“The best sisterhood”: Former USC star Aliyah Boston “welcomes” Kaleena Smith to the Adidas family

Kaleena Smith became the first high school women’s basketball athlete to sign an NIL deal with Adidas on Thursday. The Class of 2027 recruit is one of the top prospects and is the first signee under former WNBA star Candace Parker, who is the President of Adidas Women’s Basketball.

Indiana Fever star and former South Carolina center Aliyah Boston welcomed Smith to the fold via an Instagram story on Thursday. Boston joined Adidas in May last year.

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"Welcome to the /// fam 🫶🏽🫶🏽 the best sisterhood."

Aliyah Boston's story about Smith (Credits: Instagram/@aliyah.boston)

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In May 2024, Candace Parker was appointed as the president of the apparel giant's women's division. Commenting on the signing of Kaleena Smith, she said:

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“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.

"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."

Kaleena Smith will represent Adidas in high school and AAU

In the statement, Adidas revealed that Kaleena Smith will be representing the brand during all her games with Ontario Christian High School in California. It also will reportedly sponsor the 5-foot-5 point guard's high school team and AAU team that is set to join the 3SSB Circuit because of this endorsement.

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"I embrace any opportunity to challenge myself and improve my game, and I believe that’s what has fostered the confidence and skill I have on the court,” Smith said in a statement.

"I’m blessed to be part of something Candace is creating and to get to do that with a brand like Adidas who is taking a different approach to play a role to help grow the game for players like me. Plus, I’m really excited to get to rock the Harden sneakers this season.”

Candace Parker also called Smith the future of women's basketball. The guard averaged 34.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 steals last season and was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year.

Kaleena Smith is one of the sought-after recruits, having already received offers from nearly 20 programs. Some of these include South Carolina, Louisville, UConn, USC and LSU.

Some of the other women's basketball athletes under Adidas are Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Aaliyah Edwards, Nneka Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, Alysha Clark and more.

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