Shayla Smith Scored More Points Than Wilt Chamberlain

What this episode covers

Last year, Shayla Smith broke Philadelphia’s all-time scoring record for girls and boys basketball. That’s a huge deal, especially in Philly — a city known for basketball legends like WNBA guard Shawnetta Stewart, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, and NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. None of them scored as many points in high school as Shayla did. We sat down with Shayla and her coach, Kevin Slaughter, to hear how she became a high school phenom and changed the reputation of her high school’s basketball program. We’ll find out what it takes to score more points than anyone who came before her, and how Shayla enters a flow state on the court — and makes it look easy.  We’ll also talk to Coach Jackie Johnston, known on social media for her obsession with women’s sports, to talk through what to expect at the NCAA finals this weekend. Show Notes Shayla Smith guides her team to Philadelphia Public League Championship | Rare Footage Sports High school basketball star Shayla Smith hopes to become first WNBA player to wear hijab | CBS Philadelphia Penn State Commit Shayla Smith Imhotep Charter Highlights | Rare Footage Sports Shayla Smith Penn State Player Profile | ESPN Follow Coach Jackie on TikTok Show Credits Executive Producers: Tom Grahsler and Joan Isabella Senior Producer: Michael Olcott Producer: Michaela Winberg Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa Engineer: Mike Villers Talent Booker: Britt Kahn Tile Art: Bea Walling Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.