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■■ NEWS
New Editor for Tri–State Defender
TSD Newsroom
The Tri-State Defender has hired Stephanie R. Jones, a journalist with 30-plus years of newspaper experience, as editor for its digital newspaper.
Jones has served in editorial roles at several newspapers across the country, including a 10-year stint at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis in the business, features and copyediting departments.
Andrea Childress-Ealey Joins The Tri-State Defender as Multimedia Sales Manager
By TSD Newsroom
Andrea Childress-Ealey has joined The Tri-State Defender as the new multimedia sales manager for the media organization. Childress-Ealey has a wealth of experience in sales, event management, marketing and advertising.
She will lead advertising sales strategies for The TSD’s online media platforms.
R. Jones
“I’m excited to be a part of the Memphis news community again,” said Jones. “The Tri-State Defender has a rich history of service in the Memphis community and beyond, and I look forward to helping continue that tradition.”
Jones also has worked at daily newspapers in Indiana, Texas and her home state of Mississippi. In addition, she has worked for the Jackson Advocate and Mississippi Link, both of which cover African American communities in Mississippi.
“The Black press plays an important role in addressing news relevant to its communities as well as highlighting accomplishments and chronicling events that often go unnoticed by other media,” Jones said.
“We are happy to welcome Stephanie to the TSD family and look forward to her leading the editorial process for this legacy media organization,” said Calvin Anderson, president of the TSD Board of Directors. “Stephanie understands Memphis and the Black Press, and her years of experience are a major asset for The Tri-State Defender.”
Jones holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Jackson State University, and a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University. She has served as a board member for the National Association of Black Journalists.
Feel free to contact Jones at srjones@ tsdmemphis.com or 601-454-0372.
“Starting this new journey as the multimedia sales manager at The TriState Defender is an exciting opportunity to blend creativity, strategy and relationship-building to drive impactful media solutions,” said Childress-Ealey. “I’m looking forward to contributing to this historic publication.”
Calvin Anderson, president of The Tri-State Defender Board of Directors,
said in welcoming Childress-Ealey to the sales team: “Our advertisers will have the benefit of working with someone who thinks about what’s best for their businesses and selects the best TSD platforms to bring awareness to their brands, products and services.”
Childress-Ealey is a Chicago native and a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art.
You can contact her at achildress-ealey@tsdmemphis.com or call her at 901-523-1818.
President Calvin Anderson Editor Stephanie R. Jones
Stephanie
Andrea Childress-Ealey
■■ PERSPECTIVE
Companies face immediate backlash for abandoning DEI pledges
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Corporate America’s retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments is already having significant repercussions, with consumer boycotts, stock fluctuations, and mounting legal battles reshaping the financial landscape for major firms. Companies that once championed DEI efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder have begun to abandon these initiatives under mounting conservative pressure, only to face economic and public relations consequences of their own. Target is at the center of a lawsuit alleging it misled investors about its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and DEI policies. The lawsuit argues that Target’s messaging led to widespread boycotts following its 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride campaign, which extended into a 2024 backlash. The impact on the retailer’s bottom line has been undeniable, with Target’s stock price experiencing a sharp decline. On a recent trading day, shares dipped another 28 cents. Further, Blue Chip Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Target by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, selling more than 10,000 shares.
Despite dropping its own DEI initiative, Walmart has fared better than Target, even as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund recently divested from the retailer. On Feb. 14, Walmart’s stock slipped from $105.30 per share opening to $103.60, a minor dip compared to the larger financial instability seen elsewhere. Other corporations abandoning DEI commitments are feeling the strain in different ways. Ford, which eliminated its DEI program, is now facing what many argue is the karma of a staggering $2.5 billion in punitive damages from a recent jury verdict in Columbus.
McDonald’s has seen its stock continue steadily declining, falling to $308.55 per share, with Blue Chip Partners LLC also selling off its holdings in the fast-food giant. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, preparing to comply with executive orders to dismantle DEI programs, have also taken hits. Coca-Cola’s stock dropped by more than 63 cents, while PepsiCo saw a more than $1.19 per share decline.
Some companies that have retreated from DEI, such as Meta and JPMorgan Chase, have managed to hold their ground. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has cozied up to MAGA figures, shielding the company from harsher backlash. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who has long advocated for diversity, recently downplayed DEI training programs, insisting the bank’s approach to minority communities remains unchanged. The company’s stock has remained steady at $276.59. Citigroup and Morgan Stanley have also largely avoided financial fallout,
maintaining relatively stable stock prices despite walking back their diversity commitments. However, Citigroup’s decision to remove or alter its public-facing DEI language has drawn criticism. Goldman Sachs took a similar step, scrapping a requirement that companies it takes public must have at least two diverse board members, citing legal developments.
