ESPN writer Nick DePaula reports Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok because there wasn't enough diversity.

Now, Reebok says the report is false.

This week, she announced a major partnership with Adidas.

Beyoncé doesn't games when it comes to equal representation.



One day after news broke that the 37-year-old superstar has teamed up with Adidas to design clothing and shoes —and to expand her Ivy Park line—all eyes have turned to Reebok, which is owned by Adidas.

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ESPN writer Nick DePaula first reported that Beyoncé initially held meetings with brands like Under Armour, Jordan, and Reebok—but they didn’t go over so well. During a segment of ESPN's The Jump, DePaula said Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok when she realized the corporate structure there wasn’t at all diverse.

“She had a meeting at Reebok, and they had a whole presentation of everything—potential products, how this could all look...and she kind of took a step back and said, ‘Is this the team that’ll be working on my product?’ Somebody said yes, and she said, ‘Nobody in this room reflects my background, my skin color, and where I’m from and what I want to do,” DePaula said. “And so she kind of took a step back and left and then it did not come to terms.”

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But in a statement, Reebok denied DePaula's claim.

"The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact," a Reebok spokesperson said in a statement.

Through her music, art, fashion, and business launches, Beyoncé has championed the voices of Black people in America, along with those of LGBTQ people and other diverse communities.

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In his original report, DePaula said, “For her, it really goes beyond that. It’s not just about putting her name on a shoe and here’s the new Adidas Beyonce 1, or whatever they end up calling it. It’s about having an imprint on the company and an impact in terms of diversity."

Her partnership with Adidas itself, however, makes sense. As the New York Times points out, the brand recently launched a “She Breaks Barriers” initiative, which works to make sure media coverage of sports in the U.S. is equal between male and female athletes.

While dates for the debut of Beyoncé’s Adidas collaboration haven’t been announced, we're planning to be first in line to check out the collection.

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