Designer, founding editor, leading scorer: Kayla Padilla extending impact beyond Penn basketball

Junior guard Kayla Padilla is a standout for the Penn women’s basketball team on and off the court.

The cocaptain is averaging a team-best 19.7 points per game for Penn (8-12, 3-5 Ivy) this season, and she leads her team in total points and assists. But Padilla is also leading the way for her teammates with her business ventures.

When the NCAA rule allowing college athletes to profit from their names, images, and likenesses went into effect on July 1, Padilla was one of the first Penn athletes to take advantage. She partnered with HomeCourt Edge Basketball, the hometown training facility she has used for the past 10 years in the Los Angeles area, which came to her with the idea of starting the HCExKP merchandise collection.

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“I thought, no better way to start my own NIL journey — with someone I trust, and someone who has your best interest in the end,” Padilla said.

The clothing line includes a T-shirt, hat, crew neck, and hoodie, each sporting a logo Padilla designed. The logo incorporates Padilla’s initials, and elements from the Filipino flag.

“The most important part was to have the brand represent who I am and who I play for,” Padilla said. “And a big part of my identity is obviously my roots, in terms of my Filipino culture. So I wanted the logo to really encapsulate that, and just, you know, keep it simple, because that’s who I am. But honor the people who have supported me my whole life.”

“We’ve been taking orders from all around the world,” said Jared Lloyd, Padilla’s trainer from HomeCourt Edge. “Being with her and seeing all the youth, seeing all the young athletes — especially the young girl athletes — that she’s inspired was a huge reason [for the partnership].”

Padilla’s business acumen is not surprising to Lloyd, who has been coaching her since she was in the fourth grade.

“She’s very goal-oriented, very focused, very strategic in terms of what she wants,” Lloyd said. “Since she was a kid, she was very consistent, she worked hard all the time, has always asked questions. Just those things that people have that let you know that they’re going to be successful.”

A Quakers trip to Los Angeles in November served as a homecoming for the Torrance, Calif., native, and Padilla’s family and friends wore HCExKP merchandise when they watched her play against Memphis.

Padilla posted a career-high 36 points and broke Penn women’s basketball’s single-game three-point record with seven in a 73-68 loss.

“[Padilla] is remarkable. Every day she amazes me with her growth,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She took the lead on [NIL]. She’s turned that into something amazing. She’s special, you know, and we’re really fortunate to have her.”

As one of the first Penn athletes to enter the world of NIL, Padilla is leading the way for other Quakers to follow suit.

“Companies and even small local businesses have found ways to kind of get athletes involved, so I’ve seen a lot of progress in that,” Padilla said. “But we’re still hoping for more widespread opportunities for everyone, and not just maybe high-profile players to be able to capitalize on this opportunity.”

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One way Padilla supports other athletes in their NIL pursuits is with her sports media outlet, The Sideline Post. Padilla founded the website in April 2020 as a platform for college athletes to share their stories in their own words.

“Student-athletes have a lot to talk about. There’s been some really important conversations going on,” Padilla said. “[The website] just gives them a space to speak freely about what they believe in and to share it with others.”

Following the passage of NIL, The Sideline Post launched its Ambassador Program. The website partners with select athletes to publish their stories and promote a collaborative merchandise line.

The Sideline Post’s first ambassador was Baron Gaunt, a sophomore wrestler from Vanguard University. In September, Gaunt and The Sideline Post debuted a limited-edition T-shirt design called “Barrel Apparel.”

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“Now that we have the Sideline Post, which has been up and running for a while now, we try to be cognizant that, you know, there are kind of scarce resources,” Padilla said. “So to give any chance we have to be able to support an athlete, we want to do that and continue to support them in any way we can.”

Padilla is enrolled in the Wharton School of Business at Penn, studying finance and management. Her business studies have prepared her to be on the brand and the athlete side in the world of NIL.

“This kid is a student and an athlete, and she’s really good at all of it,” McLaughlin said. “She’s going to do remarkable things going forward, but at 19, to start what she did, to be in this position, I think it’s a credit to who she is.”