For many college athletes, NIL serves as the gateway to building their personal brands and becoming financially independent while pursuing their careers. But for Malia Samuels, her latest partnership with World’s Finest Chocolate carries a deeper personal meaning. Long before playing for the Indiana Hoosiers, Samuels fundraised for World’s Finest Chocolate herself from grades three to five, helping the then-shy Samuels gain confidence talking to others and also fund her travel basketball journey.

Speaking exclusively to EssentiallySports, Malia Samuels reflected on her full-circle moment on returning to World’s Finest Chocolate as its latest “Reign Maker” and the brand’s first female college athlete partner, launching her own basketball camp, her favorite player growing up, Angel Reese’s stellar debut season with the Atlanta Dream, NIL’s influence, WNBA as the ultimate goal, and more.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How exciting was selling chocolate to fund your dream of playing travel basketball?

Samuels: “When I look back, it was super fun for me. Because my teammates and I made it a little competition to see who could sell the most chocolates. I wasn’t really thinking about, ‘Oh, I’m doing this so I can pay for travel.’ I’m just doing this for fun. Playing basketball is fun. I’m hanging out with my friends. I’m selling chocolates for fun. So, it was super fun.”

Did you pick up some skills then that helped you now?

Samuels: “Yeah, for sure. I think it helped me develop communication skills, being okay with rejection and no’s. I used to try to make my dad ask his co-workers for me, and he’s like, ‘No, you can come to work with me, and you can ask my co-workers yourself,’ so I think it really helped my confidence.”

How did your personal connection with the brand lead to this partnership?

Samuels: “It was a coincidence. They hit me up, and I just remembered. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I used to sell these chocolates.’ So it kind of just happened coincidentally.”

What was your favorite chocolate growing up?

Samuels: “The milk chocolate with the caramel in between is still my favorite.”

Samuels added that she still enjoys eating a chocolate bar between workouts.

What does it mean to be the brand’s first female collegiate NIL partner?

Samuels: “It’s super cool. Just to be the first and kind of set the tone. I think for me personally, giving back to something that I really care about, which is like kids, like building up and being the future of basketball and the future of our country and everything. I just think giving back with my NIL is something that’s super important to me. It’s cool to be the first.”

If you could go back and speak to your third-grade self, what would you say?

Samuels: “This is a good question. I would say that your journey is your journey, and don’t compare it to anybody else’s. I think part of the journey, and something that connects with my experience with this chocolate brand, is being okay with no’s and with rejection.”

“And that’s kind of how basketball is, getting recruited and all these things. Like, I’m a no for this coach, but I’m a yes for this coach. And I’m a no for this person buying chocolate, but I’m a yes for this person buying chocolate, and they want to buy two or three or four chocolate bars. So, I think that is what I would tell myself. Your journey is your journey.”

How important is your basketball camp in helping others pursue their dreams alongside your own?

Samuels: “I think basketball in and of itself can teach so many different skills. I’ve always been very passionate about basketball from the time that I could walk till now. I want to share that passion with the next generation. They might not want to play basketball forever, but I’ve met so many of my best friends playing basketball. I’ve developed so many skills just from basketball. So that’s kind of what I want to give back to the next generation.”

“Do you enjoy how the different facets of the game come together around basketball?”

Samuels: “Yeah, I love it. I think each individual has their own things that they love. Like me, I love fashion, cooking, and all these different things. And basketball, being in the middle of it is super cool because we all have this one common thing that we like, but we’re all totally different outside of basketball.”

What’s your biggest dream in this sport?

Samuels: “Oh, that’s a good question. I think my biggest dream is to leave an impact, like leave it better than how I found it. Women’s basketball has already grown so much, and I just want to leave my impact on whatever else is to come.”

Who was your gold standard growing up in this sport?

Samuels: “Being from Seattle, I really loved Sue Bird growing up. She’s a point guard, and when I met her for the first time in middle school, I was just starstruck. I had nothing to say. I was just like in awe.”

“Who do you think best balances on-court performance with off-court impact right now?”

Samuels: “Angel Reese is a big one. She is obviously doing well in basketball. She’s playing in the Finals right now, and then she’s doing equally well off the court with modeling and fashion and all these different things that she’s into. So I think she’s really figured it out on the court and off the court.”

What do you make of her season and how she’s doing right now?

Samuels: “It’s crazy. She’s balling. I really commend her for how she handles herself. I know there’s a ton of social media hate and all these things that come towards her a lot of the time. But I really commend her for how she handles herself off the court and then on the court. She’s so passionate. So, I really commend her for the season that she’s having.”

How are you preparing for that increased spotlight?

Samuels: “I think the main thing is just staying grounded. My dad always tells me, don’t take criticism from someone that you wouldn’t take advice from. And that’s kind of something that I live by. I try to remind myself of that every day.”

Is A’ja Wilson the greatest player the league has ever seen?

Samuels: “I think so. She’s definitely up there. I can’t wait to see what other accolades she accomplishes in her career… She still has a ton of gas in the tank, and I think she definitely will be one of the greats, the GOAT.”

Are you feeling Caitlin Clark’s impact on the sport in Bloomington, with her playing just an hour away?

Samuels: “For sure. I always see people walking around with Caitlin Clark jerseys. When Ubers pick me up from the airport and bring me to Bloomington and see my Indiana gear, they’re always like, ‘Oh, do you play basketball?’ and always talk about Caitlin Clark. So, they love their Indiana Fever and their Caitlin Clark up here.”

How exciting is the league’s pay rise? Do you feel you’re part of a special generation coming up at the right time?

Samuels: “It’s definitely been something that’s really cool to see. I think players are finally getting what they’re worth. I think it gives college players something to look forward to, like, okay, I don’t have to play all year round. I don’t have to be a pro and then play 12 months out of the 12 months in the year. I can have an off season. I can do all these things. It’s super cool to see, and I’m really excited for it.”

How much has NIL been a game changer?

Samuels: “I think it’s been amazing. When I was coming up through high school, it was non-existent… It’s just grown a lot since I was a freshman till now. It’s really cool to be able to build your own brand. I don’t think before NIL we really saw much personality from a lot of these college basketball players. To see the different personalities and who wants to make content, who wants to be a model, and other passions that they have outside of basketball is something really cool that I really do appreciate about NIL.”

What was it like winning two state championships in high school, and how did that shape your winning mentality?

Samuels: “I’ve always wanted to win. Winning has always been like one of the main things. Always team first… Your individual goals will come with winning. I think it definitely instilled that winning mentality and that team-first mentality from a young age.”

What was it like joining USC alongside JuJu Watkins and being part of that spotlight?

Samuels: “It was super cool. I remember I committed in August going into my senior year of high school, and then she committed in September or October, and I just remember being super excited… I didn’t know all the spotlight that would come with that. But it was super cool to be in a place like Los Angeles and have that spotlight on our team and win a ton of games.”

What made Indiana the right place for your final year?

Samuels: “I think the people were the main thing that drew me to Indiana. It’s the right fit on the court, but off the court as well. I just think my coaches, my teammates — I think it was just overall the right fit for me. And my goal going into my last year of playing college basketball was to just have fun. I think sometimes we get so caught up in wanting to succeed and get all your goals that you forget to stop and smell the roses along the way. And I think Indiana’s the perfect place for me to stop and smell the roses and focus on my process rather than the end goal.”

What’s the one thing that opposing players are going to hate guarding against you this season?

Samuels: “I think my motor. Being here in Indiana, I have taken it to another level: my conditioning, my strength, and all these things. So definitely my motor has improved from being at USC to now.”

What’s the goal for you over the next couple of years or for this season?

Samuels: “I think the main goal is just to win as many games as possible. I’m super excited for the team that we have this year. We have a ton of new pieces, a ton of transfers, a really good freshman class. So I think the main goal is to just win. I think we’re kind of an underdog right now, but I’m super excited for this team, and that’s kind of our main goal as a team, but my main goal personally as well.”

How do you make sure that you gel quickly with all the new arrivals? 

Samuels: “When I first stepped on campus, and we all met for the first time, it kind of weirdly clicked already. We have a ton of different personalities, but they weirdly gel all together. We have quiet people, we have loud people, we have goofy people. But it just somehow works. We spend a ton of time together. We practice every day, but we also spend a ton of time outside of practice where we go to BJs and get pazookis.”

What stood out to you about the culture and the identity of Indiana basketball?

Samuels: “I think the fast pace and how gritty and hard they were to play against last year. Knowing that they were battling some injuries and they were still super tough to play against is something that kind of stood out to me. In the portal, Coach Morren said something that really stuck with me. She was like, ‘We’re going to work hard. We’re hard-nosed. We’re going to put our hard hat on, and we’re not for everybody. Like every person that is at the top of their class, and that’s okay.”

“That’s kind of something that drew me to them because I am an undersized guard, and I’ve always had to do the little things. And her saying we’re not for everybody kind of just drew me to them because I always want to be the hardest worker in the gym. That hard-nosed culture kind of drew me to Indiana.”

Has being an undersized guard fueled your competitiveness and motivated you to prove doubters wrong against taller opponents?

Samuels: “Yeah, for sure. I think it’s always been something that my dad has instilled in me. He coached me throughout my entire life, and he always told me, you’re not going to ever be the tallest in the gym, so what else can you do to set yourself apart or to help your team win? So it definitely gives me that kind of chip on my shoulder that I need to do something twice as good as somebody that’s six inches taller than me.”

Did you have a team growing up?

Samuels: “The (Seattle) Storm was my team. I didn’t really have an NBA team, but the Storm were my team. Bring back the Sonics. That’s what I’ll say.”

Valkyries or Dream, who’s going to win?

Samuels: “Oh, that’s a tough one. I think it’s going to go down to the last game, but the Dream are going to win it. They’re both the top defensive teams in the W. So, it’s going to be a hard one, but I think the Dream will take it.”

What’s the toughest thing about playing collegiate basketball?

Samuels: “I think it’s changed throughout the years. My freshman year, I would say the time management piece of it… You’re just trying to figure out life. You’re an 18-year-old. You got classes, you got practice, you got study hours, you got tutoring.”

“For me now, as someone that’s been playing college basketball for four years, I would say just showing up every day with excitement. I think at times it can get very mundane, like we’re doing the same things over and over again. You’re going to practice every day. You’re going to class every day. I think showing up with a good attitude is something that can be difficult at times, but with the right teammates and the right team, it’s been fun this year, and I haven’t really struggled as much.”

Is playing the WNBA the ultimate goal?

Samuels: “I think it’s definitely one of my goals. It would be super cool to be able to play in the W and just have that opportunity. It would be cool to even get a training camp contract or an offer to play under a developmental contract. Like, anything in the W would be super cool just to have that opportunity.”

Malia Samuels also participated in a quickfire round with us. She picked Paige Bueckers over Caitlin Clark as the player she’d pay to watch, Kelsey Mitchell as one player in the WNBA or NBA she would never want to guard, Kelsey Plum as the player she would like to go one-on-one with, Hailey Van Lith and Hannah Hidalgo as the toughest players she’s ever had to defend, and the Seattle Storm as the team that she would like to be drafted by in the WNBA.