Monique Billings on Longevity, Leadership, and Staying Elite

Golden State Valkyries star forward Monique Billings made headlines with her dunk attempt at Unrivaled last week.

Unfortunately, that dunk didn't go as she planned. But the partnership that Billings has with Silk to help promote their new Silk Protein, which includes a custom Big Ten-inspired smoothie crafted by Billings in advance of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.

Billings spoke with Women's Fastbreak On SI to discuss her partnership with Silk and their new Silk Protein offering, along with other aspects of where she's at in her basketball career.

"Protein" can be a buzzword at times within the fitness and sports industries. So, from an athlete's perspective, how does Silk Protein actually show up in your game day routine?

MB: That's a really great question. Silk was introduced to me when I was young at my grandma's house. It was something that she always had in the house, something that my dad, too, he would use. And so I was introduced to Silk at a very young age. And so now being able to work with Silk Protein, it's very full circle, very aligned for me.

I'm always trying to figure out how to be the best version of myself every single day. And I feel like I've aligned with Silk Protein at a very pivotal time in my career of trying to figure out, okay, how can I continue to strive and prosper, feel good? I'm in a really good place with my body, my body, my mind, my spirit. And so I'm really excited to be working with Silk Protein. The 13 grams of protein that I get is crucial for me, and three grams of fiber as well. I'm always trying to figure out how do I — I'm like biohacking — how do I get more protein? How do I stay sharp? How do I stay elite? And so I feel like this has been a very easy way for me to do so, but it's also very authentic.

Speaking of that authenticity and the Big 10–inspired smoothie you're doing, I know you have the Southern California roots. Are there any non-negotiables that you had when crafting the actual smoothie, or any ties to SoCal?

That's a really good question. I went to UCLA, so I guess the color scheme, as far as the mango chunks and the blueberries. UCLA is now a part of the Big 10. And so with Silk Protein being a sponsor of the Big 10 tournament, I would say the coloring is kind of where that fits in and how that makes sense.

Is there anything you want fans to understand about how Silk Protein can impact their own fitness and nutrition journey?

I would encourage fans to figure out what works well for you. And so I made a custom smoothie that works well for me, and I want to encourage fans to try this, but also I want fans to play around with their own version of a Silk Protein smoothie and what that looks like for you, and not feel like it has to be so rigid. When you have a good base — for me, that's Silk Protein— you can just play around with the other things in it. And I want fans to have joy when it comes to creating their own custom smoothie.

Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

That's kind of the whole point of this whole partnership. We talk about the assist in basketball. As a post player, I'm always trying to get an assist from my guards, but now I want fans to feel like Silk Protein and myself are kind of giving them an assist so they can make this elite smoothie at home from the comfort of their own home. I want this to be fun and have fans feel like they're involved in their own personal way.

Kate Martin was recently talking about how there wasn't really a veteran hierarchy in the Valkyries' locker room last year, and there was more of a horizontal leadership. And then after Kelsey Mitchell hit a game-winner for Hive BC last week, she said that you were hyping her up and giving her confidence in the huddle right before that. So I'm wondering how your time with the Valkyries last season has changed or shaped the way you view being a leader?

That's a really great question. I've had great vets throughout my career, and so I try to pay it forward as much as I can. And I don't feel like the vets that I had were on that hierarchy-type system. I just feel like they were solid women that I could look up to. And I wanted to pour into them as well, and wanted to add value in any way that I could. And I feel like being with the Valkyries, I think everyone in that locker room added value in their own unique way. And so there wasn't that hierarchy there. It was just, hey, we want to be great. We're bought into the system. How can we do this together? How can we do this thing? How can we continue to build?

Kelsey Mitchell said Monique Billings gave her a huge confidence boost in the Hive BC huddle right before Mitchell scored the game-winning basket.

“She got in my face in a confident way and she was just like we got a chance to win it, I want you to win it for us.” #Unrivaled pic.twitter.com/xpTt0iXEC2
— Wendell Epps (@epps_wendell) February 21, 2026

We're doing something special right now. And I think we all had that common mindset and goal. That helped us thrive. And then being here at Unrivaled, same type of thing. First of all, it's so weird being a vet because I'm like, where did time go? Being in my ninth season, I'm like, I'm one of the old heads. I'm one of the OGs, but it's so cool.

It's such a privilege to be here because I've been playing for so long and this is what you want in your career. You want that longevity. And so again, I just try to pay it forward as much as I can by being solid, being someone that my teammates, older, younger, whatever it is, can come to me for advice and know that I'm going to be consistent. I'm going to show up the same way every day.

I spoke with Cori Close last month, and she spoke about teaching players how to lead themselves. Obviously, she's still a leader because she's a head coach, but she's also instilling the beliefs of player-led leadership. Now that you've experienced different pro locker rooms, are there any parts of that foundation that she laid that have stuck with you?

The biggest thing that I appreciate about Cori Close is how she developed us as women, along with being athletes. It wasn't just, 'Hey, you're a basketball player. You need to show up every day and produce. You need to make 20 and 10 every single day.' She poured into us and taught us how to be women and have that foundation before anything else. And that's a life skill. So she gave us life skills.

UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

That's the biggest thing that I've taken away from that locker room. It's something that I appreciate too, because not all coaches do that, especially at the college level. A lot of coaches are just trying to get wins and figure things out on the court, but it goes so much farther and so much beyond just on the court. There are things off the court that help with the holistic part of being an athlete. And so yeah, I'm super grateful to have gone through that program because I think it's made me a better human on and off the court.