A Letter to My Son

Dear Lennox,

My BIG homie turning two today!!!! Happy Birthday, my little man :-) 

You’re growing so fast that people already think you’re three. (Listen, I’m trying to raise a big point guard over here!)

Your birthday has me thinking about a lot of things, and so I wanted to write you this letter. Something for you to read when you’re just about ready to spread your wings and set out for whatever big adventure life has in store for you. I know one day, when you’re older, you’ll start having questions — about me and your mom, about your life and your family. And I want to tell you everything.

I’ll start with something about you. Anyone who knows you knows you’re so so funny. You’re particular. And you’re a little chef! You love cooking with me and being my taste tester in the kitchen. You climb up on your step stool to stand next to me when we’re cooking together. You’re cutting veggies. You’re washing dishes. You’re doing it all. It’s been really cool to see. There’s something so sweet about having a curious child and watching them find new things to love and enjoy — that might be the best part of being a parent. You’re going to have so many interests and hobbies as you get older, who even knows what will stick. I’m so lucky I get to be on your journey, watching you become you.

You also know that “Mommy does basketball.” You come to the games and thankfully, you’re unbothered by all the chaos. You know, sometimes when I see you in the locker room with the team or in the training room, laughing and playing with the trainers, it kind of blows my mind just how like…… normal that all feels. When I was drafted almost 12 years ago, that definitely wasn’t the norm — you didn’t see a bunch of athletes bringing their kids around. Not on the women’s side, at least. All the moms in the league, whether they carried or not, you know who they are because you can see the balancing act from afar — all the complex pieces that go into being a mom and a pro. 

It’s a lot. But to be honest, Lennox, I never thought about not bringing you along. I always knew I wanted you to be a part of it.

---

---

I have a story to tell you. It’s about 13 years before you were born. 2011. I’m a freshman at Duke. Classes are out for break, so I’m in Cali, sitting in the bleachers at Long Beach State with a friend. That’s when I see your mama running up and down the court hoopin’. I lean over to my friend  like, “Who’s that??” Fast-forward and a couple days later, I’m at a Sparks game. I get up from my seat, and you’ll never guess who I bump into on the stairs…. It was like a rom-com. We recognized each other right away and laughed. I’m just like, “What is this?? How I’m sitting way over here, and you come up the stairs right next to me???” I guess the universe was conspiring…. Later on that night, I checked my Facebook, and saw I had a new friend request: Tipesa.

We were just friends for a while, but I liked her from the moment we met. We tried dating, but it didn’t work out. We were young, living on different coasts, and had separate lives back at school. Neither of us were sure where this was going. Neither of us were sure this had anywhere to go. Then at the end of 2013, we crossed paths again when Duke went to play Cal Berkeley (where your mama’s team had just played), and we were in the same city. And once again, it just felt like divine timing. In my last semester at Duke, we made it official.

One thing I hope, Lennox, is that the world you grow up in is more open-minded than the one I grew up in, and one day when you read this, you’re surprised to learn that it wasn’t always easy to be yourself for people like me and mama. It was a hush-hush type of thing. It wasn’t until high school when I really understood who I was, and I still kept it a secret. Even at Duke, I was hiding parts of myself. If anyone asked if I had someone special in my life, I’d always say, “No, I haven’t found anybody yet.” It wasn’t until I met your mama that I felt like I really wanted to tell my parents and everyone I knew.

But there was just so much to lose by sharing your truth back then. That’s why on one of the most important nights of my career, the night of the WNBA draft, I wasn’t able to have your mom standing by my side. I called her when I was in the green room, when I finally got a moment to sneak away, and she was so excited for me. She’s screaming on the phone, like, “LET’S GOOOOO!!!” She had already been a part of so many high and lows. She understood how much this meant to me. Crazy to think it was just the beginning.

---

---

It’s about six years before you were born. 2018. I’m playing for the Sparks. We’re in LA, at the marina, and it’s a really nice, sunny day outside. Earlier that day I had called your mom and said, “Hey, my teammates want to get a boat and kick it, and it’s actually perfect timing. You’ll be off work. We can just meet there.” Fast-forward, we’re at the marina, walking down the dock, and your mama’s kind of mad at me, because we’re 30 minutes late. She doesn’t like being late (Mind you, I made us 30 minutes late because I needed everybody to get there first.) When we pull up, 9 of our closest friends are already there. We got on the boat, and before she knew it, I got down on one knee — I proposed. (She said yes! No hesitation!) We sailed out on the water for a couple of hours and celebrated. It was perfect. And then a couple weeks later, when we were at home, just the two of us, she actually surprised me and proposed back.

On November 1, 2019, I got to marry my best friend. I’ll always remember this one part of my vows. I said, “I found someone I can fall in love with every day.” When I think about why I fell in love with her, it’s just who she is as a person….. the beautiful, witty, magnetic woman I’m lucky I ran into on the stairs at the Staples Center all those years ago.

