{"id":729848,"date":"2021-10-29T13:51:46","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T17:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=729848"},"modified":"2022-01-13T01:59:13","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T06:59:13","slug":"ucla-commit-jada-williams-spalding-brand-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/ucla-commit-jada-williams-spalding-brand-ambassador\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA Commit Jada Williams Wants to Elevate the Women\u2019s Game as a Brand Ambassador for Spalding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Jada Williams doesn\u2019t just got next, she\u2019s got now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The top ranked prospect in the class of 2023, who <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/womens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/31158544\/jada-williams-no-13-prospect-commits-ucla-bruins\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/womens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/31158544\/jada-williams-no-13-prospect-commits-ucla-bruins\" target=\"_blank\">committed <\/a>to UCLA back in March, has continued to make a name for herself on the court. From her elite mid-range jumper to her athleticism on the court as a scorer, the La Jolla Country Day High School point guard won the JR NBA Championship in 2021 and was selected to play for Team USA at the FIBA Americas U16 tournament. There, she <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usab.com\/basketball\/players\/womens\/w\/williams-jada.aspx\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usab.com\/basketball\/players\/womens\/w\/williams-jada.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">averaged<\/a> 11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while helping lead the team to a 6-0 record and a gold medal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In September, Williams turned up at the Nike Nationals and effortlessly showed off her versatility, knocking down shots from three-point range and dishing out dimes to her teammates. Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony was even in attendance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jada Williams WENT OFF In Front of Carmelo Anthony \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udd25\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VmTDu6EJVhs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When we caught with Jada earlier this month, it was clear that not only is she confident, but her passion for the game runs deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of people say, <em>Oh, how come you don&#8217;t average 30?<\/em> At the end of day, I want to win,&#8221; Williams told SLAM over the phone. &#8220;I&#8217;m gonna do whatever I have to do in the game to win, I&#8217;m gonna be the person that dives on the floor every possession. I&#8217;m going to be the person that guards the best player on the floor. I&#8217;m gonna do all that&#8230;If my thing that game is to have 30 assists, that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m gonna do\u2026My whole heart is into this game. This is my passion, this is one of my purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cEvery time I step out there, I&#8217;m going to communicate with my teammates, I&#8217;m going to be a leader of the team, I&#8217;m gonna do all that because, like, in my head, I&#8217;m a true PG&#8230;That&#8217;s my goal: to be able to lead the team on the court. Yes, there&#8217;s a coach off the court, and I\u2019m going to have a special relationship with them, but when we&#8217;re in between those [court] lines, it\u2019s us five versus the other team, right? So when I step out there, I\u2019m going to be the leader of the pack. It\u2019s me and my mine versus you and yours. I think that&#8217;s what really separates me, just knowing that I can impact the game more than just scoring.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-729851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1161098698-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That passion will serve her well at UCLA and as the newest brand ambassador of <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spalding.com\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.spalding.com\" target=\"_blank\">Spalding<\/a><\/strong>. Williams says she\u2019s ready to use her platform to help elevate the women\u2019s game, and through&nbsp;the multiyear partnership, she\u2019ll help front campaigns, collaborate on a limited-edition basketball series, and even engage in programs focused on growing women\u2019s youth basketball.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEver since I was young, I&#8217;ve always played with a Spalding. [I\u2019ve heard] that I played with other balls, just because I had to because the game ball was something different, but usually it was always Spalding or Wilson. So, just being able to be here now, like, when I was younger, I just remember getting my first ball for Christmas and being able to play outside with it, taking it everywhere basically, not really knowing where it was going to take me in life.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo be in this position and grow the women&#8217;s game [as] one of the first girls to sign with the basketball company and still being a junior in high school is something that I never [knew] I would do. But, I&#8217;m super blessed. I prayed for times like this and God put it on my plate because He knows I can handle it. So, [I\u2019m staying] grounded, being humble [and helping] grow the game and use my platform to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a standout female hopper on the rise, Williams says it\u2019s always been a priority of hers to use her platform to inspire others, especially young girls. Growing up, she looked up to players like Sue Bird and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who showed her that she could be into modeling and fashion <em>and<\/em> hoop at the same time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I was younger, [people would] say, <em>Oh, well, you can&#8217;t be a girly girl and play basketball<\/em>. She kind of paved the way for me [where] I could be cute, I could take pictures if I want to and can still get on the court and hoop with the boys if I have to. The WNBA in general, these women go through so much adversity with the haters&#8230;The WNBA just inspires me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CU7zIE5pXHR\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CU7zIE5pXHR\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CU7zIE5pXHR\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Jada Williams (@cbg.jada24)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>With that, Williams says she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B7zEdmPJ2Oh\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B7zEdmPJ2Oh\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">cherishes the moments she got to spend talking<\/a> to the late-Kobe Bryant, and wants to continue to honor both his, and Gigi\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKobe, [he] was probably my biggest inspiration ever. I would definitely call him like an uncle to me. Every time I spoke to him, he always had wise words and made me wake up every day and really think to myself, <em>how can I push myself beyond the limits that other people don\u2019t&#8230;<\/em>When I wake up in the morning, I think about, <em>How can I live their legacy? <\/em>I just feel like God is just telling me to just go hard, go hard, go hard.