Cal guard Jayda Noble paints custom shoes to express her artistic side when she leaves the court

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — With practice still a few hours away, Jayda Noble sits down at her desk and squeezes some fresh black paint right onto the top of her left hand just below the thumb. There’s already some white and red, a little bit of pink and purple along her wrist.

Of course paint always covers her university-issued California women’s basketball wear, too.

Noble works intently to touch up a pair of custom shoes she painted for Indiana guard Myles Rice, one of the two boxes Noble sent him for his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Washington State.

“Every time I do something I'm working on a skill," she said, “some brush work, some hand work, something. So I'm getting better and it's therapeutical. I feel like this is my me time all wrapped into one. It does get stressful, don't get me wrong, but if I keep a good kind of rhythm going every day then it's smooth sailing.”

Stacked just inside the door of her Berkeley apartment are boxes of in-progress shoes that Noble is trying to finish in any spare time she has between basketball and her graduate business studies at Cal.

She transferred from Washington and moved many of her art materials from Seattle to the Bay Area, including several large paintings. It’s her passion, sure, but also a business — and her catchy Instagram handle is “Jayyycasso,” like Picasso.

Rice is a redshirt sophomore at Indiana who sat out the 2022-23 season in Pullman, Washington, while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma which he completed on March 9, 2023, with a final chemotherapy round.

He wore Spider-Man-themed shoes painted by Noble in his first home game and will carefully choose when to bring them out so they stay clean.

“I thought they were very beautiful ... and just made the thoughts that I had come to life,” Rice said. “She did two shoes. One was a Spider-Man one because that’s one of my favorite superheroes and it had my cancer ribbon on it as well so it was kind of close to me.”

Rice plans to be a repeat customer and send Noble more shoes later this season and also order some for his family as gifts. Noble and Rice became friends when both were in Washington.

Noble pulled off a Taylor Swift-themed shoe for another good friend, noting, “I’m not the biggest Swiftie but I thought they were fun to do.”

During an off day, Noble might paint into the wee hours. Sometimes her roommate and teammate Kayla Williams comes out of her room at 2:30 a.m. to find Noble still busy at her art.

“She’ll just be like, ‘What are you doing up?’" Noble said, “and I’m like, ‘What are you doing up?’”

Noble keeps about six pairs of shoes in a painting rotation so if she needs a break from one there’s another to paint until an idea comes and she goes back to one she set aside.

“It’s easier to work on a shoe and then not feel it anymore and jump to something else,” she said. “And it keeps it interesting for me so that I can bounce around.”

Noble did shoes for each of her teammates and the Cal coaching staff and is nearly done with 15 “PR boxes," as she calls them — shoes for some of the nation’s top stars who might become supporters and help spread the word. UConn's Paige Bueckers was on that list, and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith just received a pair featuring flowers and a horned frog for her school mascot.

“They’re beautiful. She’s obviously extremely talented. I’m just so grateful that she thought of me and that I inspired her to create such a beautiful piece of art," Van Lith said. “Very grateful for her, for using her artistic skills and creating such an awesome surprise. ... The one thing you love about Jayda is she’s such a genuine and authentic person. She’s going to be who she is and that’s what you love about her.”

Soon, it looks as if Noble might even be painting shoes for a couple of interested sneakerheads on the Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga and Lindy Waters III.

On the court for No. 24 Cal, Noble has made an impact with her energy and stingy defense. She contributed a 3-pointer during Friday's 83-63 victory against Stanford as the Golden Bears made a program-record 18 3s.

Coach Charmin Smith has a couple of pairs and will add more to her rotation.

“Those Jayyycasso's, they're hot,” Smith said.

The 5-foot-11 guard comes by her artistic talent naturally. Noble fondly remembers painting with her avid scrapbooking mother growing up in Spokane, Washington.

When nearly done, she meticulously takes one final scan of the entire shoe in search of anything that isn’t quite right and will "go back over them with either my paint remover or white paint, and just clean it up so they look really nice.”

Noble sets her prices based on how long she spends on a project and when a customer needs the shoes. Most run about $175 with shipping and it's an additional $15 for the box to also be painted.

Since Rice purchased two pair she gave him a deal.

