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Rufaro Samanga
Jun. 14, 2019 10:07AM EST
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The Toronto Raptors' NBA Win Was a Two-Fold Historic Moment for Masai Ujiri

Not only was it the team's first ever championship win, the Nigerian-Kenyan General Manager is the first African to lead a basketball team to NBA championship victory.

Last night, the Toronto Raptors went in hard and emerged victorious over the Golden State Warriors with a score of 4-2 in the best of seven NBA Finals. Now, while everybody is talking about how the team finally managed to get rid of Drake's dreaded courtside "curse", the Raptors' taking home the championship (historic in itself) is also a historic moment for the Canadian team's General Manager, Masai Ujiri.

The Nigerian-Kenyan former basketball player, named the 2012-2013 NBA Executive of the Year, is now the first African General Manager to ever take home an NBA championship.

Ujiri is smiling from ear-to-ear after his team dethroned the Golden State Warriors to become the NBA champions. If that weren't enough, Ujiri has been approached by the Washington Wizards who want him as their President of Basketball Operations according to the Bleacher Report. "

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, he reported that:

"Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is expected to reach out to Toronto ownership soon to request formal permission to meet with Ujiri and offer a staggering financial package that would include running the Wizards' basketball operations and, perhaps, taking on a larger leadership role in the Monumental Sports and Entertainment company that oversees the Wizards and NHL's Capitals."

It's no surprise that the Wizards would do pretty much anything at this point to get Ujiri in their camp. The team hasn't won an NBA championship since the 1977/1978 season. They'll certainly need all the help they can get and if anyone can expertly take on that mammoth task, it's definitely Ujiri.

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(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

John Boyega Set to Star In Upcoming Netflix Sci-Fi Movie 'They Cloned Tyrone'

The film is being described as "Friday-meets-Get Out."

Fresh off his performance as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker John Boyega is set to take on another leading role, this time in the Netflix's upcoming sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news.

The film will be the directorial debut of Juel Taylor the writer behind Creed 2. He co-wrote the script for They Cloned Tyrone with Tony Rettenmaier.

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AKA, Cassper Nyovest, Samthing Soweto and Others are on the SXSW 2020 Line-Up

9 African artists have been confirmed for next year's SXSW.

Nine artists from the continent, six of which are from South Africa, are among the first wave of Showcasing Artists on the SXSW 2020 line-up. AKA, Cassper Nyovest, Amanda Black, Samthing Soweto, Nadia Nakai and Moonchild Sanelly will be representing South Africa in the festival which takes place in Austin, Texas annually. Nigeria's Simi and Lady Donli and Lesotho's Morena Leraba are also on the line-up of showcasing artists, which consists of artists from 51 countries.

James Minor, Head of Music Festival at SXSW said:

"This season's first artist reveal is a compelling and diverse list of artists from all corners of the globe. In the continued spirit of discovery, we're pleased to give the world a glimpse of what it can expect to see next March; a genre-spanning and defying lineup of artists you'll undoubtedly be hearing about in the future."

The first wave of African artists is a great mixture of mainstream and niche artists, and it's highly likely to get even better with more artists being added in the near future before the festival takes place.

SXSW is taking place in Austin, TX between March 16 and 22.

View the current line-up here.

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(Photo Courtesy of DIARRABLU)

Meet the Senegalese Designer Making Math Chic

Diarra Bousso uses algorithms to create designs for her line DIARRABLU.

Who knew that math and fashion could work together so seamlessly? Apparently Diarra Bousso did, the self-described "Creative Mathematician" and mastermind behind DIARRABLU. The Senegalese serial entrepreneur and multidisciplinary artist left a career of trading on Wall Street to pursue design and it paid off. She has just been awarded a coveted spot as the Designer in Residence at the San Francisco Fashion Incubator for her innovative use of equations and algorithms in her beautiful designs.

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(Photo by Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Getty Images for BAFTA LA)

Daniel Kaluuya Is Producing a Live-Action 'Barney' Movie with Mattel

Yes, you read that correctly.

In a move that absolutely no one saw coming, Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya is set to produce a live-action Barney movie in conjunction with Mattel Films. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story.

Kaluuya will co-produce the film as part of his 59% production banner, which signed a first-look deal with Paramount back in May. Speaking on his involvement with the project and the impact of Barney & Friends, Kaluuya had this to say: "Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood. We're excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of 'I love you, you love me' can stand the test of time."

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