Jamila Wideman facts for kids

Jamila Wideman (born October 16, 1975) is an American lawyer, activist, and former professional basketball player. She is the daughter of famous author John Edgar Wideman. Jamila is currently the general manager for the WNBA team, Washington Mystics.

Early Life

Jamila Wideman was born on October 16, 1975. Her father, John Edgar Wideman, is an African-American author and a professor. Her mother, Judith Ann Goldman, is a lawyer.

Jamila lived in Laramie, Wyoming, until she was 10 years old. Her father taught Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming there. In 1986, her family moved to Amherst, Massachusetts.

Education and Basketball

High School Years

Jamila started playing on the Amherst Regional High School Varsity team when she was in 7th grade. She played for six years!

In her senior year, she led her team to the state championship. She averaged 17 points, 6 steals, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds per game. In the State Championship game, she scored 27 points and had 14 steals.

Jamila received many honors in 1992–1993. She was named a High School All-American by several groups, including USA Today and Nike. She was also named Player of the Year for New England and Massachusetts.

Her high school basketball team was even featured in a book called In These Girls Hope is a Muscle. While in high school, Jamila also wrote poems about her identity. She published a poem called Black after the Los Angeles uprisings in 1992.

College Years

Jamila went to Stanford University and continued playing basketball. Even though she was 5'6" tall, she was the smallest player on her college team.

At Stanford, she studied two subjects. She earned a degree in political science and African-American studies in 1997. After playing professional basketball, she went to New York University School of Law and became a lawyer.

Professional Basketball Career

The Los Angeles Sparks chose Jamila as the 3rd player picked in the very first WNBA draft in 1997. Her first game was on June 21, 1997. She scored 4 points and had 6 assists in that game.

Jamila later played for the Cleveland Rockers in 1999. She then joined the Portland Fire in 1999. She also played in Israel for the Elitzur Ramla club during the winter of 1999–2000. Her team won the national championship there!

In 2004, Jamila tried to return to the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun. However, she did not play any games for them. Her final WNBA game was with the Portland Fire in 2000.

In 2005, Jamila played professionally in Ibiza, Spain. She reunited with her college teammate, Kate Starbird, there.

Activism and Community Work

After graduating from Stanford, Jamila started and led the Stanford Athletic Alliance. In 1997, she also created a youth program called "Hoopin' with Jamila." Nike helped fund this program.

USA Today recognized Jamila as the "Most Caring Athlete" in 1998. Her program also won an award for offering good alternatives to sending young people to jail.

In 2001, Jamila spoke at the Connecticut Forum. She shared the stage with important people like Spike Lee and Bill Russell. They talked openly about race.

Writing and Post-Basketball Life

Jamila also wrote an article about playground basketball for the Sunday New York Times. She worked with Juniper Lesnik on this piece.

After finishing law school at New York University Law School, Jamila became a staff attorney. She worked at Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Alabama. There, she helped people facing serious legal issues. Later, she worked for the Legal Aid Society in New York City.

In September 2018, Jamila was hired by the NBA. She became the Vice President of Player Development. This role helps basketball players grow and succeed.

In December 2024, Jamila Wideman was announced as the general manager of the Washington Mystics, a WNBA team. This is a big leadership role in professional basketball.

See also

• List of select Jewish basketball players