In 2023, the question of "What will it take to grow the women's game?" was posed. Since then, and seemingly overnight, this question has been answered when women's sports began reaching new heights.
Receiving millions of dollars in marketing and sponsorship, sports like basketball, soccer, and track and field, have transformed into raved and acclaimed entertainment, as female athletes finally receive the respect they have always deserved. With women's sports prophesied to bring in over $1 billion in 2024, and record-breaking viewership, many are looking forward to seeing what women athletes are capable of, now that they are given the same media coverage as their counterparts.
With the 2024 Paris Olympic games around the corner, stellar athletes, who are both well-known and unknown, are destined to continue skyrocketing the popularity of women's sports. And to make sure you're not caught off guard or unaware of who the standouts are, we have provided a guide to the top Black female athletes to watch during this Olympic season. Check it out.
3x3 Basketball
Dearica Hamby
2022 WNBA Champion Dearica Hamby plays as a forward in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. Coming from Marietta, GA, and in her ninth season, Hamby is playing exceptionally in the 2024 regular season, with an average of 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game; ranking the veteran number 9 overall in the league. Although her team isn’t doing well this year–the Sparks are tenth in the WNBA standings– she has proven herself to be an unquestionable leader and star with accolades like two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year and three-time WNBA All-Star, all of which has inevitably led to her qualifying for Paris 2024’s USA 3x3 Basketball team.
With Hamby on the 3x3 team, along with Cierra Burdick and Rhyne Howard, the team is predicted to take home gold for this Olympic season.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Cierra Burdick
Rhyne Howard
Basketball
A'ja Wilson
A'ja Wilson is to the WNBA what Caitlin Clark was to College Women’s Basketball: a legend. In a way, saying it like this cheapens the accomplishments that A'ja Wilson has had in College Women’s Basketball, the WNBA, and everywhere else. Unfortunately, due to its newly found popularity, this is the best comparison that can be made for one truly to understand. Regardless, the two-time WNBA Champion was the MVP of the WNBA league and the top defensive player in the league for the past two seasons. She also holds the record as the franchise’s all-time league scorer and has had six games with 30-plus points and 15 games hitting the 26-plus mark this season alone. In other words, she is a phenomenon.
With her current season average of 26.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, the USA Women’s Basketball team is destined to take home the gold. Not to mention, Wilson will be playing with teammates and fellow WNBA champs Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, and Jewel Lloyd, respectively.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Jackie Young
Chelsea Gray
Kahleah Copper
Brittney Griner
Jewell Loyd
Boxing
Morelle McCane
Representing Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Morelle McCane qualified for the Olympic Games by securing a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago. Qualifying for the Olympic Games, McCane begins her quest for gold as a newfound history maker, as the first female from Cleveland, Ohio to qualify for the Olympic Games. Starting at the age of 17, McCane proved herself indispensable in the world of boxing, with accomplishments in the 2022 USA Boxing International Invitational, 2021 USA Boxing Elite National Championships, 2021 National Golden Gloves, and 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Championships.
Now, the Olympian hopes to obtain gold and inspire children and women to follow in her footsteps. In an article for Olympics.com, the rising star said, “Of course, I'm a girl and I like to look cute, dress cute, so I just want to bring every aspect of me into the ring, and then it’s my time to shine…I don’t want people to think I fight as strongly as a man. Instead, I want people to stare in awe at this woman who landed a vicious right hook.”
Fencing
Lauren Scruggs
How often do you hear about a Black fencing player? Especially one from Queens?
Fencer Lauren Scruggs, who attended Harvard, began her impressive career thanks to her brother’s influence. A six-time World Champion at Junior and Cadet Worlds (three individual and three team Ws), and the youngest foil fencer to ever win Junior World Champion, Scruggs secured a spot fencing for the U.S. National Team at the 2024 Olympics after having a standout three seasons with Harvard University’s women’s fencing team. After her outstanding performance on the junior circuit, the rising star accepted the challenge of playing against more experienced opponents when she first began competing at senior competitions in 2021.
In her most recent season, the 2022-2023 season, the fencer went undefeated on the season with the record of 36-0; and became 4th in the women’s World Championship and 11th overall in the 2023-2024 season. Now, entering the Paris 2024 Olympics the foil fencer is a contender to take a medal home for the US, which could make her the third US American woman to take a medal home.
Gymnastics
Simon Biles
Remember that time Simone Biles' husband said when they started dating, he “didn’t even know who she was”? As charming as that might’ve seemed, it’s just truly hard to believe, considering all the records this woman keeps breaking.
A true catch (see what I did there?), Simone Biles has become the oldest U.S. gymnast to compete in the Olympics in 72 years, at the age of 27. With four gold medals, the gymnast returns to the Olympic games with a few loose ends. Despite taking home two medals, Biles ended her run early in the 2021 Tokyo Games to concentrate on her mental health. The athlete returns now, mentally stronger, hoping to win back the gold.
