Elite 2024 wing Jahki Howard transferring to Kanye West's Donda Academy
Kanye West has compared himself to a lot of people: Steve Jobs, Walter Disney, Andy Warhol, Leonardo da Vinci.
Will he soon be comparing himself to Pat Riley or Red Auerbach?
West’s Donda Academy — a new school in Simi Valley, Calif., he is funding in his mother’s name — is quickly becoming a hot spot for some of the top basketball players in the country.
The latest player to make the move is elite 2024 wing Jahki Howard, who posted Tuesday on Instagram that transferring from Norcross (Ga.) High to the Donda Academy.
Howard told BallySports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson that “it’s cool” to be transferring to Donda Academy.
Howard isn’t the only elite recruit transferring to the school
Two other high-level basektball players will also reportedly be suiting up for DONDA Academy.
Four-star point guard Robert Dillingham and four-star forward Jalen Hooks are also slated to attend and play basketball for the new California school.
Dillingham is the No. 18 recruit in the 2023 On3 Top 50. He previously attended Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy, where he averaged 21.2 points, 4.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals last season.
Samad Hines first reported the interest in the DONDA Academy last Thursday, although the news has not been made official.
Hooks announced his transfer Monday, telling the IndyStar he is excited for the opportunity.
“It’s just one of those things you can’t pass up,” Hooks said to the newspaper. “It was more of a family decision, too. All of us just felt like it was a chance to reach my full potential and grow and get ready for the college level.”
What is the Donda Academy?
Kanye West announced the Donda Academy after the August release of his album “DONDA.” West’s mother, Dr. Donda West, was a professor at Chicago State and died in 2007.
The school aims to serve 60 total students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Beulah McLoyd is the school’s education consultant. She told MTV News that the focus of the education will be on creative thinking and sustainability.
According to the Donda Academy website, the school is hoping to find “the intersection between faith and the innovation of the future.”
“Using an ethic of integrity and care, Donda Academy prepares students to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators by providing them with a world-class education that includes a rigorous core curriculum, and an emphasis on sustainability, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving,” the mission statement reads.
The Simi Valley Acorn reports that West is looking to buy a four-acre plot that previously housed the Simi Valley Stoneridge Preparatory School.
Jackson reports that the school has not named a basketball coach yet but former NBA player Dorell Wright is involved in developing the basketball program.