The entertainment and media industries are not immune. Disney has overhauled its DEI initiatives, dropping its “Reimagine Tomorrow” website and adjusting diversity-related content warnings. While Disney’s stock has fluctuated, it recently slightly increased by 79 cents. Meanwhile, PBS has shuttered its DEI office, citing the need to comply with anti-DEI executive orders. Corporate compliance with Trumpaligned policies is also apparent in the beverage and consulting industries. Bloomberg reported that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are adjusting their policies to align with federal contract regula-
tions. Deloitte has told U.S. employees working with government clients to remove pronouns from their email signatures, rolling back its DEI goals. Accenture, another major consulting firm, has eliminated diversity targets in hiring and promotion, citing the Trump administration’s stance.
Retailers and financial institutions are also responding. Lowe’s has merged its employee resource groups under one umbrella and cut its participation in external diversity events. Truist Financial Corp. recently trimmed its stake in Lowe’s, selling off over 39,000 shares. Meanwhile, Amazon omitted DEI language from its latest SEC filing, signaling a broader shift in corporate strategies. Boeing has dismantled its DEI department, folding those responsibilities into human resources. Consumer and activist backlash have been swift. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, has launched a national public education and selective buying campaign in response to corporate America’s retreat from DEI. The NAACP has also issued a spending guide identifying businesses that have abandoned or upheld diversity commitments. Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta has called for a 40-day economic fast against Target, urging 100,000 people to halt spending at the retailer. Bryant noted that Target had pledged $2 billion toward Blackowned businesses but rescinded that commitment in January.
“Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” Bryant said on the Black Press’ Let It Be Known news program. “Because of how many dollars are spent there and the absence of commitment to our community, we are focusing on Target first.”
Black people spend $12 million a day at Target.
Pastor Walter Womack, president of Memphis SCLC, has died
By TSD Newsroom
In the heart of South Memphis, the Reverend Dr. Walter Womack stood as a guiding light for the community, striving for change and advocating for those most in need. On Wednesday, the Memphis branch of the NAACP confirmed his passing.
For years, Dr. Womack was a familiar face in the Walker Homes neighborhood, where he led the congregation at Faithful Baptist Church. His influence, however, stretched far beyond the pulpit. As the sitting president of the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he was involved in local efforts to reduce youth violence and create safe spaces and mentorship programs to protect and uplift the city’s youth.
In 2021, after hearing about a troubling increase in homicides, Dr. Womack’s words rang with urgency. “We’re going to have to put boots on the ground and engage our young people,” he said, showing a determination to
combat the rising tide of violence with a call to action.
Throughout the years, Dr. Womack was regarded by many as a beacon of hope, a voice of reason and a leader who never shied away from the tough conversations about how to reshape the future of the city. His presence in Memphis, particularly in the South Memphis community, was felt deeply by all who knew him. Faith leaders across the city have expressed how much his commitment to social change and youth advocacy will be missed.
A visitation and memorial service for Pastor Womack will be held Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, from 4-7 p.m. at Faithful Baptist Church, 462 Flynn Rd., Memphis, TN 38109.
Funeral service will be on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11 a.m. at New Mt. Sinai M. B. Church, 4920 Horn Lake Rd., Memphis, TN 38109, with burial at Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.
M.J. Edwards – Whitehaven Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Pastor Walter Womack was among an array of people representing various groups as they made a pitch for raises beyond what Mayor Jim Strickland called for in his budget proposal. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/TSD Archives)
■■ ENTERTAINMENT
Life of a Star, In Her Own Words
Book Review:
By Terri Schlichenmeyer Special to The Tri-State Defender
You march to the tun of your own drummer because you like the beat.
It’s the same cadence you carry in your heart and soul, and it sets your pace and your path. No one else’s pulse matches yours, no one else’s rhythm will do. You march to your own drummer and as in the new memoir, “Fearless and Free” by Josephine Baker, translated from the French by Anam Zafar and Sophie Lewis, you dance to it, too.
When he first met Josephine Baker in 1926, journalist Marcel Sauvage suggested that she might want to write her memoir, and the 20-year-old Baker laughed at his idea. Later that year, when he sat down to hear her story, he learned that Baker was prone to laughter.
