Sophomore high school basketball star Kaleena Smith made history by signing an NIL deal with Adidas as its first women's High School Basketball partner on Wednesday. To celebrate the historic occasion, WNBA legend and President of Adidas Women’s Basketball, Candace Parker, gave the Ontario Christian High School basketball star a three-stripes diamond necklace.
This happened during her official photoshoot with the brand, with the former WNBA champion suddenly arriving and gifting Smith the necklace. She then helped the five-star prospect put on the necklace before participating in the photoshoot herself.
With the Adidas deal, Kaleena Smith will now be representing and wearing Adidas during all her games with not just Ontario Christian High School, but also her AAU team. This also gives her the chance to have her own shoe line, and she said she wants one herself.
"I definitely want to be one of the youngest to have my own shoe,” she told ESPN's Nick De Paula. “Being able to inspire the youth, especially the young girls that are like me.”
Smith broke into the scene during her freshman year, after an impressive season with Ontario Christian High School. This led her to be named the 2023-2024 Girls Basketball MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year and also named to the 2024 USA Women's U17 National Team. She was also one of only two freshman captains in Overtime Select.
Candace Parker comments on Kaleena Smith's Adidas deal
The signing is also a historic one for Candace Parker, as Kaleena Smith is the first signing for the former WNBA champion since she became the President of Adidas Women's Basketball.
"When I started in my role, I wanted to take an innovative approach in how we connect with the best players in the game and empower them in their pursuit of excellence on and off the court," the former Chicago Sky star said (per adidas). "Signing Kaleena as our first high school NIL women's basketball athlete is a pivotal moment for us as we lead in championing women's sports and building greater access to and representation in the game that we all love."
Parker also heaped some praises on the teen basketball star, saying that the future of women's basketball is in good hands with Smith.
Kaleena Smith is ranked the No. 1 recruit from the class of 2027 by 247 Sports Composite and she already has some college offers too, including schools such as UConn, Baylor, Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and more.