Jamila Wideman facts for kids

Jamila Wideman is an American lawyer, activist, and former professional basketball player. She was born on October 16, 1975. Her father is the famous author John Edgar Wideman. As of December 2024, she became the general manager for the WNBA team, Washington Mystics.

Jamila Wideman's 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. Her father started teaching at the University of Massachusetts.

Jamila's Education and Basketball

High School Basketball Success

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

In her final year, she led her team to the state championship. She averaged 17 points, 6 steals, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds per game. In the championship game, she scored 27 points. She also had 14 steals and 8 assists, plus 7 rebounds.

Jamila received many awards in 1992 and 1993. She was named a High School All-American by USA Today, Converse, Nike, and Kodak. She was also named Player of the Year for both New England and Massachusetts. In 1993, she played in the WBCA High School All-America Game.

A book called In These Girls Hope is a Muscle was written about her high school basketball team. While in high school, Jamila also wrote poems. One poem, titled Black, was about her racial identity.

College Studies and Sports

Jamila went to Stanford University after high school. She continued to play basketball there. Even though she was 5'6" tall, she was the smallest player on her college team.

At Stanford, she studied two subjects at once. 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. She earned her law degree there.

Jamila's Professional Basketball Career

Jamila Wideman was chosen as the 3rd player overall in the first-ever WNBA draft in 1997. She was picked by the Los Angeles Sparks. Her first game was on June 21, 1997. She scored 4 points, had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

She later played for the Cleveland Rockers in 1999. She averaged 2.2 points and 2 assists per game for them. After that, she was chosen by the Portland Fire in an Expansion Draft. She played 5 games for the Portland Fire.

During the winter of 1999–2000, Jamila played basketball in Israel. She played for the Elitzur Ramla club. Her team won the national championship that season.

Jamila tried to return to the WNBA in 2004. She signed with the Connecticut Sun. However, she was released two weeks later and did not play for them. Her last WNBA game was on August 9, 2000, with the Portland Fire.

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

Jamila's Activism and Writing

Helping Young People

After graduating from Stanford, Jamila started and led a program called the Stanford Athletic Alliance. In 1997, she also created "Hoopin' with Jamila." This program was supported by Nike.

USA Today recognized Jamila as the "Most Caring Athlete" in 1998. Her program also won the "Community Award" from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. This award is given to programs that offer good choices for young people.

In 2001, Jamila spoke at the Connecticut Forum. She talked about race with other important people like Stanley Crouch and Spike Lee.

Writing Contributions

Jamila worked with Juniper Lesnik to write an article. This article was about playground basketball. It was published in the Sunday New York Times.

Jamila's Life After Basketball

After getting her law degree from New York University Law School, Jamila became a lawyer. She worked at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama. There, she helped people who were facing serious legal issues. Later, she worked at 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 team in the WNBA.

See Also

• List of select Jewish basketball players