She was born into poverty in 1906 in St. Louis, and she told Sauvage that she began dancing to keep warm. She grew to love being a performer, but earning money was more important so Baker left school at age eight to work. For the rest of her life, she carried a painful lesson and a love of animals from her first job.
She made her official debut in Philadelphia at age 16 and worked her way to a better-paying job in New York before leaving for Paris, where she was a national sensation. Audiences couldn’t get enough of her humor or her then-scandalous “banana dance.” Oooh, la la! Baker was welcomed, not just in
France but around Europe, where her performances were celebrated. She shared with Sauvage all the places she’d been, and which ones were her favorites. She reminded him that she’d once known poverty, which is why she tried to help poor children and widows in the cities in which she performed. She told him about the people she knew and those she loved, though she promised that she wouldn’t give details. She had little good to say about her return to America.
As biographies go, “Fearless and Free” is very good, but only to a point.
Though journalist Marcel Sauvage briefly touches on Josephine Baker’s later life and he hints at her work during World War II, that work is not addressed, nor is Baker’s famous “Rainbow Tribe.” In short, the book is too short.
And yet, what’s here is stellar. Baker was funny and wise and single-minded, and that all comes out in her words, as Sauvage kept them. You’ll be delighted by that, but you may be surprised at the almost gentle way she talked about the racism she experienced on return visits to America. Readers may get the sense that Baker was absolutely the type to stand up for herself, but she also understood that stardom, in the Jim Crow era, demanded discretion.
This is the kind of book that’ll make you search online for videos of its author onstage, and it’ll send you in search of other books about Josephine Baker. Though it doesn’t include enough years, if you love biographies, “Fearless and Free” can’t be beat.
c.2025, Tiny Reparations Books
$32.00 304 pages
“Fearless and Free: A Memoir” by Josephine Baker, translated by Anam Zafar and Sophie Lewis, foreword by Ijeoma Oluo
Josephine Baker in 1950
■■ NEWS
Dr. Coopwood envisions new Regional One Health campus as ‘gateway’ to activate Union row
By James Coleman Special to The Tri-State Defender
Withbig plans in mind, a core Memphis institution – Regional One Health – will move to the former home of another Memphis institution with the purchase of the old Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union Ave.
The investment is the latest development in an effort to build a modern campus to serve the hospital’s growing needs. Along with being the region’s only level 1 trauma center, Regional One is a teaching hospital that partners with nearby University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
“We want this to be a destination people come to for critical care, like other academic hospitals across the country,” said Reginald Coopwood, MD, Regional One Health president and CEO.
A new facility will help the medical center’s various departments, such as surgery, obstetrics, internal medicine and radiology, keep pace with Coopwood’s ambitions. It will also provide an up-to-date workspace for healthcare professionals and those in training.
“It will also help us design where we have better access to care; where we will be able to create a true academic medical center; where there will be research, education and teaching; and bring critical care in order to improve the health of Mid-Southerners,” said Coopwood.
In addition to being a bridge be-
tween Memphis’ medical district and Union Avenue, the planned facility could eventually become “a gateway” to Downtown.
“Hopefully, we can get Union row up and going. And all that property between there…almost down to The Peabody,” said Coopwood. “We want it to be an economic stimulus for this community.”
The six-acre parcel is one of six properties Regional One packaged in the deal. The other adjacent parcels run alongside the Union property or border Beale Street directly to the south. The total cost for the cumulative 16 acres is $24.9 million.
Like the old Commercial Appeal building, most of the properties have sat empty or neglected for years. The deal came together once the property where the newspaper’s warehouse sat was added to the bundle.
The warehouse property had previously been snapped up by a subsidiary of a California-based self-storage company for $3.725 million in March 2024. A new storage facility was about 70 percent complete when construction was halted by the sale to Regional One Health.
Shelby County Commissioners approved the purchase in late January. Members previously approved $350 million toward the Regional One project in 2023. Total costs could run between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.
Regional One officials are hopeful the state will supply additional funding this legislative session. To date, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ efforts to
sway lawmakers into chipping in have failed.
Philanthropy is expected to make up the rest.
With deed in hand, the programming phase can begin. It is expected to take around four months. It will be followed by the design phase, which will take another 12-18 months. The Commercial Appeal building will be demolished.
Reginald Coopwood, MD, Regional One Health president and CEO
■■ NEWS
“We want this to be a destination people come to for critical care, like other academic hospitals across the country.”
