Talk to Maya Nnaji for just a few minutes, and you’re reminded that she’s more than just a basketball player.
Over the summer, Nnaji — the centerpiece of Arizona’s 2022 recruiting class — focused on the things that bring her joy.
She started to write a book. She worked at a little girls’ basketball camp. She also put time into her work as a trustee of the Nnaji Family Foundation. Founded by her parents and her older brother, Zeke, a former UA men’s basketball player who now plays for the Denver Nuggets, the foundation helps young people through education and sports in the United States and Nigeria.
Then there is this: Nnaji started a project, Silent Strength, alongside with her younger sister, Josie.
“We basically made these care packages. We had water bottles, blankets, toothpaste, sandwiches, chips — a bunch of stuff. We made 30 of them and delivered them to people who are homeless in Minneapolis,” Nnaji said. “It was just like a really touching experience being able to impact those people. And it’s really sad. … It’s just heartbreaking, but at least we can do something to help.”
Nnaji did something similar while she was on her official visit to Tucson a few weeks ago. After eating a large meal with her family, UA coaches and her future teammates, Nnaji noticed there were leftovers.
“They would take the food and they were about to throw it away. I’m like, ‘no, no, no, no, no,’” Nnaji said. “We took boxes, we packaged all the leftovers that were untouched that were clean for people to eat, we gave them silverware and napkins. …
“Before we went to practice, I asked Coach Adia (Barnes) if she would drive me to like, under a bridge where there’s homeless people because I’ve seen so many of them. It’s just so sad that people drive by them all day and then no one does anything to help. I knew I wasn’t able to eat the food later. I wasn’t at home, so I’m not going to reheat my leftovers.”
Barnes drove Nnaji through Tucson. On her way, Nnaji recalls passing someone just as he began rifling through a garbage can for food.
“And just made me want to cry, because it’s so sad,” she said. “I have food here and I’m trying to find someone to give it to and we just missed him and he’s probably starving.”
Nnaji eventually gave the food to someone sitting the park, and asked him to share.
Nnaji wants to continue to do more to help when she’s in college. She’ll sign with the UA on Wednesday, the focal point of what will be the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history.
“It’s better to go to someone who is in need than to go to a garbage can,” Nnaji said. “It’s just something that makes me feel a little bit better, to know that I have a lot of privilege but I’m trying to share at least a little bit of it with the people that don’t have any.
“When I have a bigger platform, hopefully I can help people. Whether it’s creating my own clinic and giving care to homeless people or just giving out food to homeless people and with my name, my brand and my family image hopefully, we can help inspire other people and we can just create something big that that spans nationwide and globally to Nigeria, as well. So yeah, I have big dreams, I guess.”
