Jaden Newman
Apart from being the sister of child basketball prodigy Julian Newman, Jaden Newman is a talented basketball player in her own right, who was born on 13th June 2004, in Florida, USA. The athlete began playing at five years of age, and came to public attention when her videos went viral; her parents, Vivian Gonzalez and Jamie Newman, both played basketball point guards during their college days, and coached both of their children to excel in the sport.
Similar to Julian, Jaden was inspired to take basketball more seriously thanks to her father. Aged eight, she began playing in the varsity division at her private school, later playing for the varsity girls’ team at Downey Christian School. Aged just 10 years old, she ‘won’ a three-point shooting contest against Stephen Curry for a Foot Locker ad. Soon, she was making TV appearances in “The Queen Latifah Show” and other programs, in which she discussed her sports talents, aspirations, and similar topics.
It’s also important to note that the Floridian reportedly received her first sports scholarship offer at the age of nine, and became the youngest female player to surpass 1,000 career points at the varsity prep level. Thanks to her impressive statistics, it’s perhaps unsurprising that many experts in the field predicted that Jaden would be one of the best female basketball players of the future.
A fan of fellow basketball players Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart, Jaden is known to emulate their playing style, and once said she wanted to become the face of the WNBA and play for the Connecticut Huskies women’s team.
Career
While studying at Downey Christian School, Jaden was encouraged to try out for the basketball team, which was lacking a point guard. Although there were many skeptics who thought that Jamie was only recommending Jaden because she was his daughter, she worked hard to prove them wrong. Averaging 15 points per game when she joined the team in fifth grade, Jaden’s skills improved at a phenomenal rate over the following two years, as she doubled her point tally per game in sixth and seventh grade.
In eighth grade, Jaden averaged almost 46 points per game and scored a national record of 70 points in one game. The brunette is said to practice over 500 shots with her brother every day, working on her shooting skills from various angles on the court.
Unfortunately for Jaden, much like her brother Julian, she’s become known more for her antics on the court than for her skills. Many YouTube videos of the amateur basketball player have clickbait-worthy titles such as “Jaden Newman gets into Fight!”, which was uploaded in September 2021, or “DON’T MESS WITH JADEN NEWMAN!! Things Get HEATED in Her Return to Basketball!”.
Many former fans of Jaden were put off by her attitude, with one YouTube commenter saying: “I just remember a time when this girl loved basketball and wanted to be the first woman in the NBA. Just goes to show what media exposure does to people. The dad doesn’t even care that she’s playing terrible.” Another user wrote: “I just love how the team was doing good until Jaden had the ball.”
Jaden, who took a brief hiatus from basketball in 2021, took yet another one in late 2022 following an unpleasant knee injury. She returned in February 2023, but a nine-minute highlight video of her first game back, entitled “JADEN NEWMAN RETURNS TO BASKETBALL!!” and uploaded by Courtside Films, was flooded with comments remarking on her diminishing skills.
For now, it remains to be seen where Jaden’s career will take her. In October 2022, rumors began circulating online of the Floridian creating a racy OnlyFans page. Although the rumors were debunked, Jaden had indeed created a subscription-based Instagram account, which she uses to post suggestive photos and personalized content for fans.
In 2019, Jaden dabbled in music with the release of her first single, “I Run It”. The music video has racked up almost three million views since then, but was criticized by netizens for one line in which the then-teenager bragged about older men sending her inappropriate messages online.
These days, Jaden has over a million followers on Instagram, which has helped her become an ambassador for Fashion Nova and other online brands.
Personal Life & Family
Jaden is of African American, Puerto Rican, and Jewish descent. Her mother, Vivian, currently works for the US Postal Service and previously served four years in the United States Navy after matriculating from high school, whereas her father, Jamie, is focused on managing his children’s careers to the best of his abilities.
Jaime is also believed to be the driving force behind the Newman brand, including a reality series named “Hello Newmans” which is available for viewing on a host of social media platforms, and a sports apparel brand named Prodigy.
Although Jaden has yet to be publicly linked to anyone, in April 2019 basketball player LaMelo Ball took to Instagram to respond to allegations that they were dating; Jaden also denied the rumors. Despite there being no evidence of tension between the Newman and Ball clans, the Newmans are often described as the “bootleg Ball families” due to the aggressive nature with which the family patriarchs market their children and manage their careers.
To this day, fans of LaMelo frequently flood Jaden’s Instagram comment sections with mocking and derisive remarks – and here’s why. Shortly after the April 2019 incident, Jaden revealed on “Hello Newmans” that she did have a crush on LaMelo. A few years later, a video of her asking LaMelo to follow her back on Instagram went viral. At the time, LaMelo said “I don’t run it [my Instagram account]”, but he later shared in an interview that he was indeed in charge of his social media.
There’s no telling what the future holds for Jaden, but already with a $200,000 net worth, connections in the sports and entertainment industry, and over a million people watching her every move, we’re sure that the amateur player will succeed in whatever endeavors she chooses to pursue.
