CHICAGO — Jezelle “GG” Banks was the star of Friday’s Shooting Stars event, something that her teammates, WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne and Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin, weren’t surprised by.
Delle Donne and Austin and were familiar with the five-star prospect from Wilmington, Delaware, who is the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2027. Banks went to the same high school as Delle Donne (Ursuline Academy) and even shared the same coach. Austin had also previously met Banks before Friday’s event.
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What they were surprised by was just how confident Banks was at WinTrust Arena. The 17-year-old guard went first in the lineup for Team Washington and helped propel the team to a 31-21 win in the final round to beat Team Seattle (Lauren Jackson, Flau’jae Johnson and No. 1 prospect in the class of 2028, Tatianna Griffin) and secure the Shooting Stars trophy.
“Yeah, she carried. She carried,” Austin said, laughing. “You could just tell in her energy. As soon as we started, it was confidence, and I think that showed in how she hit those tough shots … that was very far. It was really like half-court shots.
“I’m just looking up. I’m over here bricking, and she’s (making them). Cash. I’m like ‘Oh my God.’ To have that confidence so young — I was nervous. It didn’t look like she was nervous. It was an inspiration.”
Delle Donne added that at the beginning of the event, the team was trying to sort through its strategy. The Hall of Famer was supposed to go first in the rotation, but quickly realized that because she hadn’t played in a while, it might take the team longer to get to each spot in the Shooting Stars course. So, they shifted and put Banks first.
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“You didn’t want her to have to go first if she’s nervous, but she’s like ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll pick up the pace.’ OK. Thank God. I wasn’t getting us there,” Delle Donne said, jokingly.
To Delle Donne’s point, Banks smiled away in Friday’s press conference, marveling at what she had just participated in and how many people saw it. She also showed no signs of being nervous to be on such a big stage.
“I was excited … but, you know, once I heard my name, and with these two, like, I knew (we were) going to get the dub. I was very excited”, Banks said confidently with a smile. “ I didn’t think it was gone be like this. Man, it’s packed. In (this press conference room), too. Awesome experience for sure.”
