{"id":728018,"date":"2026-04-14T19:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/728018\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:47:28","slug":"wnba-rookies-reveal-the-grind-behind-the-glamour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/728018\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Rookies Reveal the Grind Behind the Glamour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min read<\/p>\n

At the WNBA Draft,<\/strong> everything is designed to be seen. The orange carpet stretches longer than it has in the league\u2019s 30-year history, the room buzzing in agreement that this is a moment meant to be witnessed. Bright lights catch on sequins and satin, shining a spotlight on the young athletes experiencing it all for the first time. Every detail is curated for a moment that will be replayed, reposted, and remembered.<\/p>\n

But at the most visible moment of these athletes\u2019 lives, so much of what brought them here remains out of frame: The lonely reps on the practice court that never made the highlight reel. The injuries and struggles managed in private. The doubt, the discipline, the decisions made.<\/p>\n

The glamour and confidence on the carpet is real, but so is the grind that precedes it. The WNBA Draft marks the achievement of one goal and the beginning of another, and it\u2019s also a reminder that what we celebrate publicly is built on a foundation we almost never get to see.<\/p>\n

Right after the biggest moment of their careers thus far, we asked 14 of the league\u2019s newest stars to show us who they are under the lights\u2014and tell us who they are when they turn off.<\/p>\n

\"IndividualAzzi Fudd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 1, Dallas Wings<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy discipline, my work ethic, my love for the process, learning how to love the grind\u2014I think that\u2019s something that got me here. Playing good basketball with my teammates, playing team basketball, being a great teammate, doing the little things the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonOlivia Miles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 2, Minnesota Lynx<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI was always in a victim mindset, like things were happening to me. But then I started thinking about it differently\u2014things are happening for me instead of to me, and that positivity helped me to get through a lot of adversity a lot easier. So for example, my ACL injury, I was like, \u2018Why did this happen to me?\u2019 And [my mental coach] is like, \u2018No, this happened for you to be better.\u2019 It\u2019s things like that that help me to redirect negative thoughts and get through life a lot easier. Any \u2018negative\u2019 perceiving thing that may be happening \u2018to\u2019 you is not actually happening \u2018to\u2019 you. It\u2019s exactly what\u2019s supposed to be happening in that moment to get you to where you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WomanLauren Betts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 4, Washington Mystics<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe amount of work mentally that I\u2019ve had to do, especially in college\u2014I\u2019ve talked a lot about my [mental health] journey<\/a> and how I\u2019ve gotten here. And, you know, shout out to my therapist, Joy, for helping me so that I can show up on the court. We love therapists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IndividualAngela Dugali\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 9, Washington Mystics<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI grew up playing against guys, and also going to the rec center by myself\u2014sometimes also my teammates or my brother\u2014but that was my happy place. I found a lot of joy, but also a lot of struggle there, as well. \u2026. For me, the joy is just the process of everything and learning new things in the game. But [there\u2019s] also the struggle of playing basketball, and playing against other women who are phenomenal players. Both things, I think, are beautiful, and that\u2019s what makes basketball beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IndividualRaven Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 10, Indiana Fever<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe countless hours I put in in the gym\u2014nobody sees that. When I couldn\u2019t shoot the ball, I got in the gym and I got my shot better, and I think it showed this year. A lot of people don\u2019t see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonCotie McMahon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 11, Washington Mystics<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf I didn\u2019t go through what I went through<\/a> at my previous school, I don\u2019t know that I would have found myself the way I found myself in this last year. I think this last year is what really helped me get to where I am today. No matter what, don\u2019t lose your happiness. I feel like happiness is what carries you. Happiness is what allows you to look forward to the next day. Happiness keeps you interested, keeps you wondering. Never lose your happiness, because if you lose your happiness I feel like you lose everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IndividualNell Angloma<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 12, Connecticut Sun<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my hard work, my discipline, my passion. It\u2019s important to trust in yourself and just keep working. I\u2019m a competitor, I play with a lot of energy and passion, and I want to do my best to help my team to win. I can\u2019t wait to meet all of them and show them who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMadina Okot<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 13, Atlanta Dream<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe extra work put in, maybe people see that\u2014but just having the mindset of not giving up. Challenges are gonna be there. Nothing comes easily. You\u2019re always gonna have challenges. But giving up is not the best decision. You\u2019ve got to just find a way to fight through challenges and get through them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AGianna Kneepkens<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 15, Connecticut Sun<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI love setting goals and challenging myself. For me to reach my goals, I think putting in extra work is something that\u2019s got me there. Today is definitely a big goal that I\u2019ve had for a while. I want to continue working and continue pushing myself so that I can be the best version of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonMarta Su\u00e1rez<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 16, Golden State Valkyries<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really write your path, you just kinda ride it. Learning to reframe what happens to you and having that unconditional faith that as long as you keep going, you\u2019re gonna get there\u2014I think that that pushed me through a lot of not-so-nice moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IndividualCharlisse Leger-Walker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 18, Connecticut Sun<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy first thought just goes to my family. You kind of see it a little bit, but the amount of hours that they have put in just supporting me, getting me to where I am today, is something that I\u2019m eternally grateful for. All the credit in the world goes to all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonCassandre Prosper<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 19, Washington Mystics<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve gone through so many journeys of self-discovery, and getting to learn more about myself and just be confident in the woman that I am\u2014I think this is why I\u2019m here right now. \u2026 For the first time, I feel like I\u2019ve generated that self-confidence from myself, and now it\u2019s just taken over. I\u2019m being all of me, whenever, all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonTa\u2019Niya Latson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 20, Los Angeles Sparks<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cStay true to yourself. Never let anybody change who you are and what you stand for. Never compare your journey to anyone else, and just run your own race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PersonSerah Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 33, Portland Fire<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been through so much in life, and obviously, no one\u2019s life journey is written on their forehead. The strength [God] has given me to push through every adversity and all the journey I\u2019ve been on so far, I couldn\u2019t be here without him. The moments I felt true happiness and true peace is when I\u2019ve stuck to who I am\u2014not too high and not too low.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Amanda Lucci is the director of special projects at Women\u2019s Health, where she works on multi-platform brand initiatives and social media strategy. She also leads the sports and athletes vertical, traveling to cover the Paris Olympics, Women\u2019s World Cup, WNBA Finals, and NCAA Final Four for WH. She has nearly 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing social media for national and international publications and is also a NASM-certified personal trainer. A proud native of Pittsburgh, PA, she is a graduate of Ohio University\u2019s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Follow her on Instagram @alucci. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5 min read At the WNBA Draft, everything is designed to be seen. The orange carpet stretches longer…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":728019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[264745,2392,301412,1201,2875,288037,301411,62,67,132,68,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-728018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-collection-sports-athletes","9":"tag-content-type-feature","10":"tag-contentid-f594ef5b-886c-4b2c-a57d-908460fc9897","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-locale-us","13":"tag-read_time-6","14":"tag-shorttitle-wnba-rookies-reveal-the-grind-behind-the-glamour","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-wnba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116404791565937626","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}