Se'Quoia Allmond D'Asya Collier-Williams interview on WNBA plans

The Se'Quoia Allmond D'Asya Collier-Williams interview covered an ambition Allmond has held since middle school: owning a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team. Speaking with Collier-Williams, the South Memphis native also described how her brother's death and COVID-19 complicated basketball recruiting, and why working for Unrivaled has kept her close to the game after she stopped playing.

How did Se'Quoia Allmond start playing basketball in South Memphis?

Se'Quoia Allmond played Soccer and ran track before taking up basketball at about eight years old. She began by playing with boys in her South Memphis neighborhood and said the skills and decision-making came instinctively. Basketball eventually took priority as her schedule grew busier and injuries led her to stop playing Soccer.

Choosing basketball after track and Soccer

Soccer was her first sustained sport: she started around pre-K and continued until roughly seventh grade. She also competed in track. Allmond recalled being at Louisiana State University for a track event and deciding she wanted a sport with a more immediate objective than running. Basketball offered a shot to make and a score to pursue.

Her older brothers played football, baseball and track, though they played some basketball too. Her mother was surprised by Allmond's choice. Allmond later learned that her maternal grandfather had played basketball; he had died before she was born.

Playing with boys before middle school

Allmond said her early games with boys helped when she moved to girls' basketball in middle school. Having older brothers also made toughness familiar. She played outside in her neighborhood every day, but said she did not appreciate her ability at the time. Rankings and articles mattered less to her than the friends she made, the travel and the fun of playing.

How did Se'Quoia Allmond and Jada Williams form CBG?

Se'Quoia Allmond said she and Jada Williams started CBG because they wanted a girls' group of their own after seeing Jelly Fam. They looked for more than basketball ability: character and a sense of sisterhood mattered too. Allmond said members still keep in touch, and some still use CBG in their names.

The idea emerged around middle school and early high school. Allmond and Williams already knew many players, so they built the group around existing connections rather than treating it as a list of skilled recruits. Allmond named Aziah James and Miara O'Neal among its members and said the group included players who went on to college basketball.

She described an unexpected reminder of that period while in Turkey: she met Isaiah, whom she identified as the person who started Jelly Fam. For Allmond, CBG remains a lasting connection among friends, not simply a name they used as teenagers.

What made Se'Quoia Allmond's basketball recruiting difficult?

Se'Quoia Allmond began receiving recruiting letters around eighth grade and recalled an offer from Louisville in ninth grade. Her process became difficult when her brother died and COVID-19 subsequently moved many visits online. She said she had become detached from basketball while grieving, making conversations with schools especially hard.

Letters, rankings and campus visits

Allmond said she set many letters aside unopened and still had boxes of them. Going into her senior year of high school, she was ranked the No. 12 point guard in the country, but she said she had never played to collect accolades or reach a particular dream school.

She made unofficial visits to Ole Miss, Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, Mississippi State and Alabama. Other school visits took place online. Looking back on her college decision, she said she might have benefited from letting her coaches handle more of the recruiting process, particularly when her attention was elsewhere.

Grief during the recruiting process

The timing mattered as much as the logistics. Allmond said her brother's death left her dealing with personal difficulties and disengaged from basketball; COVID-19 followed the next year. She did not frame rankings or offers as a source of pressure. The challenge was navigating recruitment while grieving and then trying to assess schools remotely.

How has Se'Quoia Allmond stayed connected to basketball after playing?

Se'Quoia Allmond said her work with Unrivaled lets her remain part of basketball by capturing moments around players, including people she knows from her playing days. She has also filmed her friend Jada Curry in Turkey. In both settings, she sees the work as documenting athletes' stories rather than replacing her own playing career.

Working with players at Unrivaled

At Unrivaled, Allmond encountered players she had played with or against, as well as friends including Sanaya. She described watching and speaking with elite players each day while her job was to capture what happened around them. The familiarity made the role feel, in her words, like being paid to do a hobby.

Allmond said her first year also gave her time to find her voice in the workplace. She was looking forward to returning, traveling more and continuing to observe how the organization operates. One lesson had already stood out: marketing depends on understanding an audience and consistently getting the work in front of people.

Filming Jada Curry in Turkey

Working with Curry carried a different personal weight. Allmond called her a best friend and said she was grateful that Curry valued her filming and brought her along. She wanted to preserve the moments of Curry's progress so they could later tell the story in Curry's own voice. The work also gave them time to enjoy being together.

Why did Se'Quoia Allmond study telecommunications and networking?

Se'Quoia Allmond pursued a hands-on opportunity in telecommunications and networking after considering a return to college for a master's degree in an engineering-related field. She wanted to learn the work directly without taking extra classes first. Her interest in science and technology dated back to a STEM school she attended in middle school.

Basketball had limited how much time she could devote to that interest. In sixth grade, her STEM school did not have a basketball team, so she played for another school and traveled about 30 to 40 minutes to practice after classes. There was little time to stay and explore other activities.

When the telecommunications opportunity arose, Allmond went into the field to see the work for herself. She initially questioned whether she could learn it, then found she could pick it up quickly. She said she enjoys learning and took satisfaction in mastering a challenge outside basketball.

What kind of WNBA team does Se'Quoia Allmond want to own?

Se'Quoia Allmond wants to own a WNBA team that compensates and supports players well, listens to its audience and makes mental-health care readily available. She said the goal began in middle school, when she wanted her team to show how a women's sports organization should operate. She is still learning what ownership would require.

Marketing and partnerships

Allmond said effective marketing starts with knowing the audience. She sees social media, community events and meet-and-greets as ways for a team to become more visible. Discussing Sanaya's appeal, she pointed to the player's personality and charisma; Allmond recalled a sharp rise in followers when Sanaya appeared in content at a place where Allmond worked.

She would also like to collaborate with streamers to reach younger viewers. As for sponsors, Allmond did not name a preferred brand. She said she would choose partners whose morals and values aligned with those of her team rather than compromise its identity for a prominent deal.

Mental-health support for players and families

Allmond wants mental-health support to be available within her team rather than something players must seek out at extra cost. She said athletes still have personal difficulties to manage and envisioned a space they could use whenever they needed it. She would extend that access to players' children as well.

Her plans remain aspirations, not an ownership announcement. Allmond said she is observing how organizations work and intends to keep building toward a team of her own.

What is Se'Quoia Allmond doing next in Memphis?

Se'Quoia Allmond's immediate priority is her second annual toy drive in her community. After a first year she considered successful, she wants to make the next drive bigger through advertising, local outreach and short videos. She also plans to spend free time making short films while continuing her work around basketball.

Allmond said the toy drive would be her main focus while back in Memphis. Alongside promoting it, she wanted to show up in the community herself. Short commercials for the drive would bring together her filmmaking interests and the practical work of drawing attention to the event.

For young athletes thinking about what comes after playing, Allmond urged them to try interests that do not fit a single sporting identity and to build relationships while they compete. She credited connections made at tournaments with opening doors beyond the court. Allmond put her advice plainly:

sports going to use you. So use it.