Tag: Kanye West

Aaron Donald leaves Donda Sports following Kanye’s antisemitic comments

Aaron Donald has parted ways with Kanye’s Donda Sports following the rapper’s hateful remarks

Back in May, Aaron Donald became the first professional athlete to sign with Kanye West’s sports marketing agency, Donda Sports. However, Donald has decided to end his deal with West’s agency early following the rapper’s recent antisemitic comments.

West has been dropped by several major companies since making his hateful remarks, including adidas and his own talent agency, CAA.

Donald released a statement on Tuesday announcing his decision, saying he wants to send a message that “hateful words and actions have consequences.” He also said Kanye’s recent comments and “displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children.”

You can read Donald’s full statement below.

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who also signed with Donda Sports this year, announced Tuesday that he too has dropped the agency. Brown denounced West’s comments earlier before parting ways with Donda Sports.

When Donald originally announced his deal with Donda Sports, he said he like the “family atmosphere” Donda brought.

“It was an opportunity that came to us, me and (my wife), and it made sense,” he said. “And hearing the whole spectrum of everything that’s going on and what they were going to be bringing, the family atmosphere that they got in Donda Sports. Not just me, but my wife being a part of that. For me, it was a no-brainer.”

Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown are parting ways with Donda Sports after Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks

On the same day Adidas made its decision.

On the same day that Adidas finally decided to terminate its partnership with Kanye West, the rapper’s sports agency is losing its two biggest stars.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown both announced on Tuesday that they would be leaving Donda Sports amid the backlash to Ye’s — formerly Kanye West — repeated antisemitic comments over the past couple weeks.

Brown had initially stopped short of leaving Donda Sports and didn’t explicitly speak out against antisemitism when asked about Ye’s comments. In his statement, Brown made the point to correct that and apologized in the process.

Donald’s statement also made clear why he was leaving Donda Sports.

According to Forbes, Ye will lose his billionaire status without his Adidas partnership. And without stars like Brown and Donald, the now-toxic Donda Sports will have trouble competing in the talent space as well.

You can read more from USA TODAY.

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Jaylen Brown faces widespread criticism for response to Ye controversy

The Celtics star has found himself in the news for what many are characterizing as his inadequate response to West’s comments.

Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was one of the first star athletes to sign with Ye (formerly Kanye) West’s Donda agency to represent his non-NBA interests, and in the wake of the antisemitic diatribe that embroiled West in scandal in recent weeks, he has also been among the first to feel the effects of what many are criticizing as his inadequate response to West’s comments.

Unlike West’s own talent agency CAA or his former sneaker partnership with Adidas — both of which have distanced themselves from West, breaking their business ties — Brown has eschewed doing so in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

“A lot of time goes into creating an entity or organization,” said the Celtics wing regarding his decision to remain with Donda.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: These Yeezy Alternatives might make Kanye West mad, but they’ll save you some money

Kanye West won’t approve of these, but Special Delivery absolutely does

Kanye West and Yeezy have been in the news a lot over the last few weeks. The billionaire business mogul is trying to part ways with Adidas before his 10-year contract ends in 2026.

At the root of his displeasure with the brand he’s been rocking for a decade now are some take-down designs of Adidas footwear that look awfully similar to some of his Yeezy designs.

The 2022 Adilette slide, the AdiFOMQ and so many more of Adidas’ sneakers are very clear riffs off of work West has done. He’s bothered by that.

But, honestly, they’re pretty good sneakers. And we brought some on this week’s episode of Special Delivery to show just how quality they are.

Tap in.

Kanye West savagely roasted GAP after terminating Yeezy deal: ‘I’m not going to argue with people who are broker than me about money’

Kanye West shows no mercy to The GAP

Kanye West, man. What can we say about him that hasn’t already been said? The dude has been wylin on the internet lately.

In most recent news, West told the Wall Street Journal  that he officially terminated Yeezy’s partnership with The GAP clothing brand after just two years of working together on what originated as a 10-year deal.

Yeezy and GAP had the idea of creating a utilitarian Yeezy brand that could be inexpensive and available for everyone, no matter what their financial background looked like. This didn’t happen, obviously, because the deal is over.

