Aaliyah Chavez hasn’t even started college yet, but she’s already one to watch in the basketball world. The Texas native is the No. 1-ranked women’s basketball recruit and the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Her highlight reels rack up thousands of views, she gets recognized in public, and soon, she’ll be heading to the University of Oklahoma this fall with sky-high expectations for her on-court performance. And yet, Chavez isn’t not caught up in all the buzz — she’s just focused on working harder.
Lisa Leslie knows that mindset well. Long before the WNBA became the fan-beloved athletic powerhouse it is today, Leslie helped build it. She’s a two-time WNBA champion, four-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the first players to ever dunk in a professional women’s game. And like Chavez, she won Gatorade Player of the Year back when she was in high school.
This summer, the two athletes were brought together through Gatorade’s Player of the Year program — a week filled with awards, recovery sessions, and full-circle moments. One is at the start of her career. The other helped define what that career could look like. Together, they bring two eras of the game into one room.
Her Campus sits down with both Chavez and Leslie to discuss their impact on the sport, the sport’s impact on them, and their impact on each other.
The following responses have been edited for length and clarity.
You both come from different eras of the game, but you’re sharing this Gatorade Player of the Year stage together. What does that connection mean to you?
Aaliyah Chavez: It means a lot, having her here. I can ask her questions about what it was like when she grew up, and what I want to do to get into the league. To be honest, I do not watch basketball. My dad always told me, “What’s that gonna get you, watching other girls play basketball? You’re trying to make your own journey, and you’ve got to work hard enough in the gym, so you could be that person.” It’s hard because I’ve never watched Lisa, I’ve never watched any other girls play. But at the same time, I know that she’s a legend and that she helped girls’ basketball in general. So I’m just really happy to be in the same room with her, sitting next to her. It’s a happy moment, for sure.
Lisa Leslie: For me, it’s amazing to be a part of Gatorade. I’ve been here since Gatorade’s been a part of my life, since day one playing basketball, even in high school, and then obviously winning the Gatorade Player of the Year Award. It’s a great opportunity to be able to give back when you talk about the future — to be able to have that connection, to talk a little bit about the future and what that means to carry the Gatorade Player of the Year, but also moving forward in college, and don’t allow that to silence you, that there’s still more work to be done. She wants to continue to improve and get better, and get to the WNBA. So I look forward to seeing her there as well. It’s exciting for me as a former player to be able to come back and still hopefully inspire and make contact with the future players.
Lisa, you helped lay the foundation for women’s basketball, and now the sport is experiencing an incredible surge in attention. What has it been like to watch it all unfold?
LL: I think I’ve kind of evolved into it. I see online kids call me Auntie now, and I appreciate being an auntie in this space. I feel like I’ve helped build this; I also feel very proud. I’m very protective of our sport. We have an amazing opportunity and platforms to be a role model to other young people, to be able to have an impact on our community — which is important — and have an impact on those young people that are looking up to us. It’s a huge responsibility. I never took it lightly. I’m thankful to be a role model, and I’m happy again to be a part of this, to be able to meet Aaliyah in person. Now I get a chance to watch her take those next steps at Oklahoma, reach these new goals and heights, and get her teams to win a championship. I’m sure that’s always going to be a goal. So I love this opportunity and I never take it for granted.
Aaliyah, what’s it like stepping into the spotlight at such a young age?
AC: It’s hard stepping into the spotlight. It was hard for a little bit, just because a lot of people know me. I can’t go anywhere without people like, “Oh my gosh, that’s her.” But I’m so blessed to be able to say that people know me nationwide. It’s just a blessing.
Lisa, you’ve transitioned from being a player to a coach, broadcaster, and entrepreneur. What’s been the most fulfilling part of your career after basketball?
LL: To be able to give back and help athletes, as athletes make money and try to start to get more educated. You have NIL deals now; they need to understand how to invest their money, and real estate has been great. I’ve been able to help lots of pro athletes find properties, and just help them to continue to invest their money. It’s been an exceptional opportunity as an athlete being on the sidelines. I gave it my all, but I feel like I still hustle the same way in life that I did on the court, and that’s the key. You want to be successful; every day is an opportunity, and I always take advantage of the opportunities that I’m given. Just because we’re athletes, it doesn’t mean we just do one thing.
Aaliyah, when you think about what it means to be a role model for the next generation of girls in sports? What do you hope they see in your story?
AC: My hard work. I feel like a lot of kids are just doing their social media now. Like they’ll be in the gym for five minutes, take a video, and that’s it. I want them to see that hard work takes more than five minutes. It takes more than an Instagram post. I want them to be in the gym four or five hours out of the day to prove they’re that good.