Improved travel conditions make for a happier league

Team officials efficiently wheeled large black equipment bags adorned with team logos and pink suitcases out the back exit, carefully placing them onto the Aces idling bus in the loading dock. Black yoga mats lined the floor as Aces players completed their postgame stretching and recovery routines. Other giddy players scrambled to interact with family and friends and shower, ensuring the bus could depart for their cross-country flight home on time.

Guard Jackie Young leaned casually against a white wall in her red uniform, completing a postgame interview and watching as members of Las Vegas’ traveling party grabbed their postgame meal from a table further down the hallway. The atmosphere was filled with happy energy and a relaxed vibe, celebrating a flawless three-game road trip through Seattle, Atlanta and Washington.

On the other hand, after a grueling road trip where her team split four games, Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins had only one thing on her mind — returning to her bed, a sentiment many WNBA players can relate to after long journeys.

“Some of these trips are long,” Atkins told The Next after the Mystics spent eight days on the road in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Indianapolis. “I mean, they’re long. It’s hard to be away from your bed for so long. I love my bed and being able to sleep in it.”

One team was wrapping up an extended road trip while the other was returning home. When the Aces beat the Mystics on July 14, Las Vegas concluded its journey, and Washington was playing its first home game in 15 days.

Over the past month, The Next spoke to 17 players and one head coach from six of the WNBA’s 12 teams to get a feel for how travel has improved, what players do during their downtime on the road, their go-to snacks for trips and much more. The players interviewed for this story ranged from members of the United States Olympic women’s basketball team to veterans, rookies and players at the beginning of their careers.

From these conversations, two things were clear. One, charter flights have been a game changer, and two, a specific food network is missing a golden opportunity to feature the WNBA, which boasts a league of foodies. Young eagerly anticipates eating Mexican food in Phoenix, Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington devours soul food and Ruth Chris’ steakhouse on the road, and Minnesota’s Kayla McBride loves finding “hole-in-the-wall” ice cream spots.

Charter flights

Life on the road in the WNBA is a series of tiring adventures — staying in plush hotels, riding charter buses and eating at restaurants, the options for which have been enhanced over the years by more resources in the league. And who could forget the long overdue charter flights added early this season? Now, players enjoy the convenience of exiting the cramped confines of a bus and boarding a waiting plane on airport runways. Charter flights have brought a sense of relief to players, allowing them to enjoy quicker recovery and immediate treatment for their strains, sprains, bruises and bone-weary fatigue.

“Now we have these bigger planes,” New York Liberty forward and three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart said. “Our health and safety is something that’s most important and valued. Now, the effectiveness of getting to the airports, getting on the planes and to our next destinations is something we appreciate as players in this league.”

In the past, bleary-eyed, backpack-wearing and luggage-toting players endured long TSA lines, caught early commercial flights and waited for their suitcases in congested baggage claim terminals. Discussions about improving players’ quality of life, including league-wide charter travel, had happened even before this year’s rookie class entered the WNBA.

Seattle Storm veteran guard Skylar Diggins-Smith recalled the numerous connecting flights she endured as a member of the Tulsa Shock during an era when the WNBA flew exclusively commercial.

“I never thought I would see charter flights in my career — not saying we didn’t deserve it,” Diggins-Smith said before an August road game against the Mystics. “I remember not having a weight room in Tulsa to having a practice facility here in Seattle. We had the worst travel in the league [in Tulsa]. So, we have been working towards a stronger quality of life. We’ve made many strides quickly these past few years, which has been great.”

Connecticut Sun forward and Olympian Alyssa Thomas remembers taking a two-hour bus ride with her team to Boston for a direct flight to the West Coast. Now, with charter planes, the Sun drive 45 minutes to Providence to catch flights, a welcome change.

“Before charters, the travel was super tough for us,” Thomas said pregame before helping the Sun end the New York Liberty’s eight-game winning streak. “Charter flights are a huge part of our lives, especially in a season like this, where you have so many back-to-backs and games like every other day. It makes a difference.”

The rookie

Rookie Kate Martin‘s unlikely and significant contribution to the Aces’ success this season can be considered a happy accident. She knew there was a possibility she could get drafted after a sterling career at Iowa, in which she played in two consecutive national championship games. She attended the WNBA Draft to support her friend and former Iowa teammate, Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 overall pick, and heard her name called while sitting in the audience.

Martin was drafted in the second round, made the Aces roster and became a key component of head coach Becky Hammon‘s rotation.

Traveling is nothing new for Martin, who was accustomed to first-class travel at Iowa. There, every second of her day was scripted — from film sessions to pregame meals, to shoot-arounds and hotel departure times. Being a professional forced an adjustment.

