From Dark Horse to motivational speaker, former CHS star basketball player reflects on life

From Clinton to Duke, to working with the Charlotte Hornets and motivational speaking, Mikayla Boykin’s story is one filled with spotlights and setbacks, but the ultimate theme of ‘overcoming adversity’ has set the tone for everything she’s done.

She was the talk of the town — and state — during her high school years, and even before that, too. She committed to Duke University to play basketball in 8th grade, something that is not often seen. Multiple accolades came her way, from the Gatorade Player of the Year for N.C., to setting state records in just two seasons for basketball, including breaking her own records. But all of those highlights didn’t come without some setbacks, she said.

“It was an insane recruiting process for me,” Boykin admitted during a recent interview. “For me, it was like [I was] still trying to figure out how to be a kid, but still juggle all of these coaches, you know, wanting to get in contact with me and my family.”

Boykin went on to play basketball for the Dark Horses, dropping 686 points her freshman year, but shining in other statistics as well. Her 7.0 steals per game were good enough to earn her the #1 spot in the North Carolina Coaches Association for that stat, her 25.4 points per game were the highest in the 2A/1A Four County spot and her 261 field goals took the top spot in the area as well. But then, her first setback happened.

After her freshman year, Boykin tore her ACL for the first time. Unbeknownst to her, this wouldn’t be the last time, either. “Imagine as a kid learning how to rewalk,” the former Dark Horse said. “At 14 years old, you’re still trying to play basketball — you have this expectation. And at this time, I’m 14, I’m ranked number one in the country.”

“It’s this expectation that like, ‘Oh, she’s going to fall off because she just had an ACL tear’,” Boykin continued. “So, imagine as a kid trying to live up to the expectation of needing to be better than what you were before you got hurt.”

Unfortunately, setbacks came along with the first knee injury, and Boykin was sidelined for her sophomore and junior seasons. That didn’t stop her, though, as she seemed to come back stronger in her senior season.

Boykin seemed to dominate opponents as she dropped 1159 points, 425 rebounds, 201 assists, and 175 steals in her senior year. These efforts were good enough for a record 37.4 points per game, alongside her state record of points in a season. She also set the record with 62 points in a game, which she then broke with a 63-point performance shortly after. “I was grieving the loss of one of my good friends who was killed,” Boykin said about her 62-point game. “And that game, I had dedicated to him and devoted to him. And it was just like, I played freely. I was at the game, but I wasn’t there.; 62, I don’t even know how it happened. It was a whole blur.”

“When I scored 63, it was a month later, I believe,” she continued. “Now that game — I felt all the highs of that game, because it was just like, everything was falling for me.”

Boykin helped the Dark Horses win the state championship her senior year, rounding out her big season with the MVP of that game. She went on to play at Duke University in Durham. Still, though, none of her accomplishments meant more to her than any other, as she was grateful for all of them, she said.

Title IX, which allowed women’s athletics at the collegiate level, is very near-and-dear to her, with her saying, “I take it to heart because you have so many little girls that look up to me and things that I’m doing and [I] just want to see better for our future.”

“I think that’s, you know, what really sits well in my heart when I narrated that Instagram post,” said Boykin. The Instagram post she mentioned is from the account @melaninathletes, which is run by her friend, she mentioned. “She does so many amazing things for women. She really just keyed in on women’s sports. And, you know, she does a little bit of black athletes and things like that. But when she asked me to narrate it, it was such a special moment, because it was my first time narrating anything like that in general.”

When it comes to empowering women, Boykin said “I do it by being me, just letting women and girls know that it’s OK to be perfectly imperfect. I’m far from perfect, but I allow myself to be authentically me. And being able to pour that into every little girl that I see, or a woman that I see walking down the street, just encouraging them and uplifting them with anything that they do.”

While at Duke, she tore her ACL two more times, sidelining her in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Her junior season was shortened because of the recovery from the previous knee injury, but she went on to help the Blue Devils turn around the team in the 2019-20 season. Her senior season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she ultimately transferred to UNC-Charlotte.

“After I left Duke, I ended up going to UNC-Charlotte,” she remarked. “At UNC-Charlotte, we won a conference tournament championship and a conference championship, where that was one of the biggest highs of my entire life. Then, after that year, it was the 2021-22 season. I ended up tearing my ACL for the fifth time. After that, it was like I went from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows. Just not, you know, understanding what my purpose for life was.”

Boykin said she knew it was time to retire from the game she loved since she was a kid, but knew she had another purpose. “From there, I jumped into the role of NIL brand building, helping athletes make money, helping athletes capitalize of their name, image, and likeness. And from there there, I became a motivational speaker.”

“Now I travel to speak in so many different places with so many different people,” the former Dark Horse, Blue Devil, and 49er said. “Sharing my story, giving them inspiration, giving them, you know, just a ticket to understanding goal setting, overcoming adversity, getting through trials and tribulations, and all that good stuff.”

Adversity is something that she talked about many times, whether it was her knee injuries or trying to make a name for herself at a smaller school like Clinton, and helping put the Dark Horses on the map.

Social media is a big thing for Mikayla, she said, which is something that many athletes utilize in today’s world. “Social media has become a part of my life, my every day life,” said Boykin. “I don’t use social media for friends. I think that’s one thing that a lot of people people do, is use social media for friends. It used to be a platform for you to use it for friends. But now, it has been ingrained in me to use social media as a way to brand myself. And it’s become my brand now.”

Mikayla boasts an Instagram following of nearly 50,000, with multiple videos of hers reaching over a million views. Her posts are motivationally-centric, oftentimes using lighthearted, “fun” videos scattered throughout to help keep the positive ‘vibes’ up, she said.

Her motivational speaking and NIL brand-building has led her to work with the Charlotte Hornets, where she helps run their summer camps. Recently, she brought one here to Clinton, where each camper received a basketball and a t-shirt, which she said she was happy about.

As far as the future for Boykin, she said, “I’ll continue being me. Social media, motivational speaking — actually, motivational speaking is taking off pretty well.” She also said that she will continue NIL brand-building, “helping athletes understand how to use their brand”, coaching, teaching, and “all of that good stuff.” “I’m OK with this lifestyle I live,” Boykin said with a smile.

“Life is too short,” she said in her closing advice to everyone. “You never know when your day is going to come, when your loved one’s day is going to come. So, live life to the fullest. If you have a dream, chase it. The only person that can stop you from getting it is yourself.”