The USA Women’s team is a clear favorite to win gold because the reigning Russian champions are no longer eligible to compete due to the Russian-Ukrainan war. Therefore, it’s possible Biles will not go home empty-handed. However, in the individual events, first place might be harder to obtain for the seven-time Olympian and 30 World Championships title holder, with stiff competitors Hezly Rivera, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey vying for the gold medal.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Jordan Chiles
Rugby
Naya Tapper
If you're part of the 46% of women who like watching football: watch rugby. If you're a part of the other 54% who don't like watching football, but enjoy watching women be badasses: watch women's rugby, especially during these Olympic Games.
Five years ago, World Rugby declared former track and field star, Naya Tapper, "USA's surging star." Since then, Tapper has qualified for two Olympic rugby teams and leads the current USA team as co-captain. The first American woman to reach 100 tries (think touchdowns for football), the UNC alumni is the all-time leading try scorer for the USA Women's 7s team and inevitably one to watch during these Olympic Games Paris 2024. With insane speed, fantastic judgment, and unrelenting, showstopping tackles, Tapper dominates in a sport that is gaining popularity in the USA.
Though, the USA Women's team has a long way to go during this Olympic Games to win the gold medal. With the women's team ranking seventh in the world, they'll need to overcome teams like England, Canada, and New Zealand to even see a glimpse of gold.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Cheta Emba
Ariana Ramsey
Soccer
Sophia Smith
Sadly, it has been a while since I’ve trusted the US Women’s National Team; especially under the leadership of Vlatko Andonovski, who wasn’t a bad coach, just a bad coach for the USWNT. Nevertheless, the team has tripped, fallen, and stumbled into the arms of legendary coach Emma Hayes, and the future is suddenly looking a little brighter.
Well, that’s due to Hayes and the relentless Sophia Smith and her golden foot.
At 23 years old, Smith has been named 2022 MVP and 2023 Golden Boot winner with just four seasons under her belt. Now, she is the US women's soccer player to watch, as she has discovered a new shift in her mindset. In a recent interview with NBC, the soccer star says, "Now, I feel like I'm in a good place confidently to be like, 'I know what I can do, I know what my strengths are, I know what my weaknesses are." Armed with her newfound discoveries, the star hopes to "control [her] confidence" and lean on her strengths and weaknesses to acquire the prestigious gold medal, which has eluded the US team since 2012.
In her first Olympic Games, Sophia Smith hopes to put her name among legends Abby Wambach. Mia Hamm, and Carli Lloyd. Though, she has a lot of work ahead of her, especially considering the USA's ever-growing relentless competition, and our team's long journey to return to the top.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Crystal Dunn
Naomi Girma
Casey Krueger
Trinity Rodman
Jaedyn Shaw
Mallory Swanson
Tennis
Coco Gauff
Have y'all ever watched Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends? If not, take a second to look up Coco from the show on YouTube, and listen to how he says his name. That's what I think of when I see Coco Gauff on my television screen. Regardless of who she is playing against, regardless of their rank, and potential to be stiff competition, I cannot help but continuously repeat: Coco, Coco, Coco.
In her Olympics debut, the 20-year-old tennis champion has ambitious plans to acquire several titles and medals, stating she wants to win medals in "singles, doubles, and mixed." Currently ranked number four in the world, Gauff is a strong contender in these Summer Olympic Games and has only shown herself to be successful under the close gaze of doubters. Nonetheless, Gauff's desire to win in all three will not come easy, especially without having a mixed doubles partner. However, the hope of taking home two gold medals is not too far out of reach, with the tennis star becoming one of the best in women's and one-half of women's doubles tennis, with the highest ranking of two in singles, and one and two in doubles.
With representing Team USA, there will be inevitable comparisons to players who have come before Guaff, such as the Williams sisters. Nevertheless, after these Olympic games, I have a feeling the comparisons will finally die down, and the world, too, will begin chanting Coco, Coco, Coco.
Swimming
Simone Manuel
If you don't know who Simone Manuel is, let me tell you: She is the first Black American woman to land an individual Olympic gold medal.
Dominating in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Manuel has won a gold medal for the woman's 100m freestyle, and 4x100m medley, while also taking home two silver medals for 50m free and the woman's 4x100m freestyle. Four years later, in the Tokyo Games, the swimmer managed to acquire a bronze medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay, despite having been diagnosed with over-training. Following the games, the swimmer took a break from the sport and established her own foundation to support the expansion of swimming among Black communities and other marginalized groups that had been mostly excluded from a predominantly White sport.