“I would say the biggest difference is the meals and getting food,” Martin said. “In college, they always had three meals for you daily. As a professional now, you get your meals on your own … so that’s like the biggest difference is, you know, not having those meals provided for you. We get per diem, so that’s definitely a benefit. Our professional trips can be a little longer, like we’re on a five-day road trip right now.”

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Martin also has a familiar face in Aces forward Megan Gustafson, who played at Iowa. Martin and Gustafson go out to eat on the road together and find local restaurants in whatever city they’re playing in. Like many players, Martin spends lots of time in her room receiving treatments, studying the game plan, relaxing and watching television.

“It’s a blessing that we get to do this as our job,” Martin said. “There’s much harder jobs than playing a basketball game for 40 minutes. I mean, a lot of little things go into getting onto the court and playing at a high level. It’s not like you show up to the basketball game and are ready to go. It takes hours and hours of preparation, film watching and getting your mind and body right. It’s a lot like other jobs, too, where you must prepare for a big presentation, meeting or moment.”

Family matters

The beauty of Las Vegas’ recent trip to Atlanta was that it allowed many players to spend quality time with family members and friends. The Aces flew from Seattle on July 10 after winning an afternoon game, which meant they had most of the next day free, after an early morning practice, to explore the city. Before charter flights, teams usually flew out the day after a game.

“The biggest difference in the travel is you get to see more people, but we have to do a lot of front loading to see your family and friends before the game versus after,” Las Vegas Aces forward Kiah Stokes said. “You miss the interactions with your friends and family who come to see you because we leave right after the games now. So, for example, I have a lot of good friends in Atlanta, but we got the whole day after practice to really connect with people instead of spending the next day traveling.”

Stokes, who spent time with a close friend in Atlanta, has one road uniform: sweats.

“I’m very chill when we have a long road trip,” a smiling Stokes said, sporting a white t-shirt and gray sweats following the Aces win over the Mystics. “You talk to my teammates, and I’m probably the one who packs at the last minute. So, if we have a bus at 10, I’m packing at 9. That’s how I’ve been doing things, but it’s just what it is. At this point, you get used to it. You know, we traveled so many times.”

Enhanced travel security

Some Aces, including Stokes, assisted with their teammate Tiffany Hayes‘ basketball camp when they were in Atlanta. Veteran forward Alysha Clark, who was reading “Readers Eat Last,” had the chance to spend time with her mom, nieces and nephews in Atlanta.

“Anytime I get time with them, it trumps any and everything I do on the road,” Clark said. “Outside of charters, I think just security has been one of the biggest changes, and that’s been super helpful for us when traveling on the road. We’ve been traveling by ourselves for so long, through public airports with no security; the best players in the world, the Olympic gold medalists, had been walking through airports freely. Fortunately, our organization saw the importance of having our security detail everywhere we go.”

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Scenes of enhanced security measures have been evident this season. As Aces forward A’ja Wilson walked to the team bus following a win over the Mystics, one of the Aces’ burly security guards was by her side. The same thing occurred in June when the Chicago Sky took the floor at Capital One Arena. One security guard was in the front of the run-out line, and another one was at the end of the line. Everywhere rookie forward Angel Reese walked, one of the Sky’s security personnel was nearby.

Although they still spend postgame time with fans, friends and family who came to the games, most players hustle to catch their flights and either go home or travel to the next city.

Following a Las Vegas victory over Washington at the end of June, Stokes, after getting dressed, went back out to the court and enjoyed a UConn mini-reunion. She posed for selfies and chatted with current Husky standouts Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers and former teammate Bria Hartley, who also spent several years playing in the WNBA.

The Storm flew home the night after defeating the Mystics on Aug. 20. Players grabbed their brown-bagged postgame meal from Nando’s and hurriedly walked to the bus so they could return home, where a nice six-day break and new teammate Gabby Williams, who was just signed during the road trip, awaited them.

Finding the joy in small things

McBride cherishes the moments that others may overlook during road trips. While many players plug in their headphones, watch movies on their iPads or scroll through their phones, McBride finds peace and reflects with gratitude that she’s still competing at a high level. Having once played for the San Antonio Silver Stars, McBride knows that road trips are a necessary part of life for a professional athlete. She also remembers the challenges of traveling to places like Tulsa and Connecticut.

Going to Connecticut tested teams because they would fly into Hartford or Boston and drive a couple of hours to Uncasville, which is in the middle of nowhere (unless you’re looking for Connecticut’s casino capital).

“It’s amazing, and I never take it for granted,” said McBride, who is in her 10th year in the WNBA. “As you get older, you find joy in the small things. Playing in places like Los Angeles, Brooklyn and New York, you play where legends have played. Seattle is one of my favorite cities to visit, and I love being in L.A. and going to the beach. The league is so small, and it’s only 144 of us, so you take advantage of being on a roster and getting on the bus with your teammates because one day you won’t have it.”

