Hey, it’s the first day of Native Heritage Month & I know this is my basketball account but like....I’m a Cherokee person so I want to highlight some Native athletes that should be known by all.

Jim Thorpe was a citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation and tbh you can’t call yourself a sports fan and not know about this guy. While known mostly for his football career, he was also a basketball & baseball player and won 2 gold medals at the 1912 Olympics.

Tamakoce Te'Hila aka Billy Mills is an Oglala Lakota who won the 1964 Olympic gold in the 10,000 meter run but his running career started way before and even after retirement, as he has continued to encourage Native youth to find solace in running.

Angel Goodrich is a Cherokee Nation (my tribe!!!!) basketball player who impressed in high school, college, and professional careers. When the Tulsa Shock drafted her, she was the highest drafted Native player in the history of the WNBA. She is now a firefighter in Tulsa.

Kyrie Irving (yeah!!!) is a 6x All-Star & is Lakota through his mother. He was active against DAPL, the threat to the nation she belonged to, Standing Rock. His journey to reconnect with his Native family is an inspiration as he also uses his platform to support the nation.

I’ll add more throughout the month!