SAN DIEGO — Spend some time in the La Jolla Country Day gym, and it won't take long to realize that junior guard Jada Williams is special.
A unique talent on the high school landscape, Williams is committed to playing college basketball at UCLA and is ranked as one of the top 20 players in her class.
Not only does she bring a broad skill set to the court, but she also carries what most would refer to as a passion for the game.
"I can never remember not liking basketball," Williams said. "I started playing with boys early on because no girls wanted to play basketball the way I wanted to play basketball, so it was either recess or YMCA."
"Eventually, I got kicked out because I stole the ball too much, but it's always been a part of my life," she said.
And it continues to be a huge part of the 17-year-old's story.
Growing up playing in Missouri, Williams burst onto the scene about six years ago when a video of one of her crossovers went viral online.
"And then Drake liked it, a whole bunch of NBA players liked it, and then boom, my following took off," she explained.
From that point, more so than just an up-and-coming star on the court, Williams started to build her star on social media.
"It was starting to gradually get bigger and bigger, and then I started being friends with the big guys like Jelly Fam or Mikey Williams, and that's when I started noticing like, "Woah, it's going up,'" Williams said.
Fast forward to 2022, and Williams is one of the country's most popular female high school players.
She currently has over 477,000 followers on Instagram and just under 172,000 on Tik Tok. But back home in Missouri, there was just one problem — at the time and in that state, she couldn't capitalize on her following.
"I was just hitting a wall, like NCAA rules were like you can't get paid, so I was just hitting a wall," Williams said. "Because I wanted to play college basketball, so I was like I'm not touching no money."
"A lot of people thought I was making money back then, and I wasn't, because I couldn't," she said.
It was part of the rationale behind why she and her family moved from Missouri to California. Not only could she come to play for one of the top teams in the country in La Jolla, but the state is one of just six that allows high school players to profit off their name, image and likeness.
Since last year's big move, Williams has inked deals with national brands, including Spalding and Dick's Sporting Goods.
She sees the exposure as an opportunity for herself and one that can shine a broader spotlight on all female players.
"A lot of people look to the WNBA for that, but they're so far gone and already on to a different thing," she said. "We're the generation that's going to make that keep going."
While the social media spotlight and endorsements have been welcomed, it's still all about basketball for Williams at the end of the day.
Her team features some of the area's top players in Breya Cunningham and Taj Roberts, who, alongside Williams, are helping to elevate the girls' game.
"We're kind of putting a spotlight on girls basketball, and it's not always just, 'Oh, are ya'll going to the girls game?' It's 'Oh, are ya'll going to the girls game?'" she said excitedly.
"Once I started getting social media recognized, I realized I could be the one to push it for girls younger than me and even girls in my grade," Williams continued. "It's super amazing to see."
Williams is a trailblazer for others who continues to put herself in the position to succeed. Her hope is to be known for her work ethic that stands out and for a love of the game that's all her own.
"I spend every single day of my life in the gym because that's just something I do. I love to do it. I cope with my problems this way," she said.
"So, if you're coming at me on the court, you're hitting a wall because I'm too in tune with myself to let people get at me," Williams continued. "So, I think you're getting passion when you see me, that's the perfect word it's passion."
She's a passionate player who's setting the tone for the future.