Jada Williams has flipped her commitment to Arizona, with the five-star point guard announcing the news Monday.
Williams previously had been committed to play at UCLA.
š»ā¬ļø tucson whatās good?! pic.twitter.com/DmwNW0bapq
ā Jada Williamsš« (@mrsmac0606) August 2, 2022
A senior at La Jolla Country Day outside San Diego, she went on a visit to the Wildcats in July. Her teammate Breya Cunningham, another top prospect for 2023, committed to the school in June.
āEver since I stepped on campus, Iāve been smiling,ā Williams said. āIt sounds corny or whateverā¦I do feel like Iām at home, and Iām ready to be a Wildcat.ā
The 20th-ranked prospect with an overall player rating of 96 by ESPN, Williams is fresh off of winning gold in the FIBA U17 World Cup with Team USA. At the World Cup, which took place in Hungary, she averaged 4.4 points and 2.1 assists per game.
Williams is one of the first high school basketball players to have pursued NIL opportunities, signing partnerships with Spalding and Dickās Sporting Goods. Sheās also partnered with media platform Overtime to produce her own reality YouTube series titled āBasketball is my Life.ā
In July, UCLA was one of two teams alongside USC to announce that they would be making the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten for the 2024 season.
UCLA basketball commit Jada Williams is taking advantage of new NCAA name, image and likeness rules by inking a multi-year deal with Spalding, making her a brand ambassador for both basketball equipment and sportswear.
In addition to being the face of relevant Spalding campaigns, Williams will also collaborate on a limited-edition basketball series and engage in programs looking to grow womenās youth basketball.
āIāve been playing with a Spalding basketball since I was a kid,ā said Williams. āIām honored to partner with a company that has been such a big part of my life for so long. Iām excited to be able to continue to use my platform to grow the game.ā
The 16-year-old point guard recently won the JR NBA Championship in 2021 and was selected by the council to serve on the Court of Leaders. Additionally, she was a member of Team USA at the FIBA Americas U16 tournament, where she helped the US to a gold medal and was named to the all-tournament team.
āJada is an incredibly talented athlete who personifies the Spalding brand with her skill, sportsmanship, and love for the game of basketball,ā said Matthew Day, Head of Brand Communications at Spalding. āWeāre thrilled to continue our commitment to female athletes and growing the game of basketball with this partnership.ā
Williams is one of the first high school athletes to ink a deal with a major brand. She joins Spaldingās stacked roster of athletes, which includes Damian Lillard, DeMar DeRozan and Ezi Magbegor.