I first played in the WNBA back in 1998 for the Cleveland Rockers. It was such a surreal moment as I was in Australia one day and then with a single phone call was packing my bags in the middle of the night to catch a flight within 3 hours to head over to the USA!! I remember calling my parents on the way to the airport to inform them that’s how quickly it all happened.
My WNBA career lasted 14 seasons with 5 different teams which were:
Cleveland Rockers 1998
Portland Fire 2000-2002
Seattle Storm 2003-2004
Indiana Fever 2005-2010
San Antonio 2011-2012
I was honored to win the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2007 and also selections in numerous All Defensive Teams throughout my career.
One of my favorite memories from playing in the league would definitely have to be winning the 2004 WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm. Playing in front of a packed home crowed and having the streamers and confetti fall from the rafters on the final whistle will be a memory I will never forget.
I retired from the WNBA after playing my final season with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2012. My wife, Lindsay Bevilaqua, and I started up our own small business running boot-camps and Personal Training at our gym called Gym41 in Indianapolis, Indiana. We have been in operation now for over 6 years and during that time we also welcomed into our world two amazing children, Parker (6) and Mackenzie (4). It’s been a tough road to build up our business from scratch but all the tears we shed and PB & J sandwiches we lived on wondering if we had made the right decision were all worth it. 🙂 Lindsay and I are so proud of the supportive and diverse environment that we have created at Gym41 and the positive impact that we have had in so many lives.
During this time, I have also re-connected with the Indiana Fever. I first became a Color Commentator for local TV games and now work as the Fever Player Development Coach. I am excited to take up that role again this year and help the Indiana Fever work its way back into a finals contender after missing out last season.
If there were any words of wisdom I would pass on to a young WNBA rookie I would say this:
“Play every single game as if it were your last and enjoy it, respect all those around you that make it possible for you to live the dream, stay grounded and plan for your future even while you are still playing. Don’t leave it till the last minute to try and work out what your life after basketball might be”!!
Finally, I have been a competitor all my life and that won’t change so it makes sense that I keep challenging myself in different areas. One of those challenges was to qualify to run in the Boston Marathon and back in late 2016 I did just that so now I am about to embark on a crazy training program to get myself ready to run in the 2018 Boston Marathon! Another tick off my bucket list…still living the dream!!
Cheers mates!!
– Tully Bevilaqua, W Legend