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Analyss Benally: Professional Basketball Player

Born and raised in Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Indian reservation, Analyss Benally discovered her passion for the game of basketball at a very young age. "I grew up every weekend in the gym with my dad and my sister...Ever since I started playing, that's all I wanted to do. Being a professional basketball player was the dream," shares Analyss as she reflects on her earliest memories of the game. For her, it was bigger than just basketball. The sport was a world that cultivated joy, fostered community, and embodied opportunity. A space that, in the years to come, would take her around the world, introduce her to lifelong friends, and present her with unforgettable experiences. During her time in college—at San Jose State University—, Analyss continued to work day in and day out to strengthen her skills on the court and inch closer to her dreams of playing professionally. Before she knew it, the opportunity she had been working towards since a young kid was here. In 2021, Analyss signed her first professional basketball contract shortly after graduating from college and headed to Romania. She hasn't looked back since. From Romania to Albania to Kosovo, Analyss has played in an array of countries throughout her professional career and fostered an amazing personal legacy—winning several league championships and most recently being named one of 42 athletes to be inducted in the 2025 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF). Off the court, she has also launched a series of community initiatives and programs that give back to Native American youth across the country. As she goes into her fourth year as a pro, there are two things that remain at the forefront of Analyss' mind: her love for the game of basketball and her commitment to inspiring and uplifting the next generation. Truly incredible!



How was that transition from high school to college like for you?


Well for me, it was the first time I would be away from my family—which worried me a lot. A lot of my decision making on where I was going to go to school was that I felt comfortable and like I was going to be with family; and that's what San Jose State did for me during the recruitment process. They made me feel heard. They made me feel seen. When I got there, it all was a natural comfortability that I had with the team. That transition going from Kansas to California was another adjustment I had to do—going from the Rez to Kansas and Kansas to California. It was just constant adjustment and being exposed to different diversity. It helped me a lot along the way (though). I got to meet new people; so learning how to adapt was really what I learned.


What were some challenges that you faced early on? How did you work to overcome them?


Definitely time management—that is the first thing that I thought of. Just understanding that you're going into a program that's already pretty fixated on what it's gonna do; and that it's up to you to form yourself as a player and as a young adult to be able to form into that community in college. For me, that wasn't necessarily difficult, but it did take a long time for me to get used to. On the court, it felt familiar to what we were doing because the game itself was a lot of pushing pace and a lot of shooting. I was used to that aspect of it, but just managing my time and understanding that now basketball is really just feeling like a full-time thing (was key). Going to school and (playing basketball), it was now about figuring out: “Ok, I need to eat at this time. I need to do my homework at this time. I have to figure out where I'm going to schedule these things. I need to be playing as well as I can (too) because basketball is the thing that's going to take me to the next level of what I want to do to be able to travel the world and help the kids back home.” It just felt like a lot at one time, but honestly with time and the people I was around, they helped me figure it out.



As you reflect back on your time at San Jose State, how do you think your game elevated to prepare you for the next level?


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