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She admits that when her mom told her about the opportunity to work with Spalding, her immediate reaction was,  <em>Spalding, as in the basketball company?<\/em>  To her own surprise, the legendary basketball brand\u2014who has been changing the game since it <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/spalding-continues-to-change-the-game-with-new-tf-line-of-performance-basketballs\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/spalding-continues-to-change-the-game-with-new-tf-line-of-performance-basketballs\/\" target=\"_blank\">debuted<\/a> its first-ever product in 1937\u2014wanted <em>her<\/em> to be their brand ambassador alongside NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, DeMar DeRozan and even Australian pro hooper Ezi Magbegor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve done other stuff where I post on my instagram with one ball, but I had never signed a contract because up until now, it wasn\u2019t allowed because of NCAA rules,&#8221; she says. &#8220;I knew stuff was gonna come in, but I didn&#8217;t know that it was going to come in as soon as it did.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cWhat better platform to be [an] ambassador for the company and be able to grow the women&#8217;s game,\u201d she adds. \u201cThat\u2019s one of my ultimate goals: to grow the women&#8217;s game and be somebody that the younger girls can look up to. People ask me, <em>well what do you want to do? <\/em>and I\u2019m like, <em>inspire young kids.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CUuvJfLAZod\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CUuvJfLAZod\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CUuvJfLAZod\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Jada Williams (@cbg.jada24)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>And, now that college student-athletes can profit off of their own name, image and likeness (NIL), and high school athletes <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DarrenHeitner\/status\/1418281414861234184?s=20\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DarrenHeitner\/status\/1418281414861234184?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">can<\/a> do so in the state of California, brand deals such as this one will also give Williams the opportunity to give back to her family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think for all athletes, whatever we get to do now is a blessing because we&#8217;ve always dreamed about this. Everyone\u2019s always been, you know, debating why we shouldn&#8217;t [and] why we should get paid and stuff like that, but when they passed [the NIL legislation], I feel like we do so much and we give our life to this and [now] we&#8217;re able to give back and provide for our families. That\u2019s really my goal, like, I&#8217;m not trying to get money to buy shoes right now. It\u2019s for the long run\u2014to be able to start those connections.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get it twisted though, Williams says her aspirations aren\u2019t just financial. She\u2019s looking to use her platform and fulfill her purpose:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMoney is not the end goal here, it&#8217;s to grow the game,&#8221; she clarifies. &#8220;Everybody\u2019s passionate about something, basketball <em>and<\/em> something. It\u2019s not just basketball, you know? My purpose is much bigger than basketball. If I can be that light in someone&#8217;s dark world now, that\u2019s my end goal.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spalding.com\/apparel\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.spalding.com\/apparel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spalding is releasing a new&nbsp;collection of apparel, the Fundamentals\u2014which features an exclusive collection of tees, sweatpants, shorts and hoodies that make for the perfect on, and off, court fit.&nbsp;It&#8217;s available starting November 5. <\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image002.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"729720\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image002.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/news\/spalding-releases-momentous-ez-assembly-basketball-hoop\/attachment\/image002-9\/\" class=\"wp-image-729720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image002.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image002-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image002-250x250.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image001-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"729721\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image001-2.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/news\/spalding-releases-momentous-ez-assembly-basketball-hoop\/attachment\/image001-2-2\/\" class=\"wp-image-729721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image001-2.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image001-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image001-2-250x250.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photos via Spalding and Getty Images. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jada Williams doesn\u2019t just got next, she\u2019s got now. The top ranked prospect in the class of 2023, who committed to UCLA back in March, has continued to make a name for herself on the court. From her elite mid-range jumper to her athleticism on the court as a scorer, the La Jolla Country Day [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":424,"featured_media":729855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49435],"tags":[63835,3019,63499,63726],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-729848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-magazine","tag-jada-williams","tag-spalding","tag-ucla","tag-wslam"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/424"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729848"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":729862,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729848\/revisions\/729862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729848"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=729848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}