Another positive change on the road has been the quality of hotels for players. The rooms are bigger and, in many cases, there are areas of the hotel where players enjoy more privacy. They enjoy interacting with their fans but sometimes, on the road, players want to get to and from their rooms without navigating enthusiastic autograph hounds and selfie seekers.

“Our accommodations of the hotels match our current travel now,” Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike said. “We have five-star travel now. Outside of that, we all check in like normal people at the front desk. There’s security and such, and you still bump into fans excited to see us.”

McBride added, “Having that extra level of luxury is huge. The beds are more comfortable, and the room service is better. Just having those types of experiences changes everything.”

Finding balance on the road

Before she scored 30 points in an afternoon road victory against the Washington Mystics on July 17, Minnesota Lynx forward and Olympian Napheesa Collier already had a busy day. Waking up six hours before game time, Collier FaceTimed her daughter, showered, attended a film session, read a few pages of her book, “The Serpent & the Wings of Night” and ordered a sandwich from Earl’s.

Collier was also excited to be in Washington because she knew her aunt and cousin would be attending the game. But the afternoon start also meant that Collier couldn’t take her valued nap, which she does before every night game.

Collier and her head coach Cheryl Reeve, who guided the United States Olympic team to its eighth consecutive gold medal in August, had been able to enjoy themselves when they went to Paris to represent the United States. USA Basketball allowed players and coaches to have their families with them, which helped create an extra layer of comfort and normalcy.

Collier’s two-year-old daughter had a blast bonding with other kids. The USA men’s and women’s basketball teams stayed in the same hotel, creating a chaotic-yet-beautiful scene. Collier’s husband’s family was also able to attend the Olympics.

“The hotel we stayed in was like a bed and breakfast,” Collier said. “We would all wake up every day and see everyone at breakfast. I remember there being so many kids there. So, just seeing my daughter running around the hotel with all the kids and getting to know the different families was special.”

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Reeve also experienced the joy of having family in Paris. She was able to take a break from coaching and spend time with her son. He saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time, and it was a moment that will remain with Reeve forever.

“That was impactful for us as a family,” Reeve said. “USA Basketball was good at supporting the guests that were involved,” Reeve said. “Of course, they had a lot more downtime than we did. So, for me, I would sneak out. The most I could manage would be a couple of hours. I think beyond that, I start to break out in hives — there’s something else I could be doing to prepare for a game. You just get immersed in your thoughts.”

The games may be exhausting, and traveling from city to city may be demanding, but having loved ones nearby makes it all worthwhile.

‘Just the beginning’

Washington Mystic forward Shakira Austin only travels with her sour Skittles and gummy bears. Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton relies on pretzels, Goldfish, seltzer water and Gatorade to get her through a road trip. Young makes sure she has her corded earphones, brush and perfume. Ogwumike never leaves without her recovery pack or cherry juice.

“It’s great to see that we’re evolving as a league and finally getting the things that we should have already had,” New York Liberty forward Kayla Thornton said. “I try to stay simple on the road and not pack too much other than my game day outfits and a little extra if I want to step outside, walk somewhere or eat. You also have to make sure you have your hygiene products, and then you have to bring the snacks. The GOAT of snacks is some popcorn.”

Atkins looks forward to going to her hometown of Dallas, where spending time with her family is always a top priority. Hearing positive comments about the WNBA from her loved ones fills Atkins with pride — even if most of them are Dallas Wing fans.

“All my friends and people that I’ve known in high school are really into the Wings right now, so that’s been pretty cool to experience now,” Atkins said. “Seeing the growth — the Wings team and the league as a whole — has been pretty cool.”

Carrington is adjusting to playing more minutes. Navigating back-to-back games is something she’s still learning. “I’m still trying to figure it out,” she said. “It was a lot easier for me last year because I wasn’t playing over 20 minutes a game. I think it’s hydrating, and I’m making sure that, for me personally, I eat enough food each day. Sometimes, you get caught up with life and skip meals, but you can’t do that as an athlete, especially with as much energy and as heavy of a workload that we have every night.”

Many players are thrilled to see the WNBA’s evolution this season, with attendance and viewership at an all-time peak. With a new collective bargaining agreement on the horizon and a massive television deal kicking in next season, the league’s growth and popularity are expected to continue.

“This is just the beginning,” Stokes said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what the WNBA will be like in five to 10 more years. I think the future looks bright, and I am blessed to be part of the league now. There are a lot of talented young players in this league, many talented college players, and that’s only going to make the game better.”