A’Ja Wilson Becomes First Female Athlete to Sign Endorsement Deal With Ruffles

Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ahead of the tipoff of the WNBA playoffs tonight, the basketball league's official chip announced a huge endorsement deal for one of the players that will be vying for the championship.

Ruffles announced Las Vegas Aces star forward A’ja Wilson, 26, has signed a multi-year contract with the brand.

"Now, as the Official Chip of the WNBA, we're proud to welcome our first-ever female athlete to our roster with a flavor of her own," Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, said of the deal in a statement released by the company. "A'ja embodies what it means to Own Your Ridges, so we're owning our ridges too and elevating our product game as part of this partnership by bringing fans the first-of-its-kind Ruffles Ridge Twists."

Dream come true for a snackaholic 🥹😅
Blessings 🤍🤍🤍 https://t.co/QHIOAkC8E5

— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) August 15, 2022

The chipmaker added that the deal with the four-time WNBA All-Star would begin with the “game-changing launch of the new Ruffles Ridge Twists product line, including her own signature flavor, Smoky BBQ."

"I grew up eating Ruffles so it's a dream come true to join the family of Chip Deal athletes and have my own signature flavor that's inspired by my Southern roots," Wilson said.

The deal makes the Hopkins, South Carolina, native the first-ever female athlete to represent the brand.

Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Aces, Wilson led the University of South Carolina to its first NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in 2017. The Gamecock's all-time leading scorer, she was named the SEC Player of the Year a record three times in a row and led South Carolina to four consecutive SEC championships.

Wilson was named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year in 2018. She earned league MVP honors in 2020 and won an Olympic gold medal the same year as part of Team USA.

The chips will be available in stores nationwide in the coming weeks and are currently available on snacks.com in 5.5oz bags for $5.59 and 1.75oz bags for $2.29. Las Vegas heads into the WNBA Playoffs as the league’s top-seeded team. They face off against the Phoenix Mercury at home in Game 1 of the first round at 10 p.m. ET.

Solange Knowles to be the First Black Woman to Compose Music for New York City Ballet

beyRaph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The artist once known best as Beyoncé's little sister, Solange Knolwes, continues to prove that while she may never equal her older sibling's acclaim as a singer — her considerable talents behind the mic and beyond, place her among the most exciting performers working today.

Knowles' — who went from being an occasional backup dancer for the Beyoncé-fronted girl group Destiny's Child to a Grammy Award-winning R&B singer — latest venture is writing a score for a New York City Ballet production.

She announced the collaboration on her official Instagram account Tuesday.

"🖤very excited to announce i've composed an original score for the New York City Ballet 🖤 choreography by Gianna Reisen, score performed by the City Ballet Orchestra and soloist from my ensemble," Knowles wrote.

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A post shared by Solange (@solangeknowles)

The NYCB confirmed the news on its Facebook page.

"Multi-hyphenate recording artist Solange Knowles will foray into ballet for the first time, composing a score for Gianna Reisen's 2022 Fall Gala world premiere," it posted. 

It is not the first time the 36-year-old singer-songwriter has spread her wings artistically beyond music. She has also worked as an actress, and in recent years ventured into performance art.

"I’m not at all interested in entertainment," she told Surface magazine —during a discussion about her artistic ambitions — in a 2018 interview. "I’m really interested in energy exchange between the viewer and the performer. One way to do that is to make an inclusive experience through style, through energy, through space." 

Knowles has debuted performance art pieces around the globe, including putting on shows at Germany's famed Elbphilharmonie (Witness!) concert hall and Los Angeles' Getty Museum (Bridge-s). 

After its premiere during NCYB’s annual Fashion Gala on Sept. 28., the production will be staged later this year on Oct. 1, 8, 11 and 16. It will also return for five performances during the Company’s 2023 Spring Season on May 2, 11, 13, 17 and 18.

Rapper, Nipsey Hussle, Receives Posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Nipsey Hussle was honored posthumously today with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The ceremony came over three years after the rapper was shot dead outside his Marathon clothing store in South Los Angeles on what would have been his 37th birthday.

It took place in front of family and friends on Hollywood Boulevard. His longtime girlfriend, actress Lauren London, was in attendance — along with his sister Samantha Smith and grandmother Margaret Boutte.

"I think I speak for the entire city of LA when I say that we've always known Hussle was destined for greatness," said London, addressing the crowd. "This moment only amplifies this for us. Nip would've been honored by this moment."

Smith added, "Nip the Great, look at who you are, look at what you did. I'm in awe but I'm not surprised. You've been a star in my eyes, the family's eyes, God's eyes, far before the accolades caught up."

Boutte accepted the star on behalf of Hussle's family.

"He lives forever,'' she said. "And I look at his picture and remember all the wonderful times we had together. Nipsey, I love you; I miss you, but you're close at heart always."

Born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, the Los Angeles native worked his way from gang member to Grammy Award-winning musician and gang reformer during his abbreviated life.

To help keep others out of gangs, Hussle worked with the city on public works projects and provided shoes for students and shelter and accommodations for the homeless. One of his community improvement efforts, a redeveloped strip mall, housed the shop where he was killed on March 31, 2019, by 32-year-old Eric R. Holder Jr.

The gang member was convicted of first-degree murder in July. Sentencing is set to take place in September. Holder faces up to life in prison.

Watch the entire presentation below:

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