As the number one recruit in the class of 2025 gears up for her first-ever national stint, she was approached by some of the top-ranking programs in the country before choosing the University of Oklahoma early this year. Known for her scoring prowess and exceptional shooting ability, this Gatorade National Player of the Year is already being referred to as the next Caitlin Clark in women’s basketball. Yes, we are talking about none other than Aaliyah Chavez. And while we are aware of Chavez’s on-court performances, let us take a look at her early life and understand the importance of her parents in shaping Chavez into the player we know today.

Who are Aaliyah Chavez’s parents?

Aaliyah Chavez was born on November 20, 2006, in the populous city of Lubbock, Texas, to Sonny Chavez and Andrea Chavez. Aaliyah’s father, Sonny, was a high school basketball player. While his coaches had always been impressed with the player, Sonny left the sport after high school. But his passion reunited him with the sport years later, when he established a basketball training academy called The Lab Certified LLC to coach aspiring basketball players.

The organization runs on a subscription and membership-based model and conducts group clinics, walk-in workout sessions, and private training, among other facilities, based on the type of subscription opted for by the client. On the other hand, Andrea Chavez, also popularly known as Dre, has been a supportive figure in the athlete’s life. And though details regarding her occupation are not available, what we do know is that Andrea brings moral values, discipline, and a sense of resilience to Aaliyah’s life.

While her father assumed the role of the athlete’s primary trainer throughout the course of her basketball journey, Aaliyah’s mother was a supportive figure in her life, always cheering her daughter from the stands. Moreover, Aaliyah has two siblings, a younger sister named Bel’A Buckets and brother Kingston Brumley-Chavez, who is a multi-talented athlete and has played football as well as basketball.

What is the ethnicity of Aaliyah Chavez’s parents? 

While Aaliyah Chavez is an American national, her roots trace back to Mexico. Her father, Sonny Chavez, is of Mexican descent and has often emphasized the importance of his Mexican roots and culture in his profession as well as in personal life. The self-described “300-pound Mexican” worked on his Spanish language as he worked with Mexican immigrants before moving to Lubbock, Texas.

Meanwhile, his daughter is also inspired by her rich cultural roots. She is proud to represent her Mexican community in basketball. Moreover, with very few Latin women in basketball, Aaliyah hopes to inspire other Latin-American and Mexican girls to pursue the sport. “Definitely, I like seeing little Mexican girls come out to see me,” she said. “I want to inspire them. I’m trying to inspire all little girls, all of them.”

Inside Aaliyah Chavez’s Relationship with her Parents

Aaliyah’s father was always skeptical of his daughter pursuing basketball as a career. As someone who knows the ins and outs of the basketball industry, Sonny would always try to dissuade his daughter from pursuing the sport. Primarily because he thought that his daughter was not physically built for the sport. “She couldn’t ride a bike, couldn’t skateboard,” Sonny had said, hinting at the player’s clumsiness.

But when young Chavez begged her father to join a basketball camp, Sonny agreed to make the journey tough for his daughter. He donned the hat of a coach and made her undergo heavy drilling sessions, despite her being only 8 years old at the time. However, Aaliyah proved her father wrong when she scored 26 points in her first-ever game under the Frenship Youth Basketball League, only one month later.

That was a turning point in the father-daughter relationship. Sonny saw the immense potential in his daughter and began training her. And then there was no looking back. On the other hand, her relationship has been casual with her mother. As the most influential figure in her life, Dre has always supported her daughter. In fact, as an active social media user, she keeps posting achievements and photographs of her children, praising them for each milestone online.