Birmingham, AL. Last week New York City based artist Alex Alpert teamed up with Chibi Dinos NFT project to create something special. Alpert designed a one of kind custom pair of Air Force 1’s that blended his unique artistic style and the theme of Chibi Dinos. Chibi Dinos is an NFT project that created 10,000 unique basketball playing dinosaurs from another universe. Ownership of a Chibi Dino grants it’s owner access to a play to earn game as well as exclusive Chibi content. Chibi Dinos has collaborated with several NBA players including RJ Hampton, Michael Carter Williams, Quinn Cook, Gary Harris, Kendrick Nunn, De’Aron Fox and many more. The Alpert and Chibi Dinos Air Force 1’s and the NFT of the shoes were auctioned off on Open Sea. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Rising Coaches DEI Alliance, whose mission is to use sports to create change for Equality in the sports profession and in local communities.

The Rising Coaches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Alliance is proud to announce that education and social innovation leader Dr. Marcus Bright has joined the Alliance as Senior Advisor. Dr. Bright has worked across the country to build partnerships and put processes in place that have generated access, opportunities, and resources for diverse populations of people. He has published over 150 articles in various publications including the Huffington Post, The Grio, Miami Herald, and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, hosted a television show that was nominated for a Regional Emmy Award, and spoken across the country on a variety of topics related to public policy, education, and social justice.