Jared fell in love with the game of basketball at an early age, but it wasn’t just rolling the ball out on the court that inspired and motivated him, it was the time in the gym alone, preparing, working on new moves and fine-tuning the jumper. It was the process that he truly loved.
As a freelancer at SLAM Media, Boardroom and FLAGRANT Magazine, Jared has mirrored the same life lessons and experiences he gained through his love for the game in his journalistic work, with a specific emphasis on viewing athletes as humans first while using their passion for the sport to inform the piece.
Currently, Jared serves as the junior editor at Sneaker News. Providing daily coverage on the sneaker industry’s release dates, announcements and first looks, he’s been invited by Jordan Brand to cover the Quai 54 tournament in Paris, France and break official news regarding the Jordan Zion 3 and the Air Jordan 38. He was additionally invited by adidas Basketball to cover the official debut of NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards’ first signature shoe and conduct a detailed 1-on-1 interview with head designer Patrick Zempolich.
Jared joined The Daily Illini, the University of Illinois’ student-run newsroom as a freshman, working his way up to assistant features editor before covering the men’s baseball team for a season. In May of 2021, he secured an editorial internship with SLAM Media Inc. and took on the role of editorial assistant in the Fall and Spring semesters of his senior year.
Having pitching and publishing over 160 aggregated news-based stories and running the SLAM social media accounts twice weekly throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, Jared has gained a bevy of skills across the journalistic field over the past year including WordPress, MailChimp, Privy, Tik Tok, Instagram and Twitter.
Throughout his time at SLAM Media, Jared has written, interviewed and produced over 50 feature stories with high-profile NBA, WNBA, Men’s and Women’s College Players as well as top-ranked high school prospects, NBA Executives and head coaches. In the special issue of Kith & SLAM Present KNICKS, Jared was tasked with officially breaking industry-wide news of Ronnie Fieg being appointed as the Creative Director for the New York Knicks. Jared’s other notable interviewee’s include; Josh Giddey, Daniel Arsham, Darius Garland, Gradey Dick, Quentin Grimes, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson, Judd Apatow and Kevin Bacon.
Currently residing in Beaverton, Oregon, Jared is actively looking for additional freelancing opportunities. Please feel free to reach out.
Email: jaredebanks1@gmail.com