After giving herself time to recover both physically and mentally, the swimmer is now much more prepared to go after gold in the games. Manuel plans to strive for greatness as a top contender, but she doesn't plan to do it at any cost. In her recent AP Summer Olympics article, she states, "I’ve always been very in tune with my body in regards to swimming, but I’ve just learned it’s really important to take a breath. It’s really important to not just be in tune with your body, but really listen to it.”
Track and Field
Track and field athlete Sha'Carri Richardson poses during the Team USA Paris 2024 Olympic Portrait Shoot at NBC Universal Studios Stage 16.
Harry How/Getty Images
Sha'Carri Richardson
The only thing that can stop Sha'Carri Richardson from coming home with the gold medal is Richardson herself.
At the age of 19, Sha'Carri Richardson became one of the ten fastest women in history. Two years later, the track and field star became the sixth-fastest woman of all time, the fourth-fastest American woman in history, and qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Nevertheless, this feat was short-lived when the athlete tested positive for THC, which created controversy once her winning results were invalidated and she became ineligible to compete in the Olympic Games.
Nevertheless, Richardson has not let this stop her. Since 2020, the runner has won gold at the 2023 Budapest World Championships for individual and team relays and successfully defended her title in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Games. Not to mention the star has received a multi-million dollar deal with Nike, Android, and Whoop, and a cover with Vogue. With nothing to stop her, Richardson has returned with a passion to take possession of the gold that the world has always believed has been hers. As the current title holder of the fastest woman alive, the star wants everyone to know that during these Olympic Games, she's "not back, [she's] better."
Other Honorable Mentions:
Nia Akins
Brittany Brown
Aaliyah Butler
Anna Cockrell
Vashti Cunningham
Tara Davis-Woodhall
Annette Echikunwoke
Kendall Ellis
Veronica Fraley
Tori Franklin
Rachel Glenn
Alexis Holmes
Melissa Jefferson
Alaysha Johnson
Jasmine Jones
McKenzie Long
Jasmine Moore
Keturah Orji
Jaida Ross
Raven Saunders
Grace Stark
Gabby Thomas
Juliette Whittaker
Other athletes to watch that were not mentioned: Marie Laborde (Judo), Ashleigh Johnson (Water Polo) and Chiaka Ogbogu, Jordan Thompson, and Haleigh Washington (Volleyball).
Starting July 26, check out these amazing Olympians during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
It’s not like it has to be a bad thing. In fact, studies say that somewhere around 15 percent of engaged couples actually met through a friend. All I’m saying is, before you entertain someone’s “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” invitation, it would benefit you to interview them first — for the sake of all parties involved.
The questions that I recommend asking? The following six are what I think can get everyone on the same page, so that there is more pleasure than regret from the hook-up attempt.
1. Why Are They So Invested?
GiphyTwo things that I recently watched over again are the series Survivor’s Remorse (the writing is so damn good) and a movie called Trapped in Temptation (both are currently on Tubi). Something that both of them made me think about is the fact that motive reveals a lot when it comes to why people say and do the things that they do.
When it comes to the movie, specifically, without giving the film away — let me just say that, if you are in a relationship, be really careful about listening to individuals who try to talk you out of maintaining it. More times than not, the motive is shady as hell. And honestly, sometimes people who are close to obsessed with you being in one deserve a bit of side-eye too.
Now, if it’s someone who loves all things love, they are in love and they want you to experience something similar — that’s sweet. Just make sure that they are approaching the set up from a healthy space. What I mean by that is they don’t see singleness as some sort of relational handicap or they aren’t trying to override what you want for your life as if they somehow know better (there are so many ways to be a control freak, y’all).
Hmph. Now that I think about it — make sure that the set-up crew isn’t trying to use you to “save” some male friend or relative of theirs. I say that because I once knew a mother whose son had — count ‘em — 10 kids and she was FOREVER trying to get me to date him. Girl, that wasn’t for me. She was looking for a Holy Ghost Jr. for that child of hers. I’ll pass. HARD PASS.
Bottom line with this one — if someone wants to set you up with someone else, the first thing to ask is why? Make sure to really listen to what their answer is. Then pay attention to if your mind, body and spirit are at peace with their answer(s).
2. Do They Know What You Want?
GiphyI don’t know about y’all, but the people (and let’s be honest, by far, it’s usually women) who have tried to set me up with someone? They didn’t even know what my preferences or type was. Hell, they didn’t even know my thoughts or timeline as it relates to being in a serious relationship were either. And what that boils down to is they were trying to hook me up based on their agenda, not mine — and that usually meant that the guys who they came up with? Yeah…I was good on them. LOL.
