USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Jeron Smith at Harvard Business School.
Charting new paths across some of the world’s most influential industries, Jeron Smith blends intellect, creativity, and purpose. His journey spans academics, athletics, global brand leadership, public service, and entrepreneurship.
Those who know him describe Jeron as witty, curious, and deeply driven. Professionally, he has been a quiet architect behind influential campaigns, platforms, and cultural moments over the last decade at Nike and Jordan Brand, the White House, Stephen Curry’s global brand, and his own ventures.
After years away from organized competition, Jeron recently returned to sport through tennis, beginning his latest endeavor.
Every day, and especially during Black History Month, we celebrate changemakers like Jeron, who elevate others, open doors, and expand what’s possible.
Building His Foundation
A Southern California native, Jeron grew up in Chino Hills. At Diamond Bar High School, he balanced rigorous academics with social curiosity, earning top grades while organizing peers and gravitating toward leadership that blended culture, business, and community throughout his career.
“Academically, it was serious. I took all AP & Honors classes and graduated top of my class, but I was equally shaped by what was happening outside the classroom,” Jeron shared. “Socially, I moved between different worlds—high achievers, athletes, creatives, and kids still figuring things out. My family life emphasized education, discipline, and responsibility, paired with a realistic understanding that the world would not always be fair.“
Athletics also played a central role in his early life. Though he trained in martial arts, basketball became his primary passion.
Entering high school at 5-foot-3, Jeron grew to 6-foot-4 over his final two years, altering his collegiate trajectory. While he was recruited by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Naval Academy, and the University of Pennsylvania, he chose UCLA for its academic strength. He graduated from Diamond Bar High School in 2003 and was later named a Distinguished Alumni.
Athletics and Academic Breadth
Jeron enrolled at UCLA in the fall of 2003 with aspirations of competing at the highest level. A coaching change altered the program’s direction, forcing his first first major pivot. Two years later, he transferred to Howard University—one of the nation’s most prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)—where he earned a Division I roster spot and joined a community that would profoundly shape his identity and worldview. From 2005 to 2008, Jeron played over 75 games as a Bison and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
He continued his academic momentum in Washington, D.C., earning a Master of Science in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University (2008-2009) and a second Master’s in Digital Resource Management at Columbia University (2009-2012).
“These institutions represented the holistic college experience. Public, private, HBCU, and Ivy League,” Jeron explained. “UCLA exposed me to scale and possibility. Georgetown sharpened my understanding of policy and institutions. Columbia reinforced analytical rigor. Howard grounded me culturally and existentially.”
Moving through distinct environments shaped his professional approach. “I became adaptive without being performative. I learned to listen first, read the room, and execute,” Jeron added. “People seldom care meaningfully about effort. Either you got it done or you did not.”
Kobe Bryant and Jeron Smith.
Breaking Into the Industry
Jeron’s first exposure to Nike came at Howard, where he interned as a sales representative. Though his initial goal was professional basketball, the end of his playing career required redefining his relationship with the sport.
At Georgetown, he worked in communications for the Washington Wizards, gaining firsthand experience in professional sports business. Still, returning to Nike remained his goal.
“The period after Howard and Georgetown was not linear. It took me years to get a job at Nike,” Jeron explained. “I applied to more than 50 roles without receiving a single phone screen. There were long stretches where there was no visible progress at all.”
A breakthrough came when his Georgetown thesis on digital strategy was published, attracting senior executives. Nike hired him as a North America Brand Manager while he attended Columbia in New York. After graduation, he relocated to Nike’s global headquarters in Portland, shaping how media, culture, and sport could coexist more seamlessly.
In 2015, Jeron was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Marketing and Advertising, recognition that reflected both his rising influence in digital strategy and his published research in the International Journal of Mobile Marketing. His impact was recognized again in 2019, when he was named to Ad Age’s 40 Under 40.
Building Momentum with Nike and Jordan Brand
At Nike, Jeron was embedded in the Basketball category at the intersection of sport, culture, and digital media. During the 2011 NBA lockout, he led the launch of the “Basketball Never Stops” campaign with LeBron James and Kevin Durant, showing that basketball culture lives beyond contracts and calendars. The slogan became synonymous with Nike Basketball and remains in use over a decade later.
He also contributed to Nike+ footwear initiatives that blended performance, data, and personalization.
In 2013, Jeron became West Brand Marketing Lead for Jordan Brand in Los Angeles. He oversaw strategy across retail, digital, entertainment, and PR while maintaining close ties with athletes, creators, and cultural influencers.
“At Nike and Jordan Brand, I saw what happens when people are passionate around a shared mission and vision,” stated Jeron. “When people care, energy compounds. Ideas move faster, execution becomes seamless, and culture turns into a competitive advantage.”
