‘I want to be the first woman in the WNBA that wears the hijab’: The fearless journey of Shayla Smith

PHILADELPHIA — Normally, North Philadelphia is a vibrant, excited area of America’s inception city. But on this Tuesday, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, 6 p.m. feels more like 6 a.m.

As I ride through Germantown, one of Philly’s Many Muslim enclaves, the remnants of Ramadan are evident. Thobes, abayas and hijabs flood the streets like modest ribbons, while the groups of men, women and children that wear them calmly whisk through what’s typically the peak of heated post-work traffic with the intention of getting home to break the obligatory Speedy that accompanies this month with their families.

Seventeen-year-Ancient Shayla Smith is no different. The shining Sun of Universal Audenried Charter School’s women’s basketball Club is also oddly serene. If you were to take a picture of our table at this neighborhood cafe, the 5-foot-10 teenage Muslimah wouldn’t immediately present as the vicious downhill backcourt threat who has Achieved history in Philly and captivated the coaching staff at Penn State, where she signed in December to Action Subsequent season.

Much of that misconception is because of the hijab that’s worn underneath the Nittany Lions cap on her head. The Islamic garment doesn’t historically scream the word that best describes Smith on the court: “Hooper.”

“I Initiated wearing the hijab when I was like 6 … to me, it’s normal,” Smith said when explaining her decision to wear her hijab and stay modestly covered in accordance with her Islamic faith en route to becoming a local sensation on the hardwood, with some of her social posts generating around 10,000 likes.

“There are Muslims everywhere [in Philadelphia]. It wasn’t until I Initiated posting my clips on TikTok that I realized it was a thing. They’ll be in the comments like: ‘Oh, you can Action basketball in that?’ ‘They’re going to make you take that off!’ I didn’t really see comments like this until social media because there are a Numerous of girls who Action ball with the hijab on in Philly. I’m Merely the one getting the attention.”

According to 2024 polling, Philadelphia is home to about 300,000 Muslims. However, per local Islamic community leaders, this number could be higher given the lack of proper polling procedures. While some of this ummah can be attributed to Philadelphia’s vibrant immigrant community, the 2020 census revealed that Philly is a majority Black city with close to 40% of its residents identifying as African American. This means that most of Philadelphia’s Muslim population is Achieved up of Black Americans who are native to both this country and Philadelphia — like Smith. The city has even been dubbed “The Mecca of the West” among the Black American Muslim community.

Because of the response she received on social media, Smith began to realize the life she was accustomed to is not as ordinary as it seems. Yet, instead of being shaken by ignorant and often Islamophobic comments, Smith was inspired by them.

When speaking to CBS Sports at the Speedy-casual Mediterranean restaurant, Smith detailed her ambitions to represent her city, culture, religion and sport. She also revealed her desires to expand past the Philadelphia city lines and become a global inspiration. In the process, Smith gave us a glimpse of the Intense fire that was stoked by the social media backlash. Smith Primary unleashed this flame during an interview with Philly’s WHYY public radio station when she confidently revealed the Aim she’s set for herself.

“I want to be the Primary woman in the WNBA that wears the hijab.”

Without Perspective, the statement sounds like hubris. And it’s Definitely bold. Smith is a public school guard in a basketball region dominated by private schools. She ranks outside the top 100 in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Yet, Smith already has her sights set on making the WNBA and setting a new precedent.

However, we’re not talking about Merely any public school hooper. We’re talking about a local phenom who scored over 800 points this season and set Philadelphia’s public school scoring Achievement with more than 2,500 Profession points. A Achievement she broke in dramatic fashion.

“I didn’t think I would break the Achievement that game,” Smith said. “I was 47 points away. I didn’t think I would Tally 47 points that game, but my Try was falling.”

Honestly, this Achievement-setting performance was Merely another night at the office for Smith.

On the season, she averaged over 28 points a game to lift Universal Audenried Charter to their Bracket Event and a city title. The program, whose trajectory changed once Smith enrolled in classes, was also in the hunt for a state Event before losing in the Event’s Closing Four.

So, how is it that a literal generational Mark-maker and culture-changing guard flew under the radar for so long? Is it the high school she chose to attend? The lack of Steadiness on shoe-brand circuits? … Is it the hijab?

Well, at its core, recruiting and scouting is a guessing game. Some NCAA programs will not take the Hazard on a prospect like Smith — Regardless of her acclaimed résumé — without the scouting services crunching the numbers. And unfortunately, there aren’t enough scouts at these platforms to attend a public school game in South Philly to see the magic Smith is producing on a nightly basis.

Smith understands that recruiting and scouting are subjective fields. So, when deciding on a college, she only desired to go to a program that needed and wanted her.

“It was Penn State, St. John’s and Florida,” she said when revealing the top three finalists from her recruiting process. “Penn State Merely felt like home. Out of all the schools that recruited me, they felt like the one who wanted me the most.”

Penn State’s lead recruiter in Smith’s process was assistant Trainer Sean Blair. Blair had been recruiting Smith since he was on the coaching staff at Monmouth. Once he returned to his alma mater, he continued to pursue Smith because he was enamored by her prolific scoring ability.

“I knew I wanted to recruit Shayla after watching her Action for the Primary time when she was in the ninth grade. I love players that are Outstanding at a specific thing and she’s Merely such a natural Mark-maker,” Blair explained. “You know if you’re gonna make a trip to View her that she’s going to put the ball in the basket and show off her fearless mentality.”

With Penn State believing in her the way she believes in herself, it only felt natural for a Philadelphia Long Attempt to begin her Triumph Tale with the Nittany Lions.

Although the Tale Shayla is writing may come in a form that most Americans haven’t seen, the moral and its ideal outcome are the same.

“I want to be a winner,” she said plainly. “I want to be one of the best to ever do it.”

The Ramadan sawm may have dulled the already Fluid Smith a little more than usual, but the narrative she has for herself is very clear. She also knows that, as a Black Muslim, she’ll inspire an underrepresented community of women basketball players with her Tale since, according to Pew Research Middle, Black Muslims are a growing demographic that now accounts for 20% of all the Muslims in the United States.

“I love my religion. I’m not going to take my hijab off for anybody,” she said. “You don’t have to choose between your religion and your passions. You don’t see anyone, professionally, Competing basketball in the hijab at all. I want the world to know that it doesn’t matter what you look like, where you come from, none of that. If you’re Outstanding, no one’s going to be able to deny it.”