Return to previous page

The Strength that Built Izzy Harrison’s Return to Basketball » Winsidr

The Strength that Built Izzy Harrison’s Return to Basketball » Winsidr
WNBA

The Strength that Built Izzy Harrison’s Return to Basketball » Winsidr

/Posted by / 10 / 0


The trajectory of Isabelle Harrison’s career changed on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015. Harrison, then a senior and leading scorer for the Tennessee Vols, tore her ACL in a 72-58 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. 

“I still want to be there for my team,” Harrison said in a statement. “This season is not over, and I know my teammates will use this as motivation to pursue the ultimate goal. I will continue to get healthy, and I appreciate all the wishes and support I’ve received during this time.”

And Harrison did get healthy. But with her injury, she fell to the 12th pick after being a candidate to go No. 1 overall.

Harrison was healthy, playing in 26 games with Phoenix in 2016 before getting dealt to San Antonio for the 2017 season.

After four years playing in Dallas from 2019 to 2022, Harrison decided to take her talents to Chicago, signing as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season.

But eight years later, it was another knee injury that Harrison suffered, forcing her to miss the entire 2023 season.

“It came out of nowhere. It unexpectedly took me away from a fresh start. That year was taken away from me,” Harrison said, with a deep breath, during a phone call. “Things do get taken away from you, you know? Things that you’ve always worked for. When an injury takes it away, you have so much appreciation for the game. You realize you miss things like coming to practice, warming up with the girls, and even the training table.”

Harrison had a chance for a do-over for her Chicago debut this season, as the team not only welcomed two new bigs into the fold with rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, but also found itself without star Kahleah Copper, who was traded to Phoenix in the offseason, and a new head coach in Teresa Weatherspoon.

“What I wanted to carry into this season is appreciation. Everything is new,” she said. “I’m going into every day being appreciative and being thankful I can still play basketball.”

It’s understandable, too. Harrison faced hurdle after hurdle following her surgery – as the meniscus repair left her unable to walk.

“I’ve never had a surgery like this. This is by far my hardest surgery I’ve ever had. So it wears on you sometimes mentally, but I knew it would pay off once I got to step back on the court, and that’s what I’ve been able to do,” Harrison told CBS News Chicago. “Obviously it took me a few games to kind of get going but I have my confidence now.”

The meniscus injury is the battle that Harrison was facing herself that was visible, but there was another battle going on behind the scenes.

Izzy Harrison is one of 12 children, and in 2017, her sister, Danielle, passed away from lupus. Her brother, Daniel, was diagnosed with lupus at age 13, and his sister has been getting the message out as much as possible.

“It’s just been hard,” Harrison told Yahoo Sports last year. “I want to be able to promote his story and bring awareness to lupus, in general, to let people know how chronic of a disease it is. [It’s] very prevalent in the African American community. All of my life, I’ve experienced this and seen it with my family, so I think I was put in a position to basically be telling his story and everyone else’s story.”

Harrison, who has “faith over fear” tattooed just above her right wrist, dedicated her seasons playing in Athletes Unlimited (AU) to raise awareness for her brother, Daniel, and to remember her sister, Danielle.

 

 

It’s been hurdle, after hurdle, after hurdle for Harrison. And following her most recent injury, she took a big leap forward to her return to the WNBA court in May.

Let’s flashback.

The Sky were taking on the New York Liberty in the preseason. Watching the game, you could see the Sky giving the Liberty fits – a trend that carried over into the regular season.

Harrison, who played in AU this offseason, was on the floor for a WNBA game for the first time since 2022. 

Lindsay Allen brings the ball up the court and receives a screen from Harrison. The Liberty switched, leaving Breanna Stewart on Allen and Kayla Thornton on Harrison, who popped out to the top of the arc. Harrison gives a quick pump fake, leaving Thornton slightly off balance, and then pulls up to drill the bucket.

 

 

