If Jewel Lloyd retired tomorrow, he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. He has compiled a basketball resume that is more impressive than most. And believe it or not, Lloyd could have a solid 10-12 years to build on that. he’s only 30 and in his prime. Whether we look at his high school career, his college career, or his time at WW, he has been a model of consistency…that consistency model.
SLAM 252 featuring Jewell Lloyd is available now.
While Jewel fell in love with basketball, her world revolved around tennis. He was exposed to basketball because his older brother, Jarryd, played, but tennis was his thing and he was destined to turn pro. In his early years growing up in Lincolnwood, outside the Chicago suburbs, he played tennis “every day, six hours a day,” he says. And chances are, if he’d stuck with tennis rather than basketball, he’d probably be attending the same US Open match he was about to watch after shooting his SLAM cover in our office on a cool, sunny September morning.
But one day the garden changed his perspective forever.
Lloyd used to play in the park all the time as a child. “Of course, after my homework,” she would surely add. But on this particular day, when he was about 7 years old, two big boys wouldn’t let him play on the basketball court. Jarryd, who was about 15 at the time, saw what was happening and offered a solution. We will play you for court. So it was game on. Two by two. First to 10 points wins. This was Jewel and Jarryd’s first time teaming up together.
Game over, the boys double teamed Jewel who was inches away from making the turn. With that, they released Jared at the basket. Throw it, throw it! Jewell remembers telling her brother,
In dramatic fashion, he tossed the ball back over his head and toward the rim, and Jarryd caught it for the game-winner. “Jarryd was just flying in the air and that was the first time I (saw) my brother with the knife. We won, and at that moment,” says Jewell, “I knew basketball was something I wanted to be a part of.
He spent the next few years making a name for himself in parks around the area. In many ways, this shaped his approach to the game.
“You started at Drake Park and you play there with a 21st knockout. it’s a beginner’s court. Then you go to Columbia Park and play three-on-three. And then when you get a team, you go to Procell Park and you introduce yourself and you play five-on-five. So you have to work your way up.
“Growing up in Lincolnwood was a privilege,” she continues. “Being in that environment allowed me to just be myself and it challenged me in a lot of ways because I was one of four or five girls playing with boys, and it was a great experience for me.”
By the time he was in high school, Lloyd had become one of the top players in the country. He was a four-year starter at Niles West High School in Skokie and essentially broke every school record, averaging 24.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.2 blocks over his career. :
While in high school, he had the opportunity to become a practice player for the Chicago Sky. Jewell says this experience really brought out his untapped potential. He had a front row seat to watching what it takes to play at the highest level. “Seeing their daily life, their lifestyle and their games up close opened my eyes to the fact that I am really similar. Wow, I think I could really do thathe says.
He committed to play at Notre Dame and joined an already loaded roster led by All-American guard Skylar Diggins. It didn’t take long for Jewel to adjust to the higher echelons; he was ready from the jump. He realized he wasn’t going to be the strongest or most athletic freshman, so he focused on what he could control.
“A lot of it is your body is still growing and developing. I knew I wasn’t going to be the strongest right away, so I focused on conditioning,” he says. “When I got to college, I made sure I was in top shape, and that’s been with me since I left college and went to the pros.”
At Notre Dame, Lloyd wrote his name in the history books as one of the best players in program history. He was a two-time All-American, two-time All-ACC selection, two-time ACC All-Defense selection, two-time NCAA All-Tournament selection and the 2015 ACC Player of the Year. For good measure, let’s not forget he also has a 2013 Big East Freshman of the Year (before Notre Dame moved to the ACC his sophomore year).
She accomplished all of this in just three years, and in an uncommon move in women’s basketball, decided to forgo her senior year and enter the 2015 WNBA Draft. And to no one’s surprise, the Seattle Storm drafted him with the No. 1 pick.
