Former Wichita basketball star makes ‘surreal’ acting debut in Netflix movie Rez Ball

Serendipitous timing has allowed a former Wichita basketball star to make her acting debut in a Netflix film produced by NBA superstar LeBron James .

Analyss Benally, a 2016 Heights graduate, said it will be a “surreal” feeling on Friday when Rez Ball , a film centered around a Native American high school basketball team, makes its nationwide premiere on the popular streaming platform.

Not only does Benally appear on screen as one of the players on the girls basketball team, but she also scored some speaking lines in the movie that is drawing rave reviews.

“Just the thought of it kind of gives me a tingle in my whole body,” Benally told The Eagle . “I don’t think it’s going to fully hit me until I see it on Friday.”

It’s a deeply personal project to be a part of for Benally, who was born and raised in Shiprock, N.M. on the Navajo reservation and is currently one of only a handful of Native American professional basketball players.

While the high school portrayed in Rez Ball is a fictional town in New Mexico, the actual filming of the movie took place in Shiprock. A movie about Native American basketball, set in her hometown and with the power of Netflix and James behind it — Benally felt like she had to be a part of it. Even though she was overseas playing professionally in Kosovo, Benally responded to the casting call by taping herself reading some lines.

Sydney Freeland, the director and co-writer of Rez Ball , thought Benally was perfect for the film. The problem? They were shooting in Shiprock during March and Benally’s season in Kosovo didn’t end until May.

Benally was devastated, but figured she would reach back out in May when she had a firm date for her return. As luck would have it, Freeland was shooting the final scenes of the movie — where girls basketball players needed for a scrimmage against the boys team.

“I was so excited because I just wanted to be a part of it in any way,” Benally said. “I was just hoping to be like ‘Fan No. 6’ or someone sitting on the bench. On my second day of shooting, they were like, ‘Analyss, you have lines now.’ It was so crazy to me and just really cool how everything played out for me.”

Benally’s scenes on the court come around 41 minutes into the 111-minute film. The basketball part was easy and delivering her lines, mostly trash talk against the boys team, were fun. But more than anything, Benally felt a deep sense of honor to be part of the project.

Rez Ball follows a Native American high school basketball team trying to navigate through a devastating loss and win a championship. The themes of grief, loss and generational trauma are ones that Benally can relate to.

“I feel so honored to be able to represent my community on screen,” said Benally, who thanked Freeland and co-writer Sterlin Harjo for the opportunity. “The film is inspired by tragic events that are unfortunately pretty common for Native Americans and other indigenous groups. So for this to be on such a big platform like Netflix, it’s such a good story for people to learn about and to know that this is really happening in our communities.”

After growing up on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, Benally moved with her family — she was 12 at the time — to Wichita when her older sister, Patience, received a basketball scholarship to play at Kansas Wesleyan in Salina.

“There is a stigma of Native American kids who leave the reservation and leave their comfort zone, they tend to come back home,” Benally said. “Because it’s such a different environment when you’re going from the rez to another city in another state. My parents didn’t want my sister to feel like she had to leave, so we decided we’re all going to move to Wichita and only be an hour away.”

Benally looks back on her six years in Wichita as a transformational experience.

Wichita is where she honed her basketball skills under the tutelage of Kip Pulliam and Ken Palmer at Heights, where she won a state championship, racked up all-state honors and earned a Division I scholarship to San Jose State. Wichita is also where she grew the most as a person, as she was exposed to so many things for the first time outside of the reservation.

“Wichita was such a turning point in my life,” Benally said. “That’s where I met my coaches and they got me in the AAU summer circuit. (Palmer) taught me all of the tiny details that I needed to become a better player, a faster shot, quicker feet, things to make up for my lack of height. And also it was kind of a culture shock for me. I was outside of my comfort zone, but I used basketball to create opportunities and to get to learn and meet new people and that really helped me become more social. I feel like whatever gets thrown at me now, I can take it head on.”

Benally hopes that her basketball career can inspire other Native American girls basketball players.

After finishing her career at San Jose State, Benally has played professionally for the past three years — in Romania, Albania and Kosovo. She is planning on leaving for her fourth year in Europe later this fall.

When she’s back in the United States, Benally resides in Farmington, N.M. but travels around the country to conduct free basketball camps and does speaking engagements in hopes of inspiring Native youth. She works closely with nonprofit organization RiseAbove to further empower Native youth and was recently honored with the Phil Homeratha Leadership Award by NABI Nation.

An appearance in Rez Ball will likely only grow her platform.

“What I’ve learned from playing Division I basketball and playing professionally overseas is to come back home and share what I’ve learned and try to inspire the youth,” Benally said. “I’m so grateful and appreciative of this opportunity and I just hope to continue to share what I’m learning with my community.”