WNBA sensation, Jewell Loyd was born into an athletic family with her father being a former tennis instructor and both her parents being huge supporters of her basketball career.
Highlights
- Jewell Loyd’s rise to fame in the WNBA is significantly driven by the unwavering support of her parents, Gwendolyn and Calvin Loyd, who have been actively involved in her career from a young age.
- Jewell frequently acknowledges her parents’ support publicly, dedicating her wins and achievements to them and highlighting her strong bond with them.
- Her father’s athletic background and her mother’s academic guidance have shaped Jewell’s career and personal development.
As one of the prominent figures in women’s basketball today, Jewell owes much of her success to the support of her parents.
Gwendolyn Davis-Loyd and Calvin Loyd have been actively involved in their daughter’s career from a young age, publicly displaying their enthusiasm and dedication.
Loyd shares a deep bond with her parents, drawing from her mother’s academic guidance and her father’s athletic mentorship.
Her parents raised her with her older brother, Jarryd, who initially pursued tennis and followed his father’s footsteps but later played basketball.
Furthermore, she has often spoken publicly about her parents’ support throughout her career.
Jewell Is Open About Her Healthy Relationship With Her Parents, Often Acknowledging Them In Public
Born on October 5, 1993, to Gwendolyn Davis-Loyd and Calvin Loyd, Jewell gravitated towards basketball from an early age.
With her father’s athletic guidance, she developed a passion for the sport and went on to pursue basketball professionally.
Throughout her career, her parents, especially her mother, Gwen, have attended nearly every home game of her Notre Dame career and are also regulars at her daughter’s WNBA games with the Seattle Storm.
Additionally, Loyd has been vocal about her parents on many different public occasions, dedicating her wins to them or acknowledging their guidance.
During her record-breaking WNBA All-Star Game performance, she dedicated her win to her parents, saying:
I think I played hard because my parents didn’t have a gift for their anniversary, so I think this will be acceptable, I hope it is. So it was more so to kind of gift for my parents.
wgntv.com
Further, in another video for Black History Month, she spoke about how her parents’ upbringing, especially her mother’s, instilled in her the importance of understanding her roots.
Moreover, Jewell’s public actions have shown how much she appreciates her parents and the bond she shares with them.
Jewell’s father, Calvin Loyd, has a business background and ran a commercial cleaning enterprise in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
He was also a former tennis instructor, where he dedicated much of his time to his athletic endeavors.
Jewell and her dad with the 2023 WNBA AllStar trophy for MVP! Only God! pic.twitter.com/lhoJSzGneX
— Gwendolyn Loyd (@gwenloyd1) July 16, 2023
Loyd’s mother, Gwendolyn, is a retired educator. In addition to her teaching career, she has a passion for advocacy.
She has also authored a book, “The Invisible Disability,” inspired by the challenges of raising a child with dyslexia, a journey she experienced firsthand with Jewell, who has been open about her condition.
Gwen describes the book as a short story that creatively mirrors her unique experience with her daughter’s learning disability.
Moreover, Loyd shares a special bond with her mother, often collaborating on fun TikTok videos.
Nonetheless, the support and guidance from her parents played an instrumental role in building her career.
Additional Information
- Jewell plays for the national team and has won gold for Team USA two times at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
- Jewell Loyd’s older brother, Jarryd Loyd, also played basketball at Valparaiso University but has since quit his athletic journey and is now a businessman.
- The Seattle Storm drafted Loyd first overall in the 2015 WNBA draft after her successful college basketball career at Notre Dame.
- Loyd was a four-year starter for Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois where she led the team to a 93-31 record at that time.