Imani Boyette: Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B Reflect on Leaving Early for the WNBA

Recently, two redshirt juniors, Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis, declared for the WNBA draft. Of course, like anyone who chooses to step off the beaten path, there have been mixed reviews of this decision.

My initial opinion of leaving school early for the WNBA? I thought it was a bad decision if they hadn’t already graduated, although it is important to acknowledge how our own realities sway our opinions.  I discourage everyone younger than me from rushing to grow up and I also take pride in my Accounting degree from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

While there are only a handful of players to do this to date—Candace Parker in 2008, Kelsey Bone in 2013—it is not unprecedented. The most recent players to declare early were Jewell Loyd and Amanda Zahui B, who became the top two picks in the 2015 draft, along with Morgan Tuck and Aerial Powers in 2016.

I started by examining the differences between Jewell and Amanda’s stories and those of the two South Carolina players to renounce their eligibility in 2017. Something that jumped out immediately: both Loyd and Zahui B only spent three years in college and did not finish their degree.

The first question I asked both Jewell and Amanda was “Would they do it again?”

For Jewell, she came straight into the league kicking butt and taking names. Already, she’s won All-WNBA second team honors in 2016, 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year, and earned the first playoff berth for Seattle in the Jenny Boucek era. Her answer, as expected, was an emphatic yes.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Amanda, who left a historic career at Minnesota to enter the WNBA and stumble through her rookie season before being traded and finding a home with New York. However, her answer, too, was an emphatic yes.

They both cited their passion for the game and yearning to follow their dreams as the reason for their early exit. Both are currently finishing their degrees despite their hectic schedules that come with playing professionally. Jewell took time out from training to talk to me, while Amanda is in Russia in the Euroleague playoffs.

It’s interesting, we send our kids to college to find their passions and develop skills to turn those passions into a career. Amanda and Jewell both did exactly that, yet they both said they were chastised and their decision was received poorly from those outside their inner circle.

“I don’t think we shouldn’t have these conversations,” Zahui B said. “We are just as good as the men, we just play against women. I think it’s awesome and I think it’s fun that other players are willing to take a risk and actually leave early to live their dreams.”

Loyd echoed this: “For me, it’s not just about the money. You know, I’m playing because I love the game and I’m passionate about it.”

From my perspective, I think it is important to acknowledge the growth of the women’s game. When the greats of our league were in college, this was not an option. We have progressed to the point where we can not only have the conversation but make the choice. The money is substantial, especially in comparison to most post-college jobs. Both women played overseas their first season where they most likely made six figures, on top of their WNBA salary and any endorsements both received.

After I spoke with both, my opinion changed. While I still think the degree is the most important thing, that is and was MY path. It is not my place nor anyone else’s to judge someone else’s path, especially when we never had the opportunities that they had.

I couldn’t have left and declared early for the draft even if I wanted to. I wasn’t a top three pick in my draft—I was selected tenth in 2016—and most likely would not have been in the prior year’s draft. These women are following their dreams, chasing their passion. A degree will always be there, but their basketball careers have an expiration date.

I came into basketball late. I didn’t start playing seriously until high school and at the time, I never saw myself playing after college. Basketball was a way out, a means to an end, a way to get a degree I could never afford. It wasn’t until midway through my college career that I began to want to play professionally.

And after a serious injury and a couple of arguments with my coaching staff, I thought about leaving college early. I was too young to declare for the WNBA draft however, and would have to go straight overseas, like Epiphany Prince. I ultimately decided against it because I was only 20 years old, had a pretty awesome boyfriend (eventual husband), and was enrolled in the top accounting program in the country.

But that’s me, I’ve always been an academic kid. No matter how hard I fought it, the degree has always been more important. Fast forward to today and I’ve used my degree for all of one month in between WNBA and overseas season. I worked as a staff accountant for the same company at which I did my college internship. The real-world sucks, I can now attest to that. I’m a WNBA player so no, I don’t make the NBA rookie minimum of over $500,000 and neither will Allisha or Kaela. But as the tenth pick in the 2016 draft, my $42,000 rookie salary felt like six figures when compared to wearing my business casual to work as a staff accountant for $15 an hour.

So Kaela and Alisha, I’ve done the research and said all this to say: WELCOME! In three days, you’ll hopefully be one of us. Don’t worry about anyone’s opinions of your choices. They most likely never had the choice in the first place. From someone who has been in your shoes, Amanda Zahui B. says: “Have fun with it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”