Los Angeles Sparks Star Jordin Canada Talks Everything... Except Basketball

Jordin Canada is currently preparing to begin another year with the Los Angeles Sparks, and we caught up with her earlier this week to talk about everything except the impending WNBA season. Sure you know Jordin Canada the basketball player—the two-time champion with a number of other accomplishments under her belt, such as being named the WNBA steals leader in 2019 and making the all-defensive team that same year (plus more). But do you really know Jordin Canada and who she is off the court? Well, we got to find that out a little bit as we chatted with her about singing, music, traveling and everything else in her world.

You can check out the interview below.

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ONE37pm: Thanks for chatting with us Jordin! We’re talking everything except basketball. Here’s our first question. You were born in LA. What defines being an LA girl?

Canada: What defines being an LA girl is having confidence in yourself, and a mental toughness/swagger about you, but being unique in your own way. There have been a lot of greats and legends, and I feel every one of them has their own unique path, personality, and way they tell their story. That's what LA culture is—how you tell your story. For me, that's what it's all about. Having my own uniqueness and swagger.

ONE37pm: What is something about you people may not know? Do you have a rare talent?

Canada: I do like to say that I can sing, but I feel like that's not really a secret anymore. I'm also very laidback and reserved. I'm outgoing, but really more of a homebody. I like to stay home and be with my dog Domino. I would classify singing as my rare talent, and I do want to showcase it a little bit more and get into the studio. Following that passion is something I feel that I need to branch out more in so that way people can also know me for music. I love music and listen to it all day. I would like to know the music industry more as I've been in the studio once and really enjoyed it.

ONE37pm: For sure! Do you write?

Canada: I don't write actually, and that's something that I want to learn more of in terms of being in the studio with people who are very successful in that area. It's very difficult—I've done it once, but it was hard because I don't really know where to start. That's something that I also want to learn how to do—write music.

ONE37pm: Well I kind of went deep into the archives and found an old interview you did. Do you still like poetry?

Canada: I do! I haven't looked at anything as of late, but I still do like it. Maya Angelou is probably if not my favorite poet.

ONE37pm: Let's go back to music. You said you live eat, live, and breath music, so what's your favorite genre?

Canada: I'm an R&B girl—I love R&B from the 90s and early 2000s. I listen to a lot of Giveon, Dru Hill, Jasmine Sullivan, Lucky Daye, Aaliyah—I could go on and on, but I love R&B. I listen to hip hop as well.

ONE37pm: If you could pick one artist musically that you identify with, who would it be?

Canada: That's hard. I love H.E.R.—I think if I were to explore the music side, she would be somebody that I would love to get in the studio and learn from. She's an amazing talent that can play instruments and sing. Ne-Yo is also my favorite male artist, and I listen to those two all the time. I love Ne-Yo's creativity and all the songs he's written. Those are my top two.

ONE37pm: One of the cool things about doing what you do is that you get to travel to a lot of places. What is your favorite place you've traveled to?

Canada: Greece and Australia, but it's been mostly for basketball and not pleasure. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to travel and relax, but when I went to Australia for an overseas trip during my time at UCLA, I got to travel to Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns—those were beautiful cities. Cairns was my favorite because we got to go to a zoo there and see all types of animals. We also got to go to the Great Barrier Reef, and that was an amazing experience within itself. I'm not a water person, but to do that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I got to see sea turtles and all different types of fish. With Greece, I got to go for basketball—I didn't really get to see the city but there was great weather. I was also by the water which automatically made it one of my favorites.

ONE37pm: Is there a place you haven't visited yet that you would like to go to?

Canada: I would love to go to Spain! Going to Barcelona is something that has always been on my bucket list because of seeing The Cheetah Girls 2 when I was younger. It looked so beautiful, so that's on my bucket list.

ONE37pm: Well we already got to meet your dog Domino, so I assume your an animal person?

Canada: I am! Really I'm a dog person. Domino is four-years-old—I got him in Seattle when I was playing for the Storm. He's a Maltese and Yorkie mix. I leave him with my parents when I'm traveling, and he loves to follow me everywhere I go. He's always right next to me—he's my little best friend.

ONE37pm: What are some of the things on your bucket list?

Canada: I was just telling my friends the other day that I want to go to every sports event. I want to go to a baseball game, a golf tournament, a tennis tournament—every sports event. Barcelona and the Maldives is on my bucket list, and this might sound crazy, but learning how to swim as well because I don't know how to. Those are the top things on my bucket list.

ONE37pm: What do you do for self care?

Canada: I love to sleep! Anytime I can take a nap or go to bed early I will. I also hang out with my dog, take him to the dog park, and I enjoy being with my family. Those are the three things that help me to reset and make sure I have energy.

ONE37pm: Final question for you—if you could give 17 year old Jordin some advice on navigating life, what would you tell her?

Canada: I would tell her to be in the moment and the present. At that time I was always thinking ahead and about the future, not really enjoying the present. So I would tell her to be present, be grateful for the moment, and also know that's there's another level that I can get to.

ONE37pm: You're going to get into the studio right? I'm gonna hold you to it!

Canada: I'm going to! That's something that I want to try and do this year!

You can continue to keep up with Jordan and her journey via Instagram.