After nearly six years at Nike, Jeron received a call that reshaped his path.
Public Service in The White House
In President Barack Obama’s final year, Jeron joined the White House Office of Digital Strategy as Deputy Director and Advisor, overseeing whitehouse.gov, digital media partnerships, and the strategic direction of the @WhiteHouse and @POTUS social media channels. He led digital activations tied to policy initiatives, making information accessible and culturally relevant to audiences who might otherwise disengage from government communication.
One of his most innovative initiatives placed the State of the Union Address on Rap Genius, annotating the speech to provide context and explanation that made policy more digestible for younger and nontraditional audiences. The effort was widely praised as a breakthrough in civic accessibility and digital engagement.
He also co-launched South by South Lawn, a White House festival inspired by Austin’s South by Southwest that brought together technology, film, music, education, and culture. Focused on innovation, art, and civic action, the event celebrated changemakers and challenged attendees to discover their own paths toward impact.
“Working in the White House required near perfection,” Jeron said. “The stakes were real, the margin for error was thin, and decisions carried national consequence.”
Among Jeron’s most personal moments was returning to Howard with President Obama for the commencement address. Traveling in the motorcade and witnessing the President speak at his alma mater brought his journey full circle.
Barack Obama and Jeron Smith in the Oval Office at the White House.
SC30 and Unanimous Media
After the Obama administration concluded in early 2017, Jeron joined SC30, Inc. as Chief Marketing Officer for Stephen Curry’s off-court brand. Their relationship began when the Golden State Warriors visited the White House following their 2016 NBA championship. The two first met through a mutual connection at Nike—Jeron’s colleague and Curry’s longtime close friend, Bryant Barr.
Jeron positioned Curry as a global brand rooted in authenticity, values, and impact, spanning high-profile media placements, cross-sport collaborations with other athletes, documentary production, and strategic partnerships. He also structured philanthropic initiatives that supported underfunded high school basketball programs, community development efforts, and charitable fundraising aligned with Curry’s values.
“Working with Stephen Curry taught me how to operate in a nontraditional environment where the principal is also the product,” Jeron explained. “The CEO, the talent, and the brand are the same person.”
In 2018, Jeron co-founded Unanimous Media alongside Curry and producer Erick Peyton, partnering with Sony Pictures Entertainment while focusing on television, film, and digital content centered on family, faith, and sports storytelling.
One of its most powerful projects was Emanuel, a documentary examining the aftermath of the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre in Charleston. Jeron and Curry played active roles in ensuring the film reached audiences nationwide, prioritizing thoughtful distribution, awareness, and conversation.
Unanimous Media co-founders Jeron Smith (L) and Stephen Curry (R) posted up courtside for a Golden State Warriors game.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Jeron’s experiences across corporate, government, and sports ultimately led him to entrepreneurship. In 2020, he founded The Incubation Lab, a media company developing film, television, intellectual property, and brand campaigns that challenge traditional narratives. Focusing heavily on sports, Black history, culture, and personal stories, the company’s notable projects include I Will Vote, a voter participation campaign aimed at educating and mobilizing eligible voters, with Chris Paul, and Why Not Her, a femme-centric documentary highlighting the Crenshaw community, featuring Russell Westbrook and WNBA guard Jordana Canada.
“I realized corporate America is not meritocratic in the way it is often described,” commented Jeron. “Entrepreneurship offered a path where results mattered more than performance.”
In 2021, Jeron co-founded HEIR with Jeffrey Jordan and Daniel George to deepen fan-athlete relationships through technology, access, and personalization. The company raised $10.6 million in seed funding with backing from Thrive Capital, Solana Ventures, and prominent investors Alexis Ohanian and Lonzo Ball.
HEIR’s latest product, PersonaPro, allows fans to receive personalized, officially licensed video messages from athletes. The platform represents Jeron’s continued belief that connection, when done thoughtfully, can be both scalable and meaningful.
Jeron Smith (L) and Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (R) speak during the “An Economic Engine: Sports, Entertainment & Policy-Driven Growth” summit.
A New Chapter in Tennis
Looking to channel his competitive drive during the few moments of downtime in his busy schedule, Jeron sought out activities that could challenge him both physically and mentally. In the process, he rediscovered tennis.
“I started playing tennis seriously about two years ago,” Jeron shared. “My first experience with the sport was much earlier. My mom took me to a park near our house just to try it out. Everything I had seen on TV looked easy, and I assumed I would walk onto the court and be Pete Sampras right out of the gate. Instead, I hit the ball for the first time and it went straight over the fence.”