Lloyd arrived in the West with huge expectations, not only because of his pure dominance dating back to his high school years, but also because he was nicknamed “The Golden Mamba” by the Black Mamba, the late great Kobe Bryant. Now, that’s a lot to live up to. But if there was anyone built to carry that weight, it was Lloyd. He took lofty expectations head on. It is extremely difficult for the No. 1 draft pick to live up to expectations. he surpassed them.
“Throughout (my rookie) year, it was just figuring out who I was, the belief that I could do something, the belief that I could stay in the league and be a part of this league and grow the league. : I really thought I could do it,” he says.
“And I’m the kind of person where if I really believe I can do something, it probably will. I’ve always been that person from a young age. I have never been afraid to say what I want to do, believe and write. And I don’t have small dreams. I always dream big and that’s something no one can ever take away from me.”
The Golden Mamba is cut from the same cloth as its namesake. She is naturally gifted, has a relentless work ethic and is simply willing to do what the average person isn’t. But the similarities run deeper than that. Like Kobe, Jewel has an unquenchable thirst for learning.
“As a professional athlete, it’s great to still be learning and building your game. The best part of the game for me is that I’m still learning a lot about it,” he says. “It’s the best part of life in general. you’re constantly learning and building, and you don’t know until you make a mistake and learn from it. Many people take it to the next level by being nervous about making mistakes. But you need them; you need a lot of experiences to help you grow and improve.”
Now it’s Lloyd’s turn to pay it forward. As much as he wants to continue to learn and recognize those who paved the way for him, he understands the importance of mentorship and can now help guide the next generation of hoopers. He was seen working with USC star JuJu Watkins; he’s been a big supporter of Seattle Storm rookie Nick Mule and an exceptional 2024 rookie class; and he makes himself available to any of his younger peers seeking wisdom or advice.
“I understand that I am here because people helped me. I didn’t get here alone,” he says. “If it wasn’t for my family, if it wasn’t for the people around me, I don’t know if I would have actually been able to get to the next level.”
The accolades are many: two-time WNBA champion, six-time All-Star (and 2023 All-Star Game MVP), three-time All-WNBA selection, 2015 Rookie of the Year and two-time Olympic gold medalist, her most recent performance last August in Paris in games. And from the looks of it, all of these awards, aside from Rookie of the Year, of course, should probably qualify as “and counting.”
The 2023 WNBA season was a contract year for Lloyd, and she played like it, averaging a career-best 24.7 ppg (which also led the league that season) and 4.7 rpg. However, the Seattle Storm struggled as a team and finished with an abysmal 11-29 record.
Instead of jumping ship and teaming up with other All-Stars, he signed a contract extension with the Storm in the offseason and bet on himself that other players would be interested in joining him in Seattle and building a championship contender. Seattle appeared to be on its way to rebuilding until a pair of elite running backs, Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, jumped on board.
As we go to press, Lloyd is averaging 20.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg. More importantly, the Seattle Storm have clinched a playoff spot and are looking to make a deep run. And while they may not be the odds-on favourites, trust us when we say that no one is looking forward to playing them.
Lloyd doesn’t have an individual type of personality, but a kind of quiet self-assurance that comes through more in his mere presence than in his words. He doesn’t require extra attention, although his game does. He’s not usually the loudest in the room, but when he talks, you want to listen. He has a wealth of knowledge and insight and is one of the most articulate and thoughtful people, not to mention athletes, one could meet.
Since he was a freshman in high school, Lloyd says he’s been asked about the legacy he hopes to leave, and he says his answer keeps changing. This time, however, his answer has nothing to do with the game he loves that has defined his life for the past 23 years, ever since that day on the playground with his brother.
“I just want my legacy to be that I’m a really good person, honestly,” he says. “I will serve here. That’s what I want people to understand about me. As much as I receive from the world, I will give it back. And you don’t have to take it, but I’m here to let you know that it’s all love here.”
Portraits by Luke Schleifer.
