Samaya Clark-Gabriel (born October 1, 2009) is an American teenage athlete and actress from the Brooklyn, New York area. She was nationally recognized for her athletic abilities at age four.

Early life

In 2016, Gabriel was named "Athlete of the Year" for leading the Brooklyn Stars soccer team to their first championship. In addition to receiving several tournament titles, she was presented with the Lion's Heart Award for demonstrating drive and proficiency against many all-boys teams. Since then, she has taken a break from soccer to focus her efforts on basketball.

Media appearances

Showcasing her basketball skills, Samaya has been featured on ''Good Morning America'', ''Good Day New York, GoodDay NY'', CBS Sports, ''USA Today'', News 12 Brooklyn, ''SportsCenter'', ESPN, ESPN College Basketball, ESPNW, ''Chasing News'', BRICTV, the ''New York Post'', Fox5NY, Women You Should Know, Kellie Pickler, ''The Ben & Pickler Show'', Harry (talk show), ''Harry'', ''Rolling Stone'', and People (magazine), People.com. In addition to media features, Samaya has practiced with the New York Liberty, New York Liberty Basketball team and has played 1-on-1 with NBA legend and NY Liberty President Isiah Thomas. In January 2018, Samaya became the first child to play alongside The Harlem Globetrotters in a game at Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden, and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Nassau Coliseum. Gabriel and her father were featured on Fatherly social media platforms, where she garnered 2.8 million views and 76,000 shares. Recently, Samaya has been on the radar of the Olympic Games, Olympics, as she was featured in a Monday Motivation post. For the 2018 NBA draft, Samaya teamed up with Verizon Communications, Verizon and Vince Carter's Dunk Clinic. In 2020, Samaya was featured on ''Little Big Shots,'' starring Melissa McCarthy.

Acting Debut

In 2018, Samaya made her acting debut in the indie film titled ''Foster Sin''. The film brings awareness to the mistreatment of children in the foster system.

Philanthropy

Samaya raises donations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, supporting research towards cures for child cancer and other life-threatening diseases. She was recognized for her efforts by New York Andrew Cuomo, Governor Andrew Cuomo. Samaya also visits child life centers in Children's Hospitals around the New York area.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark-Gabriel, Samaya 2009 births Living people Actresses from Brooklyn Basketball players from Brooklyn 21st-century American actresses African-American child actresses American child actresses 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen