Zaila Avant-garde

ZAILA AVANT-GARDE

Zaila Avant-garde is a multi-talented powerhouse, with success springing from all her endeavors and all

before the ninth grade. She was recently named SportsKid of the Year 2021 by Sports Illustrated Kids.

Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, she won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, making her the

first African-American to win in almost 100 years of the competition. Avant-garde landed on her winning

word, murraya –a type of tree –by associating the word with famous comedian Bill Murray, who

surprised her by phoning in during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Avant-garde’s spelling

triumph is just one entry on a very impressive resume. Along with competing in spelling bees for two

years, Avant-garde holds two Guinness World Records for her basketball prowess. She holds the records

for the most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs and most basketballs dribbled

simultaneously by one person (at 6 basketballs).

Her success has been celebrated by the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama, LeBron James, and Dr. Jill

Biden, who attended the bee. Since winning the Bee, Zaila has appeared in a cameo role in Netflix’s

“HUSTLE”, as well as NBA on TNT, and Peacock’s “Kid’s Tonight Show”. You can also see her displaying

her basketball skills in brand campaigns for Carnival Cruise Lines, BYJU, Xbox, and Gymshark.