Drawn by the discipline rather than competition, he explains: “There are no shortcuts in tennis,” Jeron explained. “The level of precision required to strike a tennis ball cleanly leaves no room for distraction. You are alone with your preparation and your mistakes, and that demand for presence allows you not to think about anything else.”
Now a regular at Tume Tennis Club in Los Angeles, Jeron has found a balance that resonates deeply. While tennis is inherently individual, the environment at Tume provides a sense of community that keeps him grounded.
“Playing at Tume specifically makes the game feel communal, but the accountability is still individual,” Jeron said. “That balance is perfect for me right now. I look forward to playing with Shaina [Zaidi] and the Tume Tennis Club every week. It’s one of my favorite parts of my routine.”
Tennis has sharpened Jeron’s approach to pressure, patience, and emotional regulation. “You can do everything right and still lose a point,” Jeron reflected. “Or hit the ball perfectly nine times and then send one into the bottom of the net. The discipline is staying composed, managing momentum, knowing when to press and when to reset.”
Those lessons mirror the realities of leadership and entrepreneurship, where progress is rarely linear and long-term outcomes matter more than short-term swings. While Jeron approaches the game with humility, he has not abandoned ambition.
“All great athletic pursuits require a healthy amount of delusion,” Jeron added. “In my head, if I had been playing my whole life, I would already have a few Grand Slams and a rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz. Reality, of course, is a little different.”
For now, his focus is closer to home. He is chasing a second consecutive Tume Tennis Team Singles Championship, while allowing himself to dream just enough to stay motivated.
“Tennis lets me take something seriously without taking myself too seriously,” Jeron stated. “That’s what keeps me coming back.”
Jeron playing tennis at Tume Tennis in Los Angeles, California.
Black History Month Reflections
For Jeron, Black History Month is clarifying.
“Black History Month is about preserving truth,” Jeron shared. “It creates space to recognize the brilliance, innovation, leadership, and resilience that have too often been minimized, muted, or intentionally erased. So much of the narrative around Black history is framed through struggle, but I also like to remember the victories, the beauty, the intellect, and the joy alongside the pain.”
That understanding has shaped how Jeron approaches leadership and visibility throughout his career. Whether working in global corporations, public service, or entrepreneurship, he has remained mindful that representation alone is not enough.
“Visibility without substance is hollow,” mentioned Jeron. “I am here because someone paved the way before me, often without recognition or guarantee of return, starting with my parents. That lineage creates an obligation not just to succeed, but to widen the path for others.”
Looking back, Jeron points to moments in Black history that deeply influenced his own decisions and values. The election of President Barack Obama stands out as a defining moment.
“It represented generations of effort made visible in a single frame,” Jeron reflected. “It did not achieve equality, it was tangible proof of possibility.”
Another lasting influence has been Muhammad Ali, whose willingness to sacrifice fame, income, and public favor for his beliefs left a permanent mark.
“He understood that belief costs something,” said Jeron. “Standing for something, even if you stand alone, matters.”
Those lessons shaped Jeron’s decision to leave the private sector for public service, accepting a role at the White House for a fraction of his previous salary.
“It felt less like a sacrifice and more like alignment,” Jeron explained. “Salary was secondary to service.”
Today, Jeron remains deeply engaged in the HBCU community through HBCU Honors, a groundbreaking televised celebration that spotlights excellence, leadership, and achievement across Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their alumni. His continued advocacy reflects a commitment not only to representation, but to sustained investment in future generations.
Lessons Learned and Advice
Across athletics, academics, corporate leadership, public service, and entrepreneurship, Jeron has gained clarity on what endures.
“People matter more than presentations. Trust compounds over time,” Jeron said.
He is aware that his journey is observed, particularly by younger Black students and professionals navigating similar spaces.
“I know people are watching, whether I intend it or not,” Jeron shared. “I try to approach that responsibility with humility rather than performance. The goal is not for people to emulate me. It is that anyone I am able to help goes on to help someone else.”
Progress, in Jeron’s view, is not about speed. “It is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “And it is not about running in circles. It is about passing the baton forward so momentum continues long after you have left the track.”
That philosophy continues to guide his work today, from mentoring and speaking engagements to podcasts, talks, and personalized conversations with aspiring professionals seeking insight and direction.
A Continuing Journey
Through academics, career achievements, and competition, Jeron continues to expand leadership and representation. Whether in the Oval Office, shaping global brands, building companies, or on the tennis court, Jeron brings the same intentionality and discipline to every pursuit. His story proves that growth has no expiration date, reinvention is always possible, and excellence has no boundaries.
Jeron Smith alongside Nipsey Hussle and Stephen Curry behind the scenes of Curry’s YouTube series, 5 Minutes From Home.
