After graduating from Sonoma State University in the class of 2022, Kalyb Champion has made a name for himself, as the former communications major is now a digital content creator and writer for the Golden State Warriors.
Basketball has always been a passion for Champion. In high school, he decided to look into social media, where he ran an Instagram account for several sports media companies like ColorCast and Stacks. Once he started to gain some recognition for his sports analysis, he created his own YouTube channel, Buckets Rants, and podcast, Buckets Mentality. He then applied, attended and graduated from SSU, where he attributes a lot of his success and college career to two teachers, Hillary Homzie and Gina Baleria.
On top of doing game previews, player spotlights and post-game interview content, he also created his writing segment called “Dubs by the Numbers.” At SSU, Champion took the media outlet class KSUN for a semester and hosted a radio talk show about basketball. He mentioned that the school and staff helped him hone his craft, “There are genuinely great people at SSU who want to see you succeed,” he said.
Champion is very passionate about writing, talking, analyzing and commentating on the game of basketball and has aspirations to sustain a career in the NBA for a long time. “I’m very happy with where I’m at in my career but am still hungry to get better at what I do.”.
He wants to ultimately be someone that fans go to for entertainment, information and analyses. “Being able to do something that I love and sharing that love with others while simultaneously being able to financially support myself and my family is the ultimate goal,” the alumni said.
Champion also shared some advice for students who are graduating and entering the workforce. His method of finding work was via LinkedIn and other social media platforms, and he highly recommends “taking the initiative to network and seek out opportunities…building good relationships with the field you desire to go into can only benefit you.” As far as getting your foot in the door, Champion is a firm believer that you should first identify what makes you happy and what you’re passionate about, and go for it.
“Be patient. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately see results and trust the process and work you’ve put in.” Champion advises everyone to do everything they can to open doors by using the available resources.
