Washington Wizards

• (Location: Club 104)
  Carbonara Mac n' Cheese (Canadian Tire Centre): Macaroni topped with Canadian cheese curds, sharp cheddar, Italian Grana Padano, and pork belly.
• (Location: Stand 212)
  Texas Smoked Wagyu Stacker (Frost Bank Center): Smoked Wagyu tri-tip on sourdough bread with chipotle crema and jalapeño coleslaw.
• (Location: Section 115)
  The New Fashioned (Capital One Arena): Ritual Zero Proof® Whiskey Alternative (non-alcoholic) with cherries, bitters, and simple syrup.
• PPG Paints: PensGear will offer a variety of basics and collectibles for all ages this season with featured brands including YETI®, FrostBuddy.

• Ja Morant, the 23-year-old star point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, was barely 1 year old.
• But his bursting athletic brilliance, so evocative of Iverson, comes with a cost: the perceived menace of the Black gangster.
• On March 4, 2023, Morant posted an Instagram Live video of him displaying a gun at a Denver strip club.
• Even when folks who look like Morant innocuously and legally possess a gun, they find themselves too easily typecast as villains.

Disciplining ‘thugs’ and ‘children’

• When global sports icon Michael Jordan retired from basketball in 2003, the league found itself in a period of transition.
• How would it continue to fill arenas, satisfy advertisers and spread its vision of a global game without its brightest star?
• Not only did the NBA need a new crop of superstars to mitigate Jordan’s exit, but it also needed a fresh attitude.
• Players openly professed their love for rap music, with stars like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Iverson and others recording and releasing music.
• “This guy is so worried about being cool: ‘Look at me, man: Life is like a rap video.’”

The NBA’s gun culture

• In 2006, Stephen Jackson was suspended just seven games for firing a gun after an altercation at an Indianapolis strip club.
• In 2010, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended for 50 and 38 games, respectively, after pulling guns on each other in the Washington Wizards team facilities.
• And in 2014, Raymond Felton was suspended four games after pleading guilty to charges stemming from an incident where he threatened his estranged wife with a gun.
• In 2018, during a trip to Israel, Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green posed with an assault weapon.

Was this ever about guns?

• To me, the answer is simple: In America, armed Black folks conjures pathological criminality.
• So if people are so sure of Morant’s villainy, I ask without a hint of snark: What does responsible Black gun ownership look like?
• To me, this was never about guns – just as, back in the early 2000s, it was never about rap music or baggy clothing.
• According to this warped, uniquely American fantasy, “good guys with guns” can never look like Ja Morant – and good guys can always kill bad guys.

• Now in its 31st year, the popular event will benefit USO National Capital District, the Capital Area Food Bank, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area.
• "Giant has hosted the National Capital Barbecue Battle since 2016 and this year will be the biggest to date with more food and fun than ever," said Ira Kress, President at Giant Food.
• At this year's Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, Divert will install bins throughout the festival to collect food waste and turn it into clean energy.
• In addition, tickets to the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle are available online at BBQINDC.com or at the event entrance.

• The speakers include CEOs, a governor, and trailblazing creators who have deep ties to the Washington, D.C. region.
• In a unique student-focused tradition, AU brings together a diverse group of high-profile commencement speakers each year to address the individual themes of its seven schools and colleges.
• Commencement ceremonies will be held on May 12 and 13 for undergraduate and graduate students across most AU schools and colleges and May 20 for the Washington College of Law.
• Justice Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court, will address graduates of the Washington College of Law at noon.