Our team
Alanna mcdonald
Alanna McDonald is the President and Co-Founder of 3XBA, the premier women’s 3x3 basketball tour and youth development pipeline in the United States, and a trailblazer in Olympic-style 3x3. With a deep commitment to growing the game, she has dedicated her career to creating equitable opportunities for female athletes, providing access to sports for youth, and building a sustainable Olympic development pipeline. Her work includes establishing a pro 3x3 pilot program for the WNBA from within the Seattle Storm organization called Force 10 3x3, which created a professional pathway for female athletes in the sport and brought international recognition to the platform. Through collaborative partnerships with organizations like FIBA and USA Basketball, she’s expanded the reach of 3x3 basketball across the U.S. and internationally.
A former professional volleyball player, Alanna competed in European leagues after earning her degree at Brown University, where she balanced academics with Division I collegiate athletics. She later earned a Master’s in International Migration Studies in Brussels, bringing a global perspective to her leadership. Her passion for advocacy also shaped her work in refugee resettlement, where she developed trauma-informed programs to support newly arrived families in the Pacific Northwest. Today, she leads 3XBA with the same drive she’s shown throughout her career—championing athletes, fostering innovation, and growing the future of women’s basketball.
PRESIDENT
Lakin Roland
Lakin is the right-hand to co-founder Alanna McDonald at 3XBA, playing a pivotal role in building our groundbreaking sports ecosystem from the ground up. In this capacity, she is the general manager of the team’s roster of professional athletes and leads executive and event operations.
Before 3XBA, Lakin created a diverse portfolio in both corporate and sports leadership. Her career is highlighted by foundational operations roles with pre-seed and seed-level startups. She has held roles in business development, event operations, project management, strategic planning, leadership development, and culture creation.
Beyond her corporate accomplishments, Lakin boasts a storied background in sports leadership and remains dedicated to the holistic development of athletes. As a standout athlete at Dartmouth College, she earned First Team All-Ivy honors and returned after a successful professional career in France and the UK to become an assistant coach for the Women’s Basketball team. On the international stage, Lakin guided the U23 3x3 USA Women’s National Team in the Nations League in 2022. Collaborating with industry giants like Under Armour, she has also dedicated her expertise to coaching grassroots camps alongside WNBA stars such as Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Plum, inspiring the next generation of athletes.
Beyond her responsibilities at 3XBA, she is an entrepreneur passionate about empowering women and girls through sport. She lives with her wife Dzenana in Houston, TX.
GENERAL MANAGER
Tracey Lesetar-Smith
Tracey Lesetar-Smith is a longtime senior sports, entertainment, and government affairs executive with over 20 years of experience. Her expertise is helping growth sports and media enterprises build their business operations, develop talent, scale, and strategically plan for long-term growth.
Tracey is former Senior Vice President and General Counsel of NASCAR, overseeing the league through its historic $4 billion merger, culminating in the addition of twelve racetracks to a league portfolio of 8 racing series across 3 continents. She oversaw the reorganization of 50+ corporate subsidiaries and was a pivotal decision-maker and crisis manager throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. During her time in NASCAR’s core senior management, the league made groundbreaking gains in diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as transforming its business to usher in a new era of efficiencies and growth investment. Leading Government and Community Affairs for NASCAR, she was also responsible for shepherding all crucial relationships with public officials and community organizations, as well as serving as Chairwoman of NASCAR’s corporate PAC.
Prior to NASCAR, Tracey was General Counsel and VP of Business and Legal Affairs for Bellator MMA, a ViacomCBS property. As one of the most respected female executives in the sport, she helped build Bellator to be one of the fiercest and longest-standing competitors in combat sports, expanding company operations into 9 countries, growing Bellator’s global media rights revenue, spearheading legalization of MMA in France and New York, and ushering in the first legitimate free agency market for MMA athletes in decades. Tracey was the first woman to serve in this senior role for a global MMA promoter.
Tracey currently Chairs the Board of Directors for nonprofit global volunteerism organization United Planet, as well as sitting on the Boards of Directors and Advisors for several nonprofit organizations, including the California Lawyers Foundation, AYSO Soccer, and Guardian Jiu-Jitsu. She is a graduate of Duke University and the George Washington University Law School and lives with her husband and two children.
SENIOR BUSINESS ADVISOR
Stephanie Hekker
Stephanie brings over a decade of tech experience—from big tech to startups—to her role as Web Producer at 3XBA. She manages the systems that power 3XBA’s website, email marketing, and digital content workflows, ensuring fans, players, and partners stay connected to the league. A lifelong basketball enthusiast, Stephanie helps bring 3XBA’s mission to life online—building a solid digital foundation for the growth of women’s professional and youth 3x3 basketball. Whether it’s a major tournament or a quiet update, she keeps the 3XBA community in the loop—and fired up for what’s next.
WEB PRODUCER
Kiana peterson
Kiana is a dynamic basketball coach with eight years of experience across grassroots, collegiate, and WNBA environments. For the past four years, she has been cultivating 3x3 talent in the Seattle area as a Youth Skill Development Coach for the Seattle Storm’s Jr. Storm Hoops Academy, where she leads clinics for thousands of youth ages 4–18, teaching fundamentals, teamwork, strategy, accountability, and leadership, while supporting all clinic operations and optimizing learning opportunities.
From 2022–2024, Kiana also served as the Unified Basketball Head Coach at Ballard High School in partnership with Special Olympics of Washington, cultivating an inclusive team environment, adapting coaching methods to individual needs, and designing practice plans focused on fundamentals, strategy, and confidence-building.
She started her career as Video Coordinator on the women’s basketball staff at Loyola University Chicago (’21–’22) and worked with the four-time WNBA Champion Seattle Storm, contributing to film, scouting, player development, and game operations.
A former All-Region and First Team All-Academic player at DMACC and Grand View University, Kiana brings a player-informed, person-first approach to coaching. She holds a B.A. in Business Marketing and an M.S. in Sport Management. When she’s not on the court, she enjoys time with her family and her golden retriever, Willa.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
Fiona huang
A dynamic force in sports social media, Fiona Huang brings courtside energy to the digital realm at 3XBA. With experience at the Golden State Warriors, USC Athletics, and NCAA March Madness, she's mastered the art of capturing game-changing moments. As a key contributor to USC Athletics' record-breaking 7 million social media interactions and one of 26 selected Warriors interns from over 3,000 applicants, Fiona combines her creative storytelling expertise with real-time content production to elevate 3XBA's digital presence across all areas.
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER