In No Offseason, The Athletic follows the paths of women’s basketball players after their WNBA seasons’ end and their travels begin. From Turkey, Israel, Italy, Czech Republic, Mexico and even here in the U.S., our reporters tell the stories of these players as they chase their dreams and try to shape the future of the WNBA.
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The start of the 2023 WNBA season is just a few weeks away, meaning that the professional women’s basketball landscape will turn back to gameplay in the U.S. Earlier this winter, I traveled across Europe, watching games in four different countries as part of a nearly five-week trip abroad. As luck (and/or good planning) would have it, I saw each of the four EuroLeague Women Final Four teams in-person at least once, plus I watched a number of other EuroCup clubs in action. The Athletic wrote about a number of facets of players’ experiences, covering what it’s like to suffer an injury abroad, why some of the world’s best players don’t compete in the WNBA, and just this week, the often misunderstood financial landscape of overseas play. We also introduced readers to the “Pat Summitt of Europe;” a high school biology teacher who is part-superfan; part-tour guide for WNBA players in Israel; and a Turkish teen who set a world record for blind-folded dribbling.
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We covered the overseas experience in depth and in ways that haven’t been reported before. Published below are some of my favorite vignettes and anecdotes from the trip that we haven’t yet shared. Call it our “No Offseason” notebook. As our series comes to a close, I’ve included some thoughts on different stadiums, noise-making methods and even food reviews.
• First, the travel. … Before boarding my flight to Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 1, the initial step in bringing this series to life was deciding on where to actually visit, and when. There isn’t a master database that combines every overseas team’s schedule and updated roster (though Eurobasket.com is generally a good place to start), so I built a master Google spreadsheet, looking at different cities and what current or former WNBA players and coaches were there, what game schedules were like and what potential ideas could be reported from each. The lead-up involved a lot of time trying to track down contract information for various players and clubs — I traveled abroad with a little bit of info, but not a ton; calls with WNBA agents and players; conversations with security experts (just in case); and the purchase of a new carry-on duffle bag, which I eventually lived out of for more than a month. It all came together in about two weeks, and in the end, I didn’t have any logistical hiccups though I came within around three minutes of missing my train out of Schio, Italy.
• My longest singular travel day was Saturday, Dec. 17, when I took a 4:35 a.m. flight from Adana, Turkey (I took an hour-long cab from Mersin to Adana the evening before my flight) to Istanbul, then connected on to an 8:25 a.m. flight to Venice, Italy. Next, I boarded two trains to Schio. I didn’t arrive at my hotel in Schio (it was a 20-minute walk to my hotel) until mid-afternoon. Much to my delight, I had no delays during any of those legs. The early morning flight, however, was far fuller than I expected. Wouldn’t recommend taking it if I was embarking on a similar trip again.
• Total number of countries I visited: six: Turkey, Israel, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany.
Total flights I took: seven, on three different airlines.
Total trains rides: eight, including one overnight train from Venice to Vienna.
• Now, the basketball. … FIBA Hall of Fame coach Natália Hejková has a rule that whatever player scores her team’s 100th point in a game, the player has to bake a dessert for her teammates. For much of the second-half of the USK Praha contest I attended on Dec. 30 against KP Brno, the anticipation of who would become the lucky pastry chef proved to be the biggest source of drama. With Praha cruising to an eventual 37-point win, Connecticut Sun All-Star center Brionna Jones, who had been on Praha’s bench for much of the fourth quarter, headed to the scorer’s table with just over two and a half minutes to play. Jones loves to bake, and her overseas teammates are big fans of her cupcakes, macaroons and pies. But as she waited for a stoppage so she could enter the contest, guard Teja Oblak hit a 3 with 1:24 to go, which brought the team to 100 points. When Oblak did, Jones promptly returned to the bench, high-fiving teammates as she retreated. Starting guard Maria Conde gave Jones a hug just before she sat down. “We’re rooting for Bri every time to be the one who scores the 100th point,” Conde said. “Because she’s gonna bring the cupcakes, and they are amazing.”