Yeah, if someone wants to hook you up, you definitely should ask them if they know what you are looking for in a guy when it comes to his looks, personality, passions, spirituality, relational desires and goals, location, etc. Because, indeed, what is the point in going out with someone who is fine as hell and yet, you want kids and he doesn’t (or vice versa) or who has a great personality yet he isn’t even in the same ballpark of your spiritual beliefs?
If your friend really wants to help you out, valuing your time should come with that — and that means bringing someone into your life who complements your lifestyle. No wiggle room here.
3. Are They Aware of Your Deal-Breakers?
GiphyLast year, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “Should Bad Sex Actually Be A Relationship Deal-Breaker?” The thing that I think needs to go on record about deal-breakers is they aren’t exactly standards that you have. No, a deal-breaker is something that can’t be worked out even after trying to negotiate or compromise. When it comes to relationships, a deal-breaker might be how long two people should date before becoming exclusive or getting engaged. Another deal-breaker might be if being religious is more important than being spiritual and how that manifests itself (church or no church, etc.). And yes, another deal-breaker may be what each other’s sexual needs and expectations are.
When someone is setting you up, it is imperative that they know about your standards. For instance, for me, I am not interested in dating a divorced person, pretty much ever (I Corinthians 7:10-11). I’ve had friends who have tried to hook me up with that demographic before and it has always been a moot effort. The fact that some of them have gotten frustrated with my convictions has absolutely nothing to do with me. Some have tried to get me to compromise my deal-breakers too — like a long-distance relationship. Is it a firm “naw”? No. However, it’s not really something that I am interested in, so why not just…recommend someone local?
Yeah, if someone thinks that they know you well enough to hook you up, they absolutely should be well-versed in what your deal-breakers are before they do. And if they’ve never asked, all they are doing is assuming — and we know what that typically means. LOL.
4. What Is Their Track Record?
GiphyIt’s kind of wild that we now live in a time when more couples meet online than they do through “old-fashioned ways” like via their friends (although some reports say that Gen Z is getting back to that) — and yet, here we are. Still, if you are willing to let someone play pseudo matchmaker in your life, you are well within your rights to inquire about their track record in that department. Have they hooked others up, successfully, before? Has any of their “Cupid work” caused both people to get exactly what they wanted out of the situation? If/when things went awry, why was that?
I know someone who is constantly trying to hook people up. Thing is, maybe 10-15 percent (no joke) of their efforts have proven to be positive and fruitful — and we’re talking about close to close to two decades of them doing it. Listen, time is too precious to be out here doing stuff ONLY to please other people. That said, if someone wants you to devote some time to one of their grand ideas, you are well within your rights to ask about their past and current success score when it comes to it.
5. Can They Keep Their Own Feelings Out of It?
GiphyWanna know if someone who is offering to do something for you is actually doing it more for themselves? If they try to make it be about them when things don’t go the way they would like, that is a dead ringer. An example? They post a message about you on social media and then question you about why you didn’t do the same thing in return. Another example? They do something for you and then throw it in your face during an argument. Still another example? They set you up with someone, it doesn’t work out, and suddenly you’ve put them in a weird spot. No dear — you put your own self in that position by trying to hook two people up in the first place.
I promise you, it will spare everyone unnecessary energy spent (or even drama experienced) if, before you agree to be hooked up, you get the matchmaker on record stating that they will keep their emotions out of it as much as possible. MEANING — they will do the introductions and then let the chips fall where they may. If they can’t do this, my two cents (save it or spend it) would be to decline the offer. Because all you need is someone texting you about why you haven’t called their cousin back or having an attitude with you when you break up with some guy at their church who they thought was the perfect catch (P.S. These aren’t hypothetical examples — LOL).
6. Will They Respect Your Boundaries? Start to Finish?
GiphyYeah, this final one is a biggie. Just because someone sets you up with another person, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily mean that they should have the right to the details of the dynamic. I don’t care if it’s the first date or the 10th date. I don’t care if you decide to just be sex buddies or to have a full-blown relationship. I don’t care if you stay together or break-up — it’s your relationship which makes it your business. Whatever you share is privileged data.
Yeah, I would say that probably the most challenging thing about being hooked up by someone you know is they have a tendency to think that they are a part of the relationship too — and that is a lie. If things go well beyond a couple of dates, you and the guy should discuss what you will both share with the person who introduced you and then agree to stick to that boundary, no matter what. It’s a great way to protect the dynamic, to keep “outside voices” from influencing the growth and to navigate how you want to move, moving forward.
Someone who hooked you up for the right reasons and knows how to honor limits? They will understand. Will they ask questions? Absolutely. Will they pry? Nah.
___
Should you sit and let someone hook you up? I mean, you never know how your blessing will come. Just make sure that they are prepared for you to do some digging into their mindset before they start sweetly meddling into your love life.
It’s only fair. Hell, and right. LOL.
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