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What Had Happened Was: 6/7/16

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    APTOPIX Italy Tennis Italian Open
    Serena Williams takes a selfie as she holds the trophy after beating Madison Keys 7-6, 6-3, in the final match of the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker Kofie Yeboah

    SOCIAL STATUS

    If it ain’t about the money, don’t be blowin’ her up. Serena Williams is now the highest-paid female athlete, earning just under $29 million ($28.9) in the last year. Easy money.

    giphy

    BLESSINGS!

    This ’bout to be the new dance craze, y’all. Jones BBQ and foot massage!

    WEAR THE MUG AT, DOE?

    Where is Brock Turner’s mug shot? We ask because he was convicted on all three felony charges he faced, after raping a woman behind a dumpster on Stanford’s campus, and yet, as of yesterday afternoon, had only been shown smiling in every single photo on social media.

    But guess what, folks? At close to 8 p.m. on Monday, it was finally released.

    https://twitter.com/diana_prichard/status/739972712949501952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Let’s discuss some media bias.

    In addition to the smiling photo, the other issue with coverage was how Turner was being described. One Twitter user pointed out a pretty blatant disparity by one of the country’s largest legacy papers.

    FOR THE CULTURE

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. THEY AIN’T FORGET

    2. #LEADERSHIP

    https://twitter.com/RohanNadkarni/status/739975362646528001

    3. EYE ON THE BALL

    #ICYMI

    Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner, and Oris Stuart, the league’s senior vice president and chief diversity & inclusion officer, sat down with our own Marc J. Spears to discuss the damning diversity problems the league has at its highest levels:

    The Undefeated: What can the NBA actually do? You can’t force an owner to make a hire. But it did seem to me that a lot of the black [candidates] I talk to say, ‘Hey, we appreciate the NBA’s efforts, but they can’t force anyone to hire us.’

    Tatum: It shouldn’t be about the forcing. This is not about checking the box. This is about creating. And what we can do as a league is create a culture and understanding that going out and identifying a diverse pool of candidates and the best possible talent out there is good for business. It is good for your team. Teams generally do understand that.

    Stuart: We have implemented an associates program within our basketball operations with the objective of putting former players into a position to develop the skills and to prepare themselves for these roles. Expanding that pipeline is something that we are doing and can continue to expand.

    PICTURE PERFECT

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    Kofie Yeboah asks for Sweet Tea at every restaurant and recites approximately 2.5 Spongebob lines per hour.

    This Story Tagged: What Had Happened Was Serena Williams