Kaleena Smith is a 16-year-old star athlete at Ontario Christian High School in Ontario, California. The 5’6″ sophomore point guard is the highest-rated recruit in the class of 2027 and was named National Freshman of the Year by MaxPreps.
She has been in the national spotlight for years, gaining attention at just eight years old when she went viral after being featured in a USA Today article that referred to her as a ‘basketball prodigy.’ She received her first Division I offer from California Baptist when she was around 11 after attending a camp at the school. Let’s learn more about the young star.
Kaleena Smith Already Making History in Women’s Basketball
At just 16 years old, Kaleena Smith became one of the youngest athletes to sign a deal with Adidas. She is the first high school women’s basketball player to sign a NIL deal with Adidas.
“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,” said Candace Parker, the President of Adidas Women’s Basketball.
Smith will represent Adidas on the court with her High School and AAU teams. Such is her talent and reputation that colleges can’t wait for her. She holds offers from many major programs nationwide, including UCLA, USC, LSU, TCU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, UConn, South Carolina, Baylor, Maryland, Louisville, Alabama, and others.
Standing at just 5’5 with a 5’4 wingspan, sophomore guard Kaleena Smith continues to surpass every expectation for a No. 1-ranked prospect.
I’m just trying to prove people wrong,” Smith told The Next. “A lot of people see my height and say, ‘Oh, she’s too small, she won’t make it to college. She already hit her ceiling.’ So really just having that mindset around proving people wrong, whether it’s scoring or getting [my teammates] involved, I feel like I’m different from everyone else.”
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Smith was announced as a member of the 2024 USA Women’s U17 National Team after trials in Colorado Springs, CO. She also attended the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp in Portland, Oregon, and the 2025 Women’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Tampa.
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