Former WNBA player Jamila Wideman joins NBA’s Player Development department

We’d love to congratulate former Sparks’ player Jamila Wideman on her new position at the @NBA as the VP of Player Development.

We wish you nothing but success!? #GoSparks #All4LA pic.twitter.com/s5hqCOQhwm

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 6, 2018

Die-hard WNBA fans may remember Jamila Wideman as an original member of the Los Angeles Sparks. The daughter of award-winning author John Edgar Wideman played four seasons in the league. Wideman, a former Stanford star, has been hired by the NBA as a vice president of player development. The following is a release from the NBA.

From the NBA:

Former WNBA player Jamila Wideman has been hired as Vice President of Player Development. In her new role, Wideman will lead outreach and collaboration with the league-wide network of team player development directors, manage partnerships with external organizations and expand the NBA’s Career Crossover program.

Wideman was selected third overall in the 1997 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks and played four seasons in the league. A former standout at Stanford University, she also played professionally in Israel and Spain. During her WNBA career, Wideman founded the Stanford Athletic Alliance and Hoopin’ with Jamila, a youth mentoring program.

Before joining the NBA, she worked as an attorney at the Equal Justice Initiative and the Civil Division of The Legal Aid Society, providing representation to incarcerated and low-income populations. Wideman graduated from New York University Law School.