The Intersection Between Coaching and Content with Donovan Washington
3 Minute read
By: Andrea Aruino
UPBasketall’s Player Development Coach and Brand Storyteller, Donovan Washington began his basketball journey in the Bay Area for as long as he could remember. He played pivotal roles for the notable Oakland Soldiers AAU team and played varsity for four years at San Mateo High School. Washington continued his basketball career at Cañada College where he discovered his passion for content creation, leading him to pave a career behind the lens of a camera. For over a decade, he has photographed a variety of concerts like Outside Lands, WNBA and NBA players, and most recently he had the chance to travel to China with Coach Packie Turner for OKC's Jalen Williams Adidas Tour.
After deciding to put a pause on his basketball career as a player, he began to grow as a photographer working at local gyms taking photos of workouts and games. The more experience he gained and the more relationships he built within the photography world, the stronger his love for content creation became. His skill landed him an opportunity to photograph with his best friend for the Jonas Brothers in 2013. After completing the tour he was hungry to continue the momentum and passion he had built. Washington leveraged his experience in live show photography alongside his basketball network to further his work.
“Photography puts me in a lot cooler rooms than I should be. I'm like, ‘There's no reason I should be in here,’” Washington said. “I give a lot of credit to Packie, honestly. He lets me come in and do what I do best, he lets me create. He completely trusts me with what I'm doing and that freedom is something I’m grateful for.”
One of Washington’s proudest moments was having the opportunity to travel to China with Coach Packie and 2025 NBA Champion, Jalen Williams with the Adidas Brand Tour. During this trip he experienced what it was like following a player who had a huge fan base and was backed up by a renowned brand. Washington also gained knowledge on brand consistency when it came to content creation. Shooting for Adidas Basketball gave him insight on how to align his work with that of an established brand identity.
Although he has built a career in content creation, the roots he planted as a coach remain intact and stronger than ever. Being surrounded by pros and coaches who work with top talent has given him insight on how to become an even better Player and Development Coach. Before content creation, Washington was a Varsity Coach for three years at Summit High School, and even coached former UPB Player Development Coaches including Garrett Kelly and D’Hey Allen. At UPBasketball, he gets to combine his two talents. The players he coaches get an inside look on the duality of content and coaching.
“I’d say the difficult part about being a Coach and Content Creator is that the kids who don’t know I do both get confused sometimes. Usually I’m starting the day off with a camera and I'm always very quiet, like a fly on the wall, but as soon as I put the camera down, I’m coaching kids so they’re like ‘Why is the camera man all of a sudden coaching?’ It’s funny, but I definitely want to find that middle ground,” Washington said.
Combining his two talents has been a successful journey to say the least. Coming into the new year brings in goals like getting new equipment and experimenting with new styles while strengthening his current style. As a coach, he hopes to continue doing what he does best, drawing experience from a great staff of coaches that he is happy to be surrounded by every time he comes into the UPBasketball gym. Whether he’s taking photos or coaching, he is excited to grow with the community.
