By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde makes Spelling Bee History
She loves basketball which she’s been playing since she was five years old.
Spelling is “a side project” she told New Orleans-based gambitweekly.com
But on Thursday evening, it landed her back in the history books – again.
Zaila, a 14-year-old from Harvey, La., became the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in its 93-year history. She also won a $50,000 prize. The young Black princess won on the word “murraya” after just two years of practicing competitively.
Zaila Avant-garde the FIRST African-American to win the Scripps National #SpellingBee.
She’s also really good at basketball and holds a Guinness World Record
Here are some of herhighlights from middle school. #blackgirlmagic pic.twitter.com/W8E6QtqGTo— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) July 9, 2021
“To finally have won a Scripps National Spelling Bee is just super exciting to me and amazing, because I’m going to get a trophy,” she said during an interview with Jay Harris on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
"To finally have won a Scripps National Spelling Bee is just super exciting to me and amazing, because I'm going to get a trophy."
Zaila Avant-garde (@Basketballasart) sat down with @JayHarrisESPN on SportsCenter to discuss the joy in her #SpellingBee victory. pic.twitter.com/7bIyYQrpXp— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2021
Zaila was congratulated on social media from celebrities, dignitaries, politicians and athletes including Vice President Kamala Harris, President Barack Obama and Los Angeles Laker LeBron James.
CONGRATULATIONS CHAMP!!!!!! @Basketballasart
https://t.co/97Ixnzmlyx— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 9, 2021
The impressive win put Zaila – who has only competed in spelling bees for two years – back in the history books. She holds three Guinness world records for dribbling, bouncing and juggling basketballs; most basketballs dribbled simultaneously (six basketballs for 30 seconds); the most basketball bounces (307 bounces in 30 seconds); and the most bounce juggles in one minute (255 using four basketballs).
During the ESPN interview, she listed her career goals as NBA basketball coach, work for NASA, work in neuroscience and gene editing.
We’re sure she can do anything she sets her mind to.