— Reginald Coopwood, MD
“That puts the construction phase roughly 18 to 24 months away,” Coopwood said. “It is expected to take five to seven years to be fully completed.”
The new purchase ended up being “Plan B,” as the original plan was to rebuild the new hospital on the current footprint, which would have required building and tearing down in stages over many years. The plan was considered challenging because patient care would have to continue in existing buildings while construction was underway.
Regional One originally intended to construct half of the new building on the current Jefferson Avenue site with the other half slated for the site of the Molecular Science Building on Madison Avenue. However, a deal to purchase the Madison property from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center fell through. Together, the purchased bundle
of properties are significantly larger. Being adjacent to one another, they will allow architects to design a contiguous facility. The off-site purchase will also permit hospital operations to continue without disruptions, delays or workspace limitations when construction begins.
“There are significant benefits to having a larger footprint, as well as not having to do it where we are actually working,” said Coopwood.
The original project also had a longer timeline; estimated completion was eight to ten years.
After purchasing The Commercial Appeal newspaper, owner Gannett Co. Inc. moved the paper’s print operations off-site in 2017. Two years later, day-to-day operations moved to 120 N. Front St. The move to a smaller home followed several rounds of layoffs of full-time employees.
Regional One Health purchased the old Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union Ave. to build a modern campus to serve the hospital’s plans for future growth.
The six-acre parcel is one of six properties Regional One Health packaged in the deal. The other adjacent parcels run alongside the Union property or border Beale Street directly to the south. The total cost for the cumulative 16 acres is $24.9 million.
TDHS announces 10 grant recipients for inaugural fatherhood grant program
The program will invest $5 million in funding to support public, private and nonprofit organizations serving fathers
By TSD Newsroom
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has selected the first round of recipients for its inaugural Fatherhood Grant Program, a $5 million initiative designed to support organizations working with fathers across the state.
The program was launched to strengthen family dynamics and promote child development. It has awarded grants to 10 public, private and nonprofit organizations serving communities across Tennessee. The recipients were chosen from more than 120 applicants.
The organizations receiving funding include:
• Agape Child & Family Services Inc.
• Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis
• East Tennessee State University (ETSU)
• First Things First Inc.
• National Football League Alumni Association – Tennessee Chapter
• New Vision Inc.
• Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services
• Signal Centers Inc.
• Southwest Human Resources Agency
• United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties
The first two organizations listed serve the Shelby County area.
TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter emphasized the impor-
The Tennessee Department of Human Services’ new fatherhood grant program will invest $5 million in the state’s well-being by partnering with public, private, and non-profit organizations to support and empower fathers. (Envato)
tance of fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives.
“Fathers are essential to the development, health and well-being of their children, families and all of Tennessee,” Carter said. “It is for this reason we launched the Fatherhood Initiative and this transformative grant program. We
are honored to partner with organizations and communities across Tennessee to empower fathers, strengthen families and create a brighter future for our children.”
The Fatherhood Grant Program will fund services focused on fatherhood, including mentorship, co-parenting support, skill-build-
ing workshops, educational programs, employment assistance and financial literacy training. For more information on the grant recipients and the services they offer, visit the TDHS website at www.tn.gov/humanservices/ for-families/fatherhood-grants. html.
■■ NEWS
Stacked City Council session tackles MATA funding, Uptown parking, blight fee
By James Coleman Special to The Tri-State Defender
MATA will be up and running through the end of March after Memphis City Council members approved $5 million in funding for the cashstrapped transit authority during a Budget & Audit Committee meeting Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The resolution was part of a larger $12 million effort to shore up bank accounts in various city government agencies. Council members also approved a $7 million funding resolution. The two items had been separated during a Feb. 4 Budget Committee meeting.
During that Feb. 4 meeting, a vote on funding MATA was also postponed and sent to committee after MATA interim leadership failed to provide a financial update to Transportation Committee members. However, MATA brass revealed the agency’s $30 million FY2025 budget is set to run dry at the end of the month. The current fiscal year ends June 30.
The City Council passed a resolution last fall requiring MATA to provide results of a financial audit it requested after the agency ran a $60 million deficit in FY2024. Instead, MATA officials provided a 100-day action plan to right operations.
MATA is currently being managed by an interim team from Tampa-based TransPro Consulting, which Memphis Mayor Paul Young hired after learning of the deficit.