---

---

It’s now 2026. I’m 33 years old. And Lennox, I have to tell you, my boy — I kind of feel the same way about my career that I do about you turning two……

Like, What the….. This happened so fast.

The years always go by faster than you think. When I look back on my journey, I think about how many times I had a big choice to make that ultimately shaped the rest of our lives. And I’m just so grateful that I can look back on it all now and know that the decisions I made were the right ones.

For instance, it wasn’t always a given that you’d grow up in Las Vegas. There was a time when I thought I would be with LA for my entire career. That’s how much I loved it. Going to LA gave me an opportunity to play and to also learn under future Hall of Famers, like your Godmom Candace.  

Let me tell you about Godmom Candace for a second. Man, we just had so much respect and love for each other’s basketball minds, IQ-wise. The way she passed in the open court, orchestrated things from the post, and constantly made big plays is something that resonated with me. She helped change the game, and was wise beyond her years, so I absorbed everything like a sponge. There’s always a play within the play — that’s one thing I learned from her. And then off the court, we just grew closer and closer over the years. Bonded over business, tequila, movie one-liners (you’ll learn about that a lot later). So she had her son Airr and asked me and your mama to be the godparents. And then we had you, and she became your Godmom. I’d say LA had a much larger purpose than I realized at the time. 

The bubble, in 2020, was my last season with the Sparks. I remember that fall during free agency, I was overseas, and I called Candace. We were going through our own free agency journeys, but kept each other in the loop the whole way. I wanted to play with her again, but my time was up, and I knew it. I had several meetings with Vegas — a talented group that hadn’t won before and believed I was the missing piece. They had a young core, led by their star A’ja Wilson, and had a strong vision for where they wanted to go. They were able to convey it to me in a way that felt real. They were putting together a team that wasn’t just going to be good for one or two years, but for years to come. I’d already won a championship with LA, but hearing their plans reinvigorated something in me. I left our last meeting confident I could be that missing piece.

So I decided to go, but I was nervous because I was like, OK, I’m making a big life change. California felt like home. What will Vegas be like? And I guess that’s just a lesson in trusting your gut, Lennox, because I would say it’s worked out pretty well for me. We lost in the semi-finals my first year there. But in 2022, Becky came in and changed the culture for the Aces. She took what we had and made something that was her own. Everybody was new and trying to figure it out. So it created this bond and team chemistry and closeness. And no matter what, we were going to ride with each other and figure this thing out. We finished the season 26–10 with a rookie coach. Went to the playoffs, then the finals. And we won. We didn’t just win the championship, though, Lennox. We arrived.

Becky elevated the trajectory of my career. I had another level that I could go to, and she gave me the freedom to explore that. My mind and the way I see the game has always been a strength. Becky cultivated that, and the freedom she allowed me unlocked a level I didn’t know I could get to. She trusted me, and it empowered me. I haven’t looked back since.

---

---

It’s been two years since you were born….. Your favorite movies are Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Shark Tale, and The Lion King. You’re intelligent and pick up on things quickly. You are a confident kid who is very sure of himself. So confident that you believe you can do anything. It’s one of my favorite qualities about you, so me and Mama give you a lot of freedom to test your skills (with proper supervision of course). You love to run and tackle and play in the dirt. Basketball is your favorite sport, but soccer’s a close second. You love to chase birds and chase the waves. And before bed most nights, you sit beside me on the floor and play with your dinosaurs and trucks.

It’s wild to think I’ve been in the league 11 years now, and two of them have been with you. That’s been on my mind a lot lately, especially being in year two of Unrivaled and around even younger talent. It’s honestly a personal point of pride, having helped pioneer this thing, and really just a joy to see them out there having a blast. Crazy fun moments like being crowned the Unrivaled 1-on-1 champ, are even more special because you’re courtside, cheering me on. You were so excited for Mommy :-) Ultimately, my hope with Unrivaled is that it continues to be an opportunity for younger players to get better and grow the game with their voices like my generation did and the one before us. That they get to be louder, bolder, more authentic in every way. I take so much pride in sharing my knowledge. The way the game looks when I leave it behind….. I think I’ll let that be my legacy. Whenever that time comes. 

But for now, I’m still enjoying the ride. And I hope you’re enjoying it too, X-man. At the end of the day, I just want what every parent wants — for my child to have a better experience than I had. I just think it’s pretty damn cool for you to be around so many other amazing women athletes and their kids. My hope for you is that when you sit down and read this one day, as the bright, adventurous, and talented young man that I know you will become, you understand how much of a gift this life is and do something with it and have great memories along the way. But right now, you’re just this little boy enjoying Mommy playing basketball, and I’m cool with that. Maybe when you’re older, you won’t remember any of this stuff. But I will.

Love you always,

Mom