James Harden, Gilbert Arenas & other NBA stars hail Kaleena Smith's historic Adidas NIL deal

By Avi Shravan

Modified Nov 16, 2024 10:45 GMT

James Harden and Gibert Arenas were among the NBA players who sent warm wishes to Kaleena Smith after the Ontario Christian High point guard signed a historic NIL deal with sportswear giant Adidas.

On Thursday, Adidas basketball made a post to announce the signing of the highest-rated high school recruit in women's basketball. They uploaded a picture of Smith and accompanied it with a welcoming message.

James Harden and Gilbert Arenas commented on the post.

"Welcome to the family," Harden commented.

"Congrats," Dorell Wright commented.

"Special K. Let's go. Welcome to the Adidas family," Arenas commented.

NBA stars welcome Smith to the Adidas family. (Credits: @adidasbasketball/Instagram)

Smith is Adidas' first NIL signing since the WNBA legend Candace Parker took charge as President of Adidas Women's basketball.

Parker expressed her thoughts on Smith's signing in a press release.

"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," Parker said.

Smith will represent Adidas in all her games, including those with her high school. She became the first high school NIL athlete to join an elite roster of Adidas women's basketball partners featuring Chelsea Gray, Alysha Clark and Aaliyah Edwards among others.

Candace Parker praises Kaleena Smith in her NIL deal announcement trailer

On Thursday, Adidas basketball shared an announcement trailer for Kaleena Smith's NIL deal signing on its X handle. WNBA Icon Candace Parker lent her voice to the video. She praised Smith and remarked that the Ontario Christian High guard reminded her of herself.

"This girl, her stripes are different. She reminds me of myself at sixteen. She plays with fearlessness like she's been here before. Her name being whispered in arenas she hasn't even played in yet," Parker said.

The President of Adidas women's basketball also highlighted the importance of signing Smith in a press release.

"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," she said.

Smith is the top prospect in the Class of 2027 and a player on the 2024 USA women's U-17 National team and 2023-2024 Girls Basketball MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year nominee.