Uptown parking fee approved
Council members also approved an ordinance to create a $50 annual permit for on-street parking along the Uptown community on the first of three votes.
Pitched by council member JB Smiley, the permit would apply along
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North Main Street between Looney Avenue and Saffarans Avenue.
Uptown contains a mix of single-family residential homes, bordered by a multi-family development to its north. In 2014, similar permits were used to quell disputes between Overton Square area businesses and residents that share Monroe Avenue. The trial run ended after a year once a public garage opened on Cooper Street, directly across from the food and entertainment district.
Fee for vacant properties approved
A proposed $300 fee on blighted and vacant properties unconnected to utilities was also moved along during the afternoon committee meetings.
Proposed by council member Jerri Green, the fee would be tacked onto yearly property tax bills of properties that violate codes. The fee would cover the costs of cleanup, which are currently paid by the city.
Solid waste fees included with utility bills only pay for removal of waste from occupied properties.
The first of three votes is expected during a Budget & Audit Committee meeting on March 18.
All Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda, or additional information. In accordance with the Authority’s purchasing policies, the Authority will give preference to businesses located in Shelby County, Tennessee when awarding contracts and making purchases, unless prohibited by law. The successful Respondent must sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding the Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action,
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By order of: Terry Blue, A.A.E. President and CEO Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Pitched by council member JB Smiley, an ordinance to create an annual $50 permit for on-street parking along the Uptown community moved forward on the first of three votes. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender)
■■ SPORTS
Memphis NBA All-Star hopes
fizzle as Grizzlies’ teams fall short in new tournament format
By Terry Davis Special to The Tri-State Defender
Memphis’ opportunity to shine on All-Star Sunday night, Feb. 16, in San Francisco fizzled after both teams that sported representatives of the Grizzlies’ success fell short in the celebration’s new format.
This year, the league kicked the tires on a mini-tournament featuring four teams. Akin to pick-up games, the winner is the first team to reach 40 points.
Grizzlies’ leading scorer Jaren Jackson Jr. exited the tournament in the first game. Playing for Kenny’s Young Stars, the two-time AllStar scored four points, two rebounds, two assists.
It wasn’t enough. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 12 points, Team Global All-Stars outscored the opposition 41-32 in eight minutes of play. Both coaches work as analysts for TNT’s “Inside the NBA” program. For Jackson, the early exit didn’t tarnish the experience.
“It’s great for my team to go and show the great work they have been doing off the court. To be around my family to see it firsthand and to be excited for me. I am ready to get back home to start second half of the season.”
Going into the contest, Jackson’s goal was to pull-off an All-Star weekend rarity, play defense. The 6’11” power forward also chipped in two blocks and a steal in the effort.
“They knew I was going to play defense, I told them I was going to play defense.”
sharing the experience with them,” said Edey.
Jackson’s team of fellow All- Stars included Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, who led Kenny’s Young Stars with six points apiece. Other starters on the eight-member squad are Jaylen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson. The bench was made up of Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards. The latter did not play.
In addition to Alexander, centers Nikola Jokic and Karl Anthony Towns also started for Chucks’ Global Stars. They were joined by Donovan Mitchell and Pascal Siakam in the starting five. Victor Wembanyama, Aperin Sengun, Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo made up the bench. All nine members have an international connection.
“It was great to be out there. It was a great experience. It was rare company and real some great talent,” said Jackson.
His teammates fell out of contention in the next semifinal game. Grizzlies rookies Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells scored two points and grabbed two rebounds apiece as the veteran-laden Team Shaq topped the Rising Stars team 42-35 in 11 minutes.
Other members of the rookie Rising Stars squad include fellow starters Keyonte George, Stephen Caste and former Tennessee Volunteer Dalton Knecht. Bench players were Trayce Jackson-Davis, Amen Thompson and Ryan Dunn. Knecht and Dunn led the team with eight points apiece.
“It was great being here. My teammates were here and it was good building a relationship with them and
Milwaukee Buck point guard Damion Lillard led all scorers with nine points. Shaq’s OGs featured other perennial All-Stars like Kevin Duran, Jason Taturn, James Harden, Kyrie Iriving, Stephen Curry and Jaylen Brown. The latter two scored eight points in the win. Former Lakers teammates Lebron James and Anthony Davis did not play.
Shaq’s OGs were coached by Golden State Warrior Hall of Fame player Chris Mullin.
“It was fun. I have been able to guard those guys all season. It was great to see them all on one team and to be able to go against them.” said Wells. “Seeing the whole thing take place. As a kid you just see the production part. I loved just being a part of it.”