“I’ve been able to be a part and see everything since she started it,” Rice said. “We both were on the West Coast in the Pac-12. Just seeing the heights that she’s brought it to and everything she does it’s just amazing to see and I’m really happy for her.”

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In this image provided by Indiana Athletics, Indiana guard Myles Rice is shown wearing shoes painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble as he brings the ball up the court during an NCAA college basketball game against SIU-Edwardsville, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Bloomington, Ind. (Trent Barnhart/Indiana Athletics via AP)

In this image provided by TCU Athletics, shoes painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble for TCU guard Hailey Van Lith are displayed in Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Zach Campbell/TCU Athletics via AP)

In this image provided byt TCU Athletics, TCU guard Hailey Van Lith holds up shoes painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble in Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Zach Campbell/TCU Athletics via AP)

A shoebox painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble for Indiana's Myles Rice is held by Noble in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California guard Jayda Noble looks to pass the ball during an NCAA college basketball game against Stanford in Berkeley, Calif., Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The shoes of California guard Jayda Noble are shown before an NCAA college basketball game against Stanford in Berkeley, Calif., Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble holds up shoes showing her artwork in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble holds a shoe she is painting in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble mixes paint on her hand while painting shoes in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble paints shoes in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Shoes and artwork painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble are displayed in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Shoes painted by California basketball player Jayda Noble are displayed in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California basketball player Jayda Noble is interviewed in front of her artwork in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump delivered a likely death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations on Wednesday, rejecting the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk whipped up outrage toward the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition.

Trump's joint statement with Vice President-elect JD Vance, which stopped the bill in its tracks, punctuated a daylong torrent of social media posts by Musk attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.

“Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X as he dangled primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.

The episode showcased the growing political influence of Musk, whom Trump has selected alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental task force formed to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and reduce regulations.

Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, said his office was flooded with calls from constituents.

“My phone was ringing off the hook," he said. “The people who elected us are listening to Elon Musk.”

In his statement with Vance, Trump said Republicans should restart negotiations over the legislation, arguing that “anything else is a betrayal of our country.” He also called for including an extension of the debt ceiling while President Joe Biden is in office.

“Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch," they said. "If Democrats won’t cooperate on a debt ceiling increase now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate over the debt ceiling now.”

Trump's opposition to what was considered must-pass legislation reinjected a sense of chaos and political brinkmanship that was reminiscent of his first term in office. It was a dramatic turn of events for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the bill and has been undermined by Trump as he faces reelection for his post in just a couple of weeks. Republicans have a slim majority, raising the possibility of a replay of leadership disputes that paralyzed the House a year ago.

Many lawmakers were in the middle of holiday and year-end celebrations with staff when Trump came out against the legislation.

“I’ve been here 14 years, OK? So nothing up here surprises me anymore,” said Rep. Steve Womack, a senior Republican appropriator from Arkansas. “We shouldn’t be in this mess.”

The Biden administration criticized the possibility of a shutdown.

"Republicans need to stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will hurt hardworking Americans and create instability across the country," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a veteran of Washington's budget battles, was concerned about the lack of a clear plan for resolving the dispute.

"There’s got to be a second part of the strategy," he said.

Norquist has been enthusiastic about Musk's ability to generate public attention for efforts to reduce the size of government. But he suggested that the owner of a space rocket company wasn't the right person to spearhead a congressional spending debate.

“He doesn’t know politics like he knows physics," he said.

But others were thrilled with Musk's involvement.

“In five years in Congress, I’ve been awaiting a fundamental change in the dynamic,” posted Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from North Carolina. “It has arrived.”

Musk began criticizing the measure as soon as it was released Tuesday evening, and he continuously posted about it Wednesday.

"Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!" he wrote. He also called it “one of the worst bills every written.”

Sometimes Musk amplified false claims, such as the idea that the legislation included $3 billion for a new football stadium in Washington. In reality, the legislation would transfer ownership of the land from the federal government to the city, paving the way for eventual development.

Musk appeared emboldened by the experience.

“The voice of the people was heard,” Musk wrote. “This was a good day for America."

Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said the fallout would be Republicans' fault.

“You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow," he wrote on X.

Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

FILE - Elon Musk speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses as he enters a closed-door strategy session with fellow Republicans as they work on a final version of a spending bill before federal agencies run out of money at midnight on Friday night, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)