00:00Today I'm speaking with a former professional basketball player,
00:04Chinyere Christie Ibeque, who has now ventured into different aspects of life,
00:10like fashion, wellness and humanitarian work.
00:14Chinyere, welcome.
00:15Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here.
00:18First and foremost, I need to say it's absolutely an honor to be here
00:21because The Guardian is like so historical.
00:24I remember growing up and I remember like reading it on Sundays,
00:28you know, because I do realize that this production has been going on since like the 80s.
00:35Of course, it will keep you dizzy.
00:37Yeah, for sure. It's an honor.
00:39Yeah, a former basketball player, now venturing into different things.
00:44What are those things, Aya, into your fashion icon?
00:46How are you going to manage all these things together?
00:48I think for the most part is being able to live my life but not put myself in a box.
00:55If there's something that I'm good at, I'll go for it.
00:57I've always been like that.
00:58I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by two Nigerian amazing parents
01:03who sacrificed so much to come to the States and have granted me a life of access and resources.
01:13There was never one lane that my mother kept me in.
01:16You know, I was playing the piano. I was playing basketball. I was playing softball.
01:22You know, I went to an enriched study school. I was always active.
01:26So I felt like as I developed and I got older, I definitely knew that there are so many things
01:32that I wanted to do.
01:33But the key was, whatever I do, always put myself in the position to be able to give back to
01:39the less fortunate.
01:40Why did you choose basketball?
01:41In the 2000s, it was more so like you were put in a box.
01:46Like if you're tall, you're definitely going to play basketball.
01:48But it was essentially something that I was really good at.
01:51And it's not just me.
01:52If anybody does their research, they'll know the whole Ibekwe family is a family of athletes.
01:59My father played soccer.
02:00My mother ran track.
02:02My brother played basketball.
02:04And he even was signed to the NFL.
02:08Exactly.
02:09Ibekwe went to Maryland, played professionally for years.
02:12If Ibekwe got drafted to the WNBA.
02:15And myself, I mean, I also played for the Nigerian national team.
02:19It's in the work of my family is literally athleticism.
02:25That is something that we are good at.
02:26That's interesting.
02:27I know you're staying in the U.S.
02:30Where do you stay long at?
02:32I find myself in America more, but I love coming to Nigeria because I love my culture.
02:39Wow.
02:40I think a lot of people that I grew up with don't really understand how important it is to align
02:44with your culture.
02:45But I feel like I have the perfect balance of being American and Nigerian.
02:50Wow.
02:51For a certain period of years you left basketball.
02:54I did.
02:55Why?
02:56What happened?
02:57I think I was in a phase where I felt like I was put in a box.
03:02Well, it was just routine.
03:03You wake up 5.30 in the morning.
03:05You go work out.
03:06You have a game.
03:07And it just became too repetitive for me.
03:10Do you have to go back?
03:11Can we maybe teach other people or maybe just gather people to do those kind of basketball things for females?
03:16Well, yeah, I have my own clinic.
03:18I have my own foundation.
03:19I stand tall foundation.
03:20I literally just hosted a basketball clinic in Suruleri just in May this year.
03:27Wow.
03:27That's interesting.
03:28So there's a lot of different things.
03:29I'm still involved with basketball.
03:31Basketball for women is doing very well right now, by the way.
03:34I will say like they're getting paid more.
03:36I just played in the era where I felt like I was doing all the labor, but I wasn't reaping
03:42all the benefits.
03:43Wow.
03:44You ventured into other things, you went into fashion as well.
03:47Yes.
03:47When did you develop that interest?
03:49I've always been a fashionable girl.
03:52I think I get that the love for fashion from my mother.
03:56My mother was someone that, you know, taught me how to sew.
03:59She knew how to sew from her mother.
04:02My nana, Blue Bay, she's someone that taught me how to sew.
04:09It's just something that I always wanted to do.
04:11And when I got into it, it was very easy for me to just go into it.
04:16And once I was into it, it happened so fast.
04:19Like working with celebrities, it just happened so fast.
04:23And I think not just because I'm from LA, Los Angeles, but it was more so like who I am
04:29as a person and how people trusted my judgment and just trusted me.
04:34So I think that's a big thing just in business, having great rapport with people.
04:39And I was doing a research and I found out that Tiana Taylor reportedly wore the first piece you designed.
04:47Yeah.
04:47How did someone still learning fashion convince a major celebrity to trust her work?
04:52Like I said, it's all about rapport and relationships.
04:56I met Tiana Taylor through one of my best friends, Mel.
04:59She introduced me to Tiana Taylor and that was her best friend.
05:02So it just, it was murder.
05:04She wrote once she wore the outfit.
05:07And that was a time where I didn't even have a website.
05:09I remember waking up to like 150 orders with a product that costs about $180, $180, 150 orders.
05:20You do the math.
05:22My business skyrocketed.
05:23It was really easy.
05:25Yeah.
05:26I see that your designs are also like celebrate African identity in the global market.
05:30For sure.
05:31We tied both together.
05:32Why that?
05:33I do that because I feel like it's the best representation of who I am.
05:37I feel like it aligned with me being Nigerian and me being American.
05:42It's African sophistication aligned with contemporary modern chic.
05:46And I feel like when you align those two things, you are essentially representing who I am.
05:52Because I come from two different worlds.
05:54Oh.
05:54You do Monterey work.
05:56You do that.
05:56Mm-hmm.
05:57Why did you go into that as well?
05:59I think that's something that has just been embedded with me.
06:02I come from a mother who is a great woman of God.
06:05I remember being a child and going to Skid Row and serving the less fortunate and giving
06:10out food.
06:11My mom would cook for the homeless.
06:13My mom comes to Nigeria.
06:14She has her medical mission here every January in the East.
06:21Okay.
06:21She's a nurse.
06:23So she is able to provide medical supplies, bring in different doctors and to help the
06:28less fortunate.
06:29So I feel like I just got that from my mom, but it's not necessarily from my mom.
06:33It's more so just who I am as a person.
06:36Everything that I do needs to be aligned in a way where I'm still able to give back to
06:40the less fortunate.
06:41What's success to you?
06:43I don't feel like success is measured by money.
06:46I think success is measured by the impact after these events.
06:50When people call you and say, Oh, I met my husband at your event.
06:54Or, Oh my gosh, I got this job.
06:57Or, Oh my gosh, me and this person connected and we created something.
07:00I feel like success is measured within that because me putting these things together, it's
07:07a service.
07:08And I always say my motto is there's no success without service.
07:11So all that intertwines together.
07:13So looking at all this now, what are those things?
07:17Yeah.
07:17I've actually done this thing in the past.
07:19Okay.
07:20This, I've made a lot of sacrifices.
07:22What are those things?
07:23Those, maybe it's the best nights.
07:24Can you recall any that made you like, I've done a lot to deserve all this?
07:30Well, I feel like the first sacrifice comes with like just being an athlete.
07:35There's a lot of discipline.
07:37Okay.
07:38I had to bust my butt to get into UCLA.
07:41Like UCLA is one of the best schools in the world.
07:43Yeah.
07:44It wasn't easy.
07:45I literally had to get straight.
07:46How did you get in?
07:47How did I get into UCLA?
07:49I had to have straight A's and I had to be a good basketball player.
07:52I got a full ride scholarship.
07:53I didn't have to pay a dime.
07:55I didn't have to pay a dollar to go to that school.
07:57So like me now, if I want to go there, what would you advise me to do?
08:02On a basketball scholarship?
08:04Yeah.
08:05I don't know.
08:05You might have to grow a little bit.
08:09You have to work just as hard in the classroom as you do on the court.
08:14You're my university of California, Los Angeles.
08:17That is my school.
08:18Go Bruins.
08:21Yeah.
08:21I know that things that maybe I want to go into.
08:24Do you want to go into acting?
08:25Hmm.
08:26Going into Nollywood.
08:27I don't want to be typecast as like the beautiful girl that is just like over sexualized because
08:34I have great intellect.
08:35I'm a very intelligent woman.
08:37I feel like we need to like expand those roles.
08:40You know, I want to be like the action superhero or like the lawyer, the doctor, the someone that is
08:50making an impact.
08:51I think that is very important.
08:52I mean, not to say that those, you know, beautiful roles.
08:57Doing great things.
08:57Yeah.
08:58Yeah, absolutely.
08:59But I just feel like there's just more to acting and your profile needs to be a little bit more
09:06colorful than just being the sexy Jezebel.
09:09So we should be expecting you.
09:10Nollywood.
09:11I'm going to put it out there.
09:12I'm open.
09:13Okay.
09:13What's your advice to someone who wants to go into basketball?
09:17I would assume I'm talking to someone that is under 17.
09:21Okay.
09:22My advice to you is to number one, put God first.
09:27Number two, always have your grades up.
09:32And number three, never put your head down.
09:35Grades up.
09:36Your head is never down.
09:38What's a love life like for you?
09:41I will never talk about my love life.
09:45I think that's something private.
09:47But if you want to know, I'm single.
09:48Okay.
09:49I'm single, ready to mingle.
09:53And yeah, I'm not married.
09:55I don't have any children at the moment.
09:57I'm open.
09:58I would love to be with a Nigerian man.
10:01I think I should get some credit because there's a lot of Nigerians in America that won't even date Nigerians,
10:07but I'm open.
10:07Like I would date a Nigerian.
10:09Why not?
10:09Thank you very much for coming.
10:11Absolutely.
10:12Thank you so much for having me.
10:13Thank you so much.
10:14This was amazing.
10:15And I wish you guys all the best.