The OGs topped the Global Stars 41-35 in the championship. Boston Celtics’ Jason Tatum scored 15 points and Golden State Warrior’s Stephen Curry added 12 points in the win. Wembanyama led the Global Stars with 11 points.
Terry Davis
Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey started for the Rising Stars team on All-Star Sunday, Feb. 16.
Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells looks for an opening against Stephen Curry on All-Star Sunday, Feb. 16 in San Francisco. Photos: (Terry Davis/Tri-State Defender)
By Terry Davis Special to The Tri-State Defender
With familiar faces and family around, Grizzlies leading scorer Jaren Jackson Jr. felt right at home with his selection to play in the 2025 Western Conference All-Star Game in San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 17.
“I just saw my dad out there. He was hyped. He was with my uncle. My uncle is in, so that was dope. My mom, I’ve been seeing her at my appearances, so that’s been dope, and my friends are here. It’s a party. I think that’s the takeaway, it’s nice to see everybody smiling. It’s nice to see everybody just enjoying their time out here. It’s huge. It’s huge,” said Jackson.
It is the second time the 6’11” power forward has been named an All-Star. He was also selected by NBA coaches to be a reserve in 2022. The first time around, teammate Ja Morant made the trip too. However, this year rookie starters Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey are on hand with their selections to the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars Challenge.
There is a chance the pair could face Jackson on Sunday, after Team C knocked off a team of G League players to win the championship round. The winner of the Challenge will face a team of All-Stars during a mini-tournament on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Jackson has his fingers crossed at the potential opportunity.
“I want to dunk on both of them, for sure. I can’t wait. I want to - as soon as they won the game, I definitely said, I have my eyes on y’all. I’m watching y’all. So, I got them.”
Wells played high school basketball at Folsom High School, nearly 100 miles from the Bay Area. A first round pick out of Washington State, he began his college career at Sonoma State University before transferring. In January, the
■■ SPORTS
Jackson ready for All-Star Game, Edey & Wells extend West Coast stay
Bay Area school announced this will likely be the Seawolves’ final season.
“It was sad because it happened so abruptly,” said Wells.
Jackson will team up with Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Williams (Thunder), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Evan Mobley (Cavaliers), Cade Cunningham (Pistons) and Tyler Herro (Heat). Their team’s name is Kenny’s Young Guns, after TNT host and NBA player Kenny Smith.
Team Smith will play fellow TNT host Charles Barkley’s team. Team Charles Global Stars’ players include Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Trae Young (Hawks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
(Thunder), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) and Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers).
Team C will face the Shaquille O’Neal-coached OG’s. Led by LeBron James, the team includes Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving. Tipoff is at 7:20 p.m. Kenny’s Young Guns will play Charles Global Stars at 8:10 pm.
The first team to reach 45 points will be the winner.
The championship game will begin at 9 p.m. The first to 25 points will take the crown.
The Rising Stars Challenge was the first taste of All-Star Weekend festivities in San Francisco for Wells and Edey. The pair received an extension on their West Coast vacation after Team C knocked off Team G League 25-14 on Saturday, Feb. 15.
With a new format this year, Wells and Edey join their Team C teammates as they square off against NBA AllStars in a mini-tournament on All-Star Game Sunday, Feb. 17.
The winner of the championship round was the first team to reach 25 points. Spurs rookie Stephen Castle poured on 12 points to lead Team C. Edey had two points and two rebounds in 3:48 minutes of play, while Wells was held scoreless. The contest lasted just over seven-and-a-half minutes.
Other members of the Team C roster include former UT Volunteer rookie Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers, Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz, Trayce Jackson-Davis from Golden State and Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns. They are coached by 2010 NBA Hall of Fame inductee Chris Mullin.
Forward Dink Pate and center Leonard Miller scored five points apiece in the loss. Other members of the G League squad include JD Davidson, Mac McClung, Bryce McGowans, Reed Sheppard and Pat Spencer.
A member of the Osceola Magic on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic, McClung won the 2025 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Friday, Feb. 15. He is the only player to win the award for the third consecutive year.
In the opening round, Team C topped the Tim Hardaway-coached Team T, 40-34, to advance to the championship game. The first team to reach 40 points was the winner.
Wells and Edey started both games.
The All-Star Game tips-off at 7 p.m. on TNT.
Jaren Jackson Jr(Terry Davis/The Tri-State Defender)
