The dawn of a new beginning starts tonight in Edmonton

By Christan Braswell

Edmonton, AB - Change is a part of life that can deliver the worst of times or the best of times. Seattle Storm stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike are currently experiencing an abundance of the latter.

Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith during the teams training camp at the Storm Center for Basketball Performance. (Photo from the Seattle Storm)

Diggins-Smith will step on a WNBA court for the first time in nearly two years as the Storm face the Los Angeles Sparks tonight in Edmonton, part of the WNBA Canada Game series.

“I feel a lot of things. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m anxious,” she said. “It’s all this hype and talking about it, let’s just throw it up already, throw the ball up already. I’m looking forward to it, especially with this tremendous group we have here. The staff, by far the most I’ve learned from a staff in camp this early. I love the way they communicate. They coach us up and they coach us hard and that’s why I came here.

The six-time All-Star has endured quite the journey since she played her last game in a Phoenix Mercury jersey. On maternity leave and exiled from a team she help carry to the 2021 WNBA Finals, she trained and watched as many games as she could last season while tending to her family.

"It gives me a greater sense of appreciation, especially at my age,” she said. “Not a lot of people get to play in the league this long so I definitely don’t take anything for granted. Instead of trying to read what the future will hold or thinking about the past, I think this year is about me being in a peaceful mindset. I feel very confident as a mother. I feel very confident as a vet in this league.”

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike during the teams training camp at the Storm Center for Basketball Performance. (Photo from the Seattle Storm)

Home is Figurative

While Nneka Ogwumike’s version of change may differ from that of her teammate, their journey that ended in Seattle as a final destination was all too similar.

The WNBA champion and former league MVP spent the first 12 years of her career with the Sparks. For the first time, she’ll be tipping off against a team that she carried through trials and tribulations. If you thought she had any feelings about the matchup, think again.

“I’m ready to play,” she said. “I’m excited to be here in Seattle. I’m happy about the chemistry we’re building and I’m grateful to be in a facility that’s fostering our growth and to be coached by the staff we have. I think I’m really just excited that we get to play a game. I haven’t been to Canada before so I’m excited about that too.

Since her introductory press conference, Ogwumike let it be known that like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes of her past to embrace her future of new. She felt that stepping into Seattle’s new training facility was a physical representation of her worth as a professional athlete and as a person. The true definiton of what long-awaited investment looks like.

“I always respect and honor where I come from, but when life throws changes and transitions, I move on quite well,” she said. “Especially if it had something to do with my decision. I’m really good at seeing what’s in front of me, and figuring what I want to create out of that. Being here, it felt like I was home in a weird way. It feels like so many things have aligned.”

“Home is figurative,” she continued. “I’ve known Skylar for so long, I’ve been connected with Noey [Coach Noelle], I’ve played with Eb [Ebony Hoffman], I’ve always been connected with Pokey [Chatman]. I’ve always talked to Jewell about playing together. Even Ezi, we’ve always stayed connected with our Nigerian heritage. Being able to come here and see it all come together, I feel very comfortable.”

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