founder and CEO of Hope, Dream, Believe and Achieve. Her son Kevin Durant plays for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.

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It’s a Bayou Barbie world and we’re living in it.

On Tuesday, the LSU Tigers women’s basketball Twitter account made a movie poster of Angel Reese with her nickname ‘Bayou Barbie’ to go along with the popular meme promoting the release of the ‘Barbie’ movie.

‘This Barbie is a National Champion,’ the poster said, mimicking the official movie posters that list the roles of each character in the film, including lead Margot Robbie ‘is everything,’ singer Dua Lipa ‘is a mermaid’ and multi-hyphenate Issa Rae ‘is President.’

Reese, a sophomore forward, shot to superstardom as she led her team to the national championship with swagger and glamor. She gained more than 500,000 followers on Instagram after the big game, bringing her total to 1.2 million.

‘Barbie’ releases to theaters July 21. Fans can make their own ‘Barbie’ meme with the Barbie Selfie Generator.

Other teams from across the sports world hopped on the trend too, including the New York Jets and Mercedes Formula 1 team.

New York Jets make Quinnen Williams an All-Pro Barbie

Mercedes-AMG Petronas makes Lewis Hamilton ‘the greatest’ Barbie meme

Alpine shares Esteban Ocon Barbie meme

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MILAN (AP) — Romelu Lukaku’s management company reacted with outrage after the Inter Milan forward was shown a second yellow card and then sent off for a gesture toward Juventus fans who directed racist chants at him.

The incident occurred after Lukaku converted a penalty in stoppage time to earn Inter on Tuesday.

Lukaku held his finger to his lips as if to silence the crowd after scoring.

Lukaku’s gesture enraged the opposing team and the game ended in a scuffle between the two squads, with Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also sent off.

“Tonight’s racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted,” Roc Nation Sports International president Michael Yormark said. “Before, during, and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals.

“The referee’s response was to award a yellow card to Romelu. Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus, and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately,” Yormark added. “The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse.’

Lukaku himself added on Instagram: ‘History repeats. Been through it in 2019.. and 2023 again..I hope the league really take actions for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone.”

The Italian league on Wednesday issued a statement in which Lukaku was not named but said that it “strongly condemns every episode of racism and every form of discrimination.’

‘A few people in the stands cannot ruin the soccer show and don’t represent the thoughts of all the fans,” the league said.

The league judge will likely open a disciplinary case into the matter, while Juventus said it would collaborate with authorities to identify the fans responsible.

Lukaku, who is Black, has been subjected to racist chants on numerous occasions during his two stints at Inter.

“It is simply unacceptable to see the racist abuse aimed by spectators at (Lukaku),” FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram. “FIFA and I stand with Romelu Lukaku, just as we do with any other player, coach, match official, fan or participant in a football match who has suffered from racism or any other form of discrimination.

“I repeat the call I made earlier this year for fans to stand up and silence the racists,” Infantino added.

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The entertainment and sports worlds intersected in the latest episode of the hit Apple TV+ series ‘Ted Lasso’ when the show’s closing credits included a tribute to the late soccer journalist Grant Wahl.

One of the sport’s preeminent voices, Wahl suffered an aortic aneurysm and died in December at the age of 49 while covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The bond Wahl had with the show and its cast was a strong one. 

He and ‘Ted Lasso’ star Jason Sudeikis, who share ties to the Kansas City area, were close friends and he even contributed to last year’s third season. Sudeikis and series co-star and co-creator Brendan Hunt had also appeared on Wahl’s podcast.

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In one scene in the new episode, Hunt can be seen carrying a copy of Wahl’s book, ‘The Beckham Experiment.’

Those connections made the tribute card even more meaningful.

Two months before his death, Wahl wrote in his blog about a recent trip to Richmond, England – home of the show’s fictional AFC Richmond squad – in which he met up with Hunt on a walking tour of the city and a visit to the actual bar depicted in the series. 

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DALLAS — For all the widespread impact this riveting Iowa women’s basketball season delivered in permanently altering the sport, the Hawkeyes’ march to the national championship game has reshaped expectations on a micro level as well.

And it won’t take long to see the effects.

“This is going to be the standard we have,” said Iowa sharpshooter Gabbie Marshall in an emotionally proud Hawkeyes locker room after Sunday’s 102-85 loss to LSU.  

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The elephant in the room went unaddressed Tuesday evening at the Champions Dinner.

According to multiple past champions, the topic of Masters winners leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf was not mentioned during the annual get-together.

‘We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along,’ said 1979 winner Fuzzy Zoeller. ‘Nobody said a word about it. Phil (Mickelson) sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.’

As for Fred Couples?

‘Couples spoke a lot but didn’t mention LIV at all,’ 1973 winner Tommy Aaron said. ‘I sat next to Freddie, and he and Ray Floyd kept trying to figure out how many champions had come out of the final group.’

Live Leaderboard: Latest Masters Tournament Scores, Schedules, Pairings and more

Ben Crenshaw, who’s been the emcee of the dinner since 2005, welcomed the table by reading a 1954 letter that Ben Hogan had scribed to Masters co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. The letter shared the significance of being a member of the Masters Club.

‘Dear Bob and Cliff,’ wrote Hogan, as thirty-three sets of eyes latched to Crenshaw. ‘Today I received my invitation to the 1954 Masters Tournament and I am delighted to see this familiar invitation again. It brings back memories of the time I received my first invitation, back in 1938. Prior to that year, I remember hoping and praying that my game and record would qualify me for this much-prized invitation.’

TIGER’S MASTERS FUTURE: How many more times will Woods tee it up at Augusta?

Crenshaw paused to ensure all remained engaged. It wasn’t the first two paragraphs that stood out, but rather Hogan’s final words.

‘Surely this has to be the most exclusive club of all. Not only do a fortunate few of us have the tournament to look forward to, but the annual meeting of our club as well. Here, long after serious competition for some of us comes to an end, we can still get together and reminisce,’ Hogan wrote.

Chairman Fred Ridley also spoke, but similar to Crenshaw, he didn’t mention LIV golf. Instead, Ridley thanked the table for inviting him and shared about alterations to the golf course — most specifically to No. 13 tee box.

After dinner was served, Crenshaw recognized Scottie Scheffler, while lifting a right hand in the shape of the hook ’em horns sign.

“Everybody knows how Ben feels about Texas,” Aaron said. “And he made sure the table knew how well Texans have played in Augusta. You know, Crenshaw gave us a big hook ’em horns and he, Scottie and Jordan Spieth all enjoyed that.”

When asked how the food was, Aaron said, “The ribeye was fantastic, but the tortilla soup was spicy as hell.”

Added Fuzzy: “That soup was pretty damn spicy, but I enjoyed everything else.”

Crenshaw then recognized four members of the Masters Club: Tommy Aaron (50th anniversary), Mark O’Meara (25th anniversary), as well as Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle who are competing in their final Masters.

Mize became emotional when addressing the table, saying how much it meant ‘for an Augusta boy’ to win the Masters.

Aaron also spoke, sharing a story about the conclusion of the 1973 Masters when he was inside Butler Cabin waiting for J.C. Snead to finish.

‘J.C.’s in the bunker on No. 17, and hits out to about 15 feet,’ Aaron told the table. ‘So Jack looks at me and says, ‘No chance he’ll make this putt. You’ve got the tournament won.’ Well, of course the putt goes in, and I’m thinking, ‘Thanks a lot, Jack.”

As for Aaron’s thoughts on Mickelson, ‘I wished him good luck, but I couldn’t believe how quiet he was. Phil took a very low profile. He didn’t say a word.’

MASTERS 2023 LEADERBOARD: Get the latest news from Augusta

PAR 3 CONTEST: What to know about Wednesday’s family-friendly Masters warm-up

Scheffler, defending Masters Tournament champion, was the guest of honor and the Texan ordered up a dinner of cheeseburger sliders, firecracker shrimp, tortilla soup, Texas ribeye or blackened redfish and for dessert, a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie with milk & cookies ice cream.

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CHICAGO – Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has completed his final round of chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hendriks posted a video Wednesday on Instagram of him ringing the “victory bell” and a lengthy note thanking his medical team, wife, family, friends and fans.

“These past 5 months have been both the quickest and slowest of my life,” he wrote. “Being able to ring this victory bell has been one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done.”

Hendriks said his life “changed forever” five months ago.

“You never think you will be the one who hears ‘you have cancer’ but there I was … in shock and fear not knowing what comes next,” he wrote.

Follow every game: Latest MLB Scores and Schedules

Hendriks announced the diagnosis in January. He said in a video shown Monday prior to the White Sox’s home opener against the San Francisco Giants that he was beginning his final round of chemo.

A three-time All-Star, Hendriks was third in the majors with 37 saves and made his third All-Star team last season. He led the American League with a career-high 38 saves in 2021, after leaving Oakland to sign a $54 million, three-year contract with the White Sox.

Hendriks has 115 saves and a 3.81 ERA over 12 seasons with Minnesota, Toronto, Kansas City, Oakland and Chicago.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky high school football player has died days after suffering a head injury during a spring football scrimmage.

Andrew Dodson, a football player for Pulaski County in southern Kentucky, was injured Friday on the final day of spring practice. He was hospitalized and died Monday, according to the state athletics association.

Andrew was a junior tight end for the Maroons.

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association acknowledged the death with a statement on Twitter, saying its members ‘all mourn with his family, friends, teammates and the entire KHSAA family, the loss of this young man.’

“No words can explain, justify or rationalize tragedies such as these. We only ask for peace and comfort to all around him and around our great Commonwealth. We also encourage all to seek out family and friends to walk through this difficult time together and talk through all the emotions that come with losing a friend, brother, comrade, child and teammate,’ the statement said.

“We know in the hours, days, weeks, months and years ahead we will continue to remember his fighting spirit and passion for all things Pulaski County, as well as his deeply held beliefs about his time on earth and the following.’

Baseball phenom, 13, dies by suicide: He came home from school, left video

What happened?

Andrew’s father, Alan Dodson, told the Lexington Herald-Leader his son was tackled by a teammate during a scrimmage before he was hospitalized.

“It was not a violent hit or helmet-to-helmet. It was a simple, clean tackle,” he said.

Pulaski County does have an athletic trainer, but it isn’t clear yet if the athletic trainer was at the scrimmage.

A request for comment sent to the school was not immediately returned. Public schools in Pulaski County are currently on spring break.

Community support

There was an outpouring of support for Andrew, his family and his team on social media, including condolences from University of Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops.

First athlete death in Kentucky since 2020

The last athlete to die on a field in Kentucky came nearly three years ago when Matthew Mangine Jr. collapsed at St. Henry District High in Erlanger on June 16, 2020. Mangine’s family filed a wrongful death suit that settled in February. His parents created a non-profit that works to add safeguards to high school sidelines.

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For Connecticut Huskies coach Dan Hurley, his lucky underwear paid off (literally) as he led his team to the 2023 national championship.

After the win over San Diego State, underwear company MeUndies announced that it was donating $50,000 to the Husky Ticket Project, an alumni-run organization that sends underprivileged youth to Huskies games.

‘When we learned that Coach Hurley’s lucky pair is his MeUndies, and how superstitious he was, we were inspired to find a fun way to support him, the team, and larger community,’ MeUndies CEO Jonathan Shokrian said in a statement. ‘MeUndies makes the world’s most comfortable underwear and we’re happy to bring the Coach a much needed confidence boost when it matters most.’

During the Huskies’ tournament run, Hurley wore the same outfit twice in a row after beating Iona in the first round and then taking care of Saint Mary’s in the second. This included his red boxers with dragons on them from underwear company MeUndies, which he wore the entire tournament, his wife, Andrea Hurley, told the New York Post. The coach traveled with a portable washing machine to make sure his lucky boxers were ready for every game, Hurley said.

Upon hearing of Hurley’s superstition, MeUndies announced on Friday that the company would make a donation of $25,000 to the Husky Ticket Project, the charity of Hurley’s choice, for reaching the Final Four and add in another $25,000 if UConn won the whole thing, which he did.

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Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suggested on Wednesday that the charges brought against former U.S. President Donald Trump were politically charged and presented during an election cycle, adding he opposed such charges, according to reports.

Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Tuesday, while he continues to campaign for reelection to serve as the U.S. Commander in Chief.

López Obrador went on to explain the actions taken by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg were ‘the degradation of due respect for the law.’

‘I don’t agree with what they are doing to former President Donald Trump,’ the Mexican president said. ‘I do not know if crimes were committed, it’s not my place.’

López Obrador made the comments during a news briefing on Wednesday morning.

‘Supposedly legal, judicial issues should not be used for political, electoral purposes,’ he said. ‘Don’t make up crimes to affect adversaries.’

López Obrador made comments in March about Trump’s ongoing legal battle with Bragg’s office, appearing to side with Trump. López Obrador also suggested, before the indictment was handed down, that it was a way to prevent the former president from winning the White House in 2024.

López Obrador has served as Mexico’s president since 2018 and historically often disagreed with Trump.

But when it came to the indictment, López Obrador insisted the charges were fabricated, as he too has been the center of attempts to prevent him from obtaining political office.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The charge is typically a misdemeanor, though in New York it could rise to felony status when a defendant’s ‘intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.’

Bragg has accused the former president and his associates of using a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to hide potentially damaging information ahead of the 2016 election.

Bragg said Trump created 34 false entries in New York business records to conceal a $130,000 payment.

The indictment is the result of a multi-year investigation conducted by Manhattan prosecutors, into hush-money payments allegedly made by the former president to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The two women alleged they had affairs with Trump, though he denies the accusations.

The Associated Press and Paul Best of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

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