You may see some of the greatest photographers attend basketball games and use their talent to take fabulous action pictures. One of those greatest photographers is Jody Hou. Hou was first introduced to basketball in 8th grade by her best friend who saw potential in her.  While she wasn’t athletic at all at the time, Hou began to dedicate herself to practice and developed a shot, which became her go-to playmaker. Hou would see the joy of the game while going to college at the University of California-Irvine (UC Irvine). During her time at UC Irvine, Hou noticed a high demand for female hoopers playing in Intramural Basketball's co-ed divisions. For Jody, shooting three-pointers always felt like money shots as she was the go-to shooter for clutch plays. In one instance, a teammate of Hou’s passed the ball to Jody to make the last shot. While she received the ball, Hou passed it back to her teammate, but the teammate passed it back to her as they had confidence in Jody’s game. Jody ended up shooting the last shot and making a 4-point game-winner. Years after playing intramural basketball at UC Irvine, Hou would join season two of the Basketball Beauties League.

During her collegiate career at UC Irvine, Hou majored in Social Ecology. While it may be unrelated to the game of basketball, the passion for the sport kept Hou motivated to show up to the games and play. That passion for basketball would extend beyond playing on the court for Jody. During the 2020 Pandemic, Hou found a passion within the photography world, particularly sports photography. Jody has witnessed the tremendous opportunities that basketball provided for her both on and off the court. From movie roles to NBA games and celebrity events, Hou sees herself doing sports photography in the long run. 

Women’s basketball continues to be on the rise.  From the NIL deals happening in high school and college ball to the continuation of bringing awareness to women's sports, Hou sees the younger generation growing with the talent on the female side that is undeniably game-changing. Hou also sees the big moves that are being made in women’s basketball as the growing investment in the sport continues to increase through different avenues: brand partnerships, shoe deals, and many more. 

Sisterhood is defined as a strong support system of women coming together in unity. Sisterhood is vital for Jody as she views both of her sisters, Joanne and Jaimie as her role models in the aspects of both life and sports. Jaimie, Jody’s younger sister, played varsity all four years and made the All-Star team during that time. Hou’s older sister, Joanne was super athletic and invested in participating in other sports. Jody sees her sisters as the inspiration as she sees both of them possess the athleticism, fierceness, and work ethic that inspires Jody every day in her craft.

Two of the greatest athletes in sports history have provided great quotes that continued to be used as mottos for a lot of future athletes. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once stated: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” while baseball icon, Babe Ruth lets folks remember “Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.” As a person who has been nervous before every game she played, Jody never allowed those nerves to hold her back from going out and playing ball. Opportunities and people are watching everywhere, so you never know who or what will be presented. As Jody Hou stated: “Go Out and Play!”

Jody Hou’s story brings out the motivation to continue to follow your passion. While Hou felt as if she didn’t belong, she made the best out of every opportunity and continue to succeed in everything she does. In season two of the Basketball Beauties League, Jody played against some of the best talents every week as she saw it as a way to get better with her game and step out of her comfort zone. Fast forward to the present day, Hou still finds herself with some high-level talent and has gained the confidence to believe in herself and that she belongs as a result of working hard and knowing she deserved to be there. Jody continues to thrive in her element as she still shoots both on and off the court as the career path that she is on has allowed her to be in the basketball world of all levels. 

To learn more about Jody, be sure to follow her on Instagram: jodes.do.it and wydjody