It’s a whole bunch of mess. But that’s not really what we’re here to talk about. The funny part in all this comes with Ye absolutely going in on GAP on CNBC’s Closing Bell with hostess Sara Eisen show late Thursday evening.

Eisen suggests that the deal had plenty of potential but West is still terminating it. She’s attempting to ask him why while he’s attempting to get her to tell him that he’s the greatest. That exchange alone is awkward and hilarious.

But what comes after it is even better. Take a look.

“Don’t bring a leader in and have him not lead. Why would I argue with people who are getting paid by The GAP? I’m sorry. I’m not going to argue with people who are broker than me about money.” 

WOW. That is…that is a quote, y’all. The “understood” response is also great here. Because what else do you say after that? My goodness.

Look, sorry to The GAP. But this is tremendous content. The internet absolutely needed this. The people are cracking up.

Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery

Aaron Donald, Kanye tease Yeezy cleats that are coming soon

Watch Aaron Donald describe what he needs in a Yeezy cleat, which Kanye says are “coming soon”

Just before signing his lucrative contract extension, Aaron Donald signed with Donda Sports – Kanye West’s sports and entertainment management company. It was a partnership Donald was excited about, though he didn’t share many details on what he might be working with Kanye on.

We got a little taste of their collaboration when Kanye posted a video on Instagram showing Donald describing what he needs in a Yeezy cleat. Kanye’s caption was “YEEZY CLEATS COMING SOON” so it sounds like Donald could be wearing them at some point.

Here’s what Donald said in the video.

“I need a little bit more – if it’s a soft material, I got wide feet, big feet,” he said. “I want to be able to have my foot in there for all the cutting and stuff so it won’t be all over the place. Something with a material that’s a little thicker. I’m in the trenches so if I’m getting stepped on and stuff like that, gotta be wider for my feet because my toe problems and stuff like that. Just gotta be durable, something that could last.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CiEQPb-DlGI/?hl=en

Kanye previously had a few players wearing his Yeezy 350 cleats back in 2016, including DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins was fined $6,000 for wearing them and the shoes were later banned by the NFL.

It remains to be seen if there will be a new version of Yeezy cleats released or whether Donald will actually wear them in a game, but it’s clear he and West are beginning to collaborate.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Kanye West is losing the plot with Yeezy and the Turtle Dove 350 retro proves it

Kanye needs to chill. ASAP.

The Turtle Dove Yeezy 350 started everything between Adidas and Kanye West. This sneaker generated so much hype back in 2015 when it first released.

It might also be the beginning of the end of the partnership between West and Adidas. The two sides have been on shaky ice for a while but after West’s rant following the retro of the 350 things reached a new tipping point.

West complained they launched the entire thing without his approval — including the retro of his most hyped Adidas Yeezy sneaker.

We brought that sneaker on this week’s episode of SD. With it, we dive into why Kanye got so upset about it and, honestly, why his issue doesn’t fit in with the ultimate vision of Yeezy.

Tap in, fam.

Bengals RB Chris Evans had a hilarious response to his odds of becoming Kim Kardashian’s next boyfriend

He’s gotta love those odds.

I’m not even going to attempt to understand how the names on this list were compiled, but Odds Shark created odds for who Kim Kardashian’s next beau will be. And while some were pretty self-explanatory, like Pete Davidson and Kanye West, others were not.

One of those other names, and maybe the most random of the 14 to make the list, was Chris Evans. And before you think, “Wait, Captain America? That’s not so random.” No. It’s not that Chris Evans.

It was Cincinnati Bengals second-year running back Chris Evans. And he appeared just as confused to see his name on the list as anyone.

Judging by the emoji selection, Evans certainly doesn’t seem against the idea. And he’s got to love his odds. The odds for that Donald Trump guy should probably be a lot longer, though.

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Boston’s Jaylen Brown explains why he chose Kanye West’s Donda agency to represent off-court ventures

It goes beyond West’s success as an artist.

Initially thought by some to be Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown’s sole representation, it has since come to light that Brown’s partnership with Donda Sports, the new agency started by rapper Kanye West, is focused on marketing the Georgia native’s many off-court ventures.

Speaking to Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Brown shared some background on what he expects out of the partnership and why he chose to work with West on such ventures. “It’s a little bit of everything,” he explained. “Just trying to make an impact, make an influence. Take our platform and rather than going through the ups and downs of dealing with people in higher-ups, we get to come at a different angle.”

Brown also made it clear that his decision to work with West’s agency was not just because of his success as a producer and a rapper, but also his experience doing fashion, clothing, and other business ventures.

“Somebody who has always been about breaking walls and breaking down barriers,” the Celtics star described West.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Jaylen Brown: I’m looking forward to working with Kanye West

On what Kanye West means to him as an artist and fashion icon… Jaylen Brown: A pioneer. A legend. Somebody who has broke barriers, you know? He started off as a producer and transcended the game in that way and arguably had a better rap career and …

On what Kanye West means to him as an artist and fashion icon… Jaylen Brown: A pioneer. A legend. Somebody who has broke barriers, you know? He started off as a producer and transcended the game in that way and arguably had a better rap career and now is doing business in fashion with his clothing line; somebody that’s ALWAYS been about breaking walls and breaking down barriers and for me I’m looking to do the same stuff so, he’s definitely a pioneer and definitely somebody you want to admire and follow the game. So, I’m looking forward to working with him.

Source: Twitter

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
One-on-one with @Isiah Thomas… How he became a mentor to Jaylen Brown and why he’s so happy @Jaylen Brown wound up with his old rival @Celtics.
bit.ly/3xt0oNb – 10:31 AM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Jaylen Brown: “We are not scared. We do not fear the Golden State Warriors.” pic.twitter.com/b6RU8hXUrE – 8:37 AM

Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
One of the @Celtics’ biggest rivals of the 1980s is very happy that Jaylen Brown is with the franchise and flourishing.
As an @Jaylen Brown‘s mentor, he’s proud of what he’s become on and off the court.
bit.ly/3xt0oNb – 7:25 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Jaylen Brown said he already read @WCRhoden‘s “Forty Million Dollar Slaves” while in high school, and had no idea he was talking to Rhoden today until Rhoden gave him an autographed copy of the book. #Celtics #Warriors #NBAFinals2022 – 2:02 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Jaylen Brown came to the podium with a signed copy of @WCRhoden’s book, “Forty Million Dollar Slaves.” Said he met Rhoden today and sheepishly said he didn’t realize who he was talking to at first, having read the book in high school. Said it’s already a good day as a result. – 2:01 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Jaylen Brown said he already read @BROSpod‘s “40 Million Dollar Slaves” while in high school, and had no idea he was talking to Rhoden today until Rhoden gave him an autographed copy of the book. #Celtics #Warriors #NBAFinals2022 – 2:01 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Jaylen Brown “We are not scared. We do not fear the Golden State #Warriors.” #Celtics #NBAFinals2022 – 1:58 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Jaylen Brown said the team met today and the importance of Game 6 was emphasized. “We have all the motivation in the world,” he said. #Celtics #Warriors #NBAFinals2022 – 1:56 PM
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Jaylen Brown: “We’ve learned so much throughout this process.” – 1:55 PM
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Jaylen Brown: “We know what’s at stake. All the motivation in the world (for Game 6). Leave it all out there.” – 1:54 PM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
For today’s @SInow Daily Cover, I talked to Jaylen Brown about Jaylen Brown: https://t.co/7Km5kDRUdh pic.twitter.com/vtAruRawJx – 1:42 PM

More on this storyline

Isaiah Thomas: Heard that before lol -via Twitter @basketballtalk / June 16, 2022
On explaining his love for fashion and the DONDA brand… Jaylen Brown: Marketing, but it’s a little bit of everything, you know? Just trying to make an impact, make an influence, you know? Take our platform rather than going through the ups and downs of dealing with people and higher-ups, we get to come at them at a different angle. That’s what I’m looking forward to. -via Twitter / June 16, 2022
On being a sneaker ‘free agent’ and what companies have to do for him to rock their brand… Jaylen Brown: We’ll see how it goes. I definitely talked to a lot of companies and already reached out, but I’m not into doing anything ‘traditional’ like how it’s been done before. I feel like that they’ve been taking advantage of the athlete – I mean, it’s not more about endorsements, it’s more about making the impact and trying to do something with your platform and with your name rather than just, Here take this money, wear our shoes and smile…I’m not into that so, we’re going to do something different in that regard. -via Twitter / June 16, 2022