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• A few players from both teams lingered on the sideline and baselines of the gym in Israel, engaged in conversation, but within five minutes of the final buzzer sounding in A.S. Ramat Hasharon’s 84–71 victory over Elitzur Holon on Dec. 12, the mood on Hasharon’s home floor shifted. The reason? Around a dozen high school-age girls suddenly took the same court that was just used for a professional basketball game. They were on roller skates, dashing and twirling around, seemingly loosening up for their session ahead. As I learned, such is life at times in arenas, located in high schools, that are sometimes used for Israeli league action.
Israel is looking to become more of a force in the international women’s basketball space.
One key factor in doing just that? Having strong post players, mostly stemming from the WNBA.
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• In Bologna, Italy — at least on the night I attended a game, on Dec. 22 against Praha — the fans in the stands really did talk with their hands. Angered by what they seemed to determine was biased (or inconsistent officiating) spectators at the EuroLeague contest made their presence felt with their boos, their presumably harsh language, and most importantly, their strong gestures.
• Let’s talk more about arenas and different noise-making tactics. In Istanbul, Beşiktaş’ home gym features a court that is unique in color scheme. It is primarily gray, with a thick black border around its perimeter. The arena features a lower bowl, and the crowd on the afternoon I was there, against Çukurova Mersin on Dec. 4, maybe just maybe, stretched into four digits. Those in attendance, however, were still supportive and tried to give their under-talented squad an advantage. They did so, not by chanting “defense,” but by letting out piercing whistles whenever Çukurova had the basketball, and by singing the club’s official song.
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• For newcomers to Praha’s Královka Arena, it’s impossible not to immediately be struck by the rainbow of seats that form a vertical wall opposite the teams’ benches. “When I first saw that, I was like, this is killing me,” said Jones, who has played for the Czech team for four years and who first walked into the gym as an opponent while suiting up for the Russian club Nadezhda Orenburg. “There’s no pattern.” It really is a sight to behold.
• In Schio, the arena in the quaint Italian town with a population around 40,000 was among the most intimate I visited. In all, it seats only around 2,600 people. On the cold December evening I was there, the stands were maybe only half full, with all of the fans in the dozen rows located alongside both sidelines. The limited crowd size was due to Christmas being just a few days away and because the contest featured the best team in the Italian league — those hosting the game — against what was the worst, Valdarno. Still, fans were loud. A number of the most rabid supporters held squeeze air-horns, which blared throughout the win. Another held a megaphone, and at various junctures (mostly when Valdarno was on offense or at the free-throw line), elected to play a siren sound.
• The arena in Bologna, Italy, where its EuroLeague team plays is called PalaDozza. First opening in the 1950s, it’s named after one of the city’s long-time communist mayors, Guiseppe Dozza. It also features a fantastic nickname, Il Madison, paying homage to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Though much smaller, the Italian gym has a similarly round roof and bowled seating arrangement.
• In Mersin’s 7,000-seat arena, I saw a few things that reminded me of games in the U.S. For starters, I observed a mascot, Çuko, who bears some loose resemblance to a tiger — only it’s yellow. It was the first instance of a mascot I’d seen throughout my overseas excursion. Plus, inside Mersin’s stadium, which was the biggest of any I saw a game in throughout my tour, there was a jumbotron that aired occasional replays from the on-court action. Another rarity! An attendant additionally served drinks to VIPs who were seated courtside, though the offerings consisted of tea, coffee or water, and not anything alcoholic.
FINALLY!! A Mascot!!! Meet Çuko!! pic.twitter.com/S6dxmPFiwh
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) December 14, 2022
• I even saw a proposal! Staying in Mersin, during the third quarter of the game I attended on Dec. 14, a male fan, in a section nearest to the baseline by CBK’s bench, proposed to his partner. The proposal started with friends of the couple unrolling a sign that read, in Turkish, “Will you marry me, my angel?” The proposal wasn’t shown on the jumbotron in real-time, though later in the game the then-engaged couple, and their friends seated behind them, were displayed.
• Two distinctive seating sections were at the Israeli EuroCup contest I attended on Dec. 8. One, located behind each team’s respective bench, was for members of Elitzur Ramla’s local government and what I was told were other highfalutin people in the area. (Though by no means a member of either of the aforementioned parties, I, by coincidence, ended up sitting behind the city’s mayor.) The other, across the court, were rows of bleachers reserved for fans. The crowd on that side was mostly comprised of kids, who were kicking off their weekend — in Israel, the work week stretches from Sunday through Thursday — by taking in a basketball game. Maybe a few hundred people were in attendance. Tickets were free for fans (as is common at Israeli women’s basketball games), and the prevailing sound was similar to that of a WNBA camp day game — for those uninitiated, think lots of high-pitched noise from children who are running around in gym class. For most of the night two spectators in particular, both wearing gray shirts, banged on a drum and provided the soundtrack as Ramla’s defeated the Hungarian club Peac-Pecs, 69–58.
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• That same night, Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin, who is a member of Ramla, had a double-double. As she put up stats, the stadium’s public address announcer did all he could to bring awareness of her successes. He called out her name after field goals, but he also shouted out the 22-year-old American’s first name after she hauled in misses from her opponent. He even jumped the gun a few times while Ramla was on offense, belting out ”Shakira” despite an Austin put-back attempt or jumper being missed.
• Some memorable non-basketball moments included: Attending Christmas Eve midnight Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica, which is the most famous and grandest church in Venice, Italy, (and I don’t even celebrate Christmas); seeing a dog show while on a morning walk in Schio; a quick visit to the Albertina museum in Vienna; and touring the Jewish Quarter in Prague.
• The single best meal I had was in Prague at El Camino Tapas Restaurant. Every dish was excellent, but the one I still think about was an oxtail ragout sandwich accompanied by a red wine granita. The flavor combination of the rich savory oxtail with the sweet cool granita was extremely special and unexpected. Note, a reservation is needed to dine there.
• Other standout meals and dishes included the arais (grilled lamb, tahini and salad, stuffed in a grilled pita) from M25 in Tel Aviv; the lasagna, tortellini in brodo, and tiramisu from Osteria dell’Orsa in Bologna, Italy — I ate there twice in four days; and the katmer (a dessert consisting of warm phyllo dough filled with grated pistachios and clotted cream) served with vanilla ice cream from Ali Ocakbaşı Gümüşsuyu in Istanbul.
@theathletic Five weeks abroad watching women’s hoops? Come along for the ride! #basketball #womenshoops #wnba #istanbul #turkey🇹🇷 #italy🇮🇹 #fenerbahçe💛💙 ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
• A final thought: One of the overarching themes of the series deals with the many, often complicated and deeply personal, choices professional women’s basketball players make. They begin when a player decides where to play overseas — do you take the most money possible? Or elect for a shorter season? Or a place where they can have the biggest role? Or a place that will allow you a chance to make a WNBA team?
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When abroad, players are forced to think about what will make them most comfortable in often unfamiliar environments — what do you do for the holidays? What should you pack from home? How do you acclimate to the local culture?
Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan described professional women’s basketball players as “the most adaptable players,” because of the frequency with which they pack up, move to places unseen, “have to figure it out,” all while juggling the physical demands of the job they’ve been hired for. It’s a sentiment that resonated with other players when I raised it with them. “Yeah, it’s stressful, it’s strenuous but I know five years from now, I’m gonna want to be back in this moment,” says Lynx forward Kayla McBride, who has played with Fenerbahçe in Istanbul since 2020. “I’m gonna want to be back with my teammates, living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
There’s still much to be learned and reported on. Maybe (hopefully) next year we’ll get to explore some stories from around the globe again.
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The “No Offseason” series is part of a partnership with Google Pixel. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photo of Kayla McBride with a fan: Ben Pickman / The Athletic)