Imani McGee-Stafford

Imani McGee-Stafford is an abuse survivor, mental health advocate, poet, and self-described unicorn. The Inglewood, CA native is most notably known for her prolific basketball career. She played collegiately at the University of Texas at Austin where she became the first basketball player, man or woman, to garner over 1000 points, 1000 rebounds, and 200 blocks. She was drafted 10th overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft to the Chicago Sky and has since played for the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings. She has also played professionally overseas in Turkey, China, Israel, Australia, and Lebanon.

She has hosted basketball camps internationally in Ghana and Tanzania and worked along side the US Embassy in Singapore, where she has used basketball as a vehicle to teach self-confidence, purpose, and women empowerment. She hopes to one day host camps in all 54 African countries and to continue using basketball globally as a means of connection and way to teach invaluable life lessons.

She currently is in her third year at Southwestern Law School where she hopes to use her degree to combat the inequities in social policy when it comes to the black community and help athletes create ownership in both their brand and athletic careers. She will be the first in her family to earn a law degree.

She founded Hoops and Hope Foundation in 2019, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for all who need one. Her goal in life is to become whom she needed when she was younger. She does this daily by showing up as her authentic self and showing the world what being a black woman living and dealing with mental illness looks like. She is more than an athlete and encourages everyone to follow their passions and live their truth.

McGee-Stafford graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and from Southwestern Law School with a J.D.