KALEENA SMITH BECOMES FIRST HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE TO SIGN NIL DEAL WITH ADIDAS

Congratulations are in order for Kaleena Smith. The talented 16-year-old has become the first high school female athlete to sign an NIL deal the athletic wear giant, Adidas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas Basketball (@adidasbasketball) The German company shared the news in a joint post on Instagram with Smith, captioning the carousel of images, “Welcome Kaleena Smith to the adidas Basketball family.” Smith, a sophomore from Ontario, California, is the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2027. The 5’6″ point guard has already received nearly 20 college offers from programs including: the University of Southern California, the University of Louisville, the University of Connecticut, the University of California, Los Angeles, Louisiana State University and the University of South Carolina. It is no wonder that Smith was Candace Parker’s first signing when she took over as president of Adidas women’s basketball in May. Candace Parker and Kaleena Smith. ADIDAS INSTAGRAM “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 said in a recent interview. “I’m blessed...