For Arianna (Ari) Emanuel-Wright, it was the energy, competitiveness, joy, and excitement that she found within basketball that initially attracted her to the game. Despite being involved in an array of sports growing up in Jacksonville, Florida—including tee-ball, cheerleading, gymnastics, and volleyball—, it was during her time in fifth grade where she discovered the sport that set her soul on fire. It all occurred one day in recess after her friends invited her to join them on the court as the boys team was one member short. Excited to try out a new sport, Ari jumped at the opportunity. She was all in. Even though she was the only girl on the floor, she was thrilled at the chance to compete. She hustled on every play—getting rebounds, being aggressive on defense, assisting her teammates on offensive plays. It was then when she discovered: "This is what I want to do. This is something that gives me energy, excitement," she recalls. From this very moment, she developed an undeniable commitment to personal growth and elevation; and was on a mission to reach her highest potential in the game. It was only up from there. Throughout her time in high school and college, Ari continued to strengthen her skills on the court and elevate her basketball IQ. From developing a unique toughness and mental resilience during her time in JUCO at Santa Fe College to expanding her game further at the University of North Florida, Ari continued to work day in and day out to inch closer to her goal of playing professionally. Sure enough, she did just that. After taking a break from organized basketball upon graduation to explore her passions beyond the game, define her vision, and discover her identity outside of the sport, Ari returned to the game and officially embarked on her professional career. She hasn't slowed down since. From playing in semi-pro leagues to most recently playing in the Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League (AEBL) Pro-Am, Ari has begun to foster her personal legacy in the game. Along with this, she has also worked to pursue her passions for skills training, coaching, community outreach, career development, and creative design. From working with the Jr. Wizards and Pro Skills Basketball organizations to founding her own businesses in career consulting and sportswear, Ari continues to embrace the opportunity to give back to communities through her ventures off the court. Committed to mentoring the next generation of athletes and inspiring others through her story, Ari is looking forward to building partnerships, collaborating with different organizations, and growing each project further in the years to come. Truly inspiring!
Let’s start from your time in college! You played at Santa Fe College before embarking on your journey at the University of North Florida. Could you tell us a little bit more about your experience playing in JUCO and some of the takeaways that you got from your time there?
With Santa Fe College, what spoke to me the most about the recruiting process with her is that she cared about me as an individual when she was recruiting me. She wanted to know about my career plans, what I wanted to do in college, and I feel as though that was so important. I knew like, “Ok, I need somebody that can help me focus on my academics too.” That drew me to the school. We were at that gym early (*laughs*). She told me time and time again: “If you want to get better, you need to be the first one in the gym. Don't be afraid to be there. Whatever you have to do—go to bed early, (etc)—get in those extra shots and set that example.” That's something that I learned from her as soon as I got to college. There's so many distractions. You can easily just go to practices, do a little weightlifting session, and not do anything else. But doing that extra work: being up when nobody's up, watching film when we're not watching as a team…doing those little things certainly pays off. It did because, in my first season, percentages weren't the best but after having that conversation with her—and based on what that first season was—, I learned from it. I didn't take it personally. She was very honest, blunt, and not afraid to tell you the truth; but out of love. I really respected her as a coach. Then my sophomore year coming back, that's when I averaged 20 (points), that's when I became a Second Team All-American, I got selected to have my jersey hung up in the Women's Hall of Fame for a short period of time. That quick turnaround of just taking that advice, not taking it personal…all those factors really played a part into where I am now in terms of resiliency and putting in the work—actually putting in work, not just posting on social media. I feel like that experience certainly helped. On top of that, I was focused on academics. I wasn't slacking. I cared about my GPA. I think it ended up with like a 3.52, so it very much prepared me to be holistically great and very well-rounded.
You shared that after you graduated from the University of North Florida, you stepped away from the game for a little bit with the mission of finding your identity beyond basketball. Could you share more with us about that journey and how you found your way back into the game?
Yeah! It was tough because, again, they don't teach you that side. That moment you pick up the basketball, you're talented. They're not talking to you about: “What are you gonna do with this major skill set? How are you going to network after you graduate? Are you going overseas? Are you going pro?” I think a lot of athletes struggle with it because you're going from feeling like you're on top of the world—getting all these free things, the meal plans, you don't have to pay for rent, you have an on-campus apartment—, and now it's adulthood. Everything's snatched away. So I felt like, “Man, I don't even know who I am outside of dribbling this basketball.” I didn't really want to go to grad school, but I felt like that was the best option for me to get away, feel like a normal person, and really just figure it out. It was very difficult, especially navigating and working in a primarily White environment and having to deal with the microaggressions, deal with the office culture. Even though it was grad school, I was working a lot of jobs within the university just so I didn’t have to pay for school. I didn't take out any loans because I was a student-athlete.
I was working tirelessly, I was dealing with people and their issues, and was still just trying to maintain my sanity through grad school. During that time COVID hit, so (there were) a lot of challenges within those two years of grad school. I definitely wouldn't take the experience away because I was able to find myself. I was able to feel stronger—stronger in my identity and who I am. Now when that moment comes, when I do make it, I'm not gonna be falling off so easily because I've just been through so much and I'm at peace. I know who I am. I know how to contain myself. I know my self-care techniques. I feel like being outside of sport, you really have to figure out what can work for you intellectually and physically. You know, who are (the) right people to put around you? Even now, I have a great agent—Helen. You have a team around you too. Even within athletics it's a business, but the marketing, branding, and having to be secure in yourself is important. Regardless of skill, athleticism, being marketable, if you are not okay mentally, it can really mess you up. I think the mental side was so important for me.
How do you think your game elevated throughout your time in college to prepare you for the next level?
Great question! I would say I'm a lot more patient. I think when you get older, and you just know the game as you've been in it longer, you're not in a rush. You don't feel like every time you get the ball, you have to score. Even with the Washington Wizards, they do these clinics during the summer so I did a week-long clinic from 9 AM to 3 PM. It was intense, but an amazing experience. The age range was from six to fourteen (years old), and one of the things from just being in that experience (that I saw) was that every time one of them got the ball, they dribbled the air out of the ball (*laughs*). Every time somebody had the ball, they were drilling in the ball and trying to score. Or, when they didn't have the ball, they were asking for it. I think that doesn't really change, and I feel like I kind of still had that mentality a little bit being in college. Now, being out of college, that's not my main priority. If it's time for me to go, I'm gonna go; but I know we're trying to win. You wanna come in and be ready. Whether you're starting, whether you are coming off the bench, you wanna bring something. If your team needs you to defend, needs you to bring energy, whatever it is, that's kind of my mentality. My mentality has changed in that sense, in terms of leadership. Your maturity level changes the more that you grow. I would say not every player has that luxury of learning those things. I feel like some players get away with not having to learn it if they're really skilled, but I think personally the best players are just calm. They are collected. I think about Jalen Brunson. When I tell you that guy…I don't think I ever saw an emotion from him the whole playoffs, you know? He's just a killer (on the court). A silent killer. I think that's kind of my mentality. I love that. Of course you celebrate and you hype yourself up every now and then, but I just feel like I never really have to overdo it. I just put it all on the court.
As you took that next step and started your pro career, how was that transition from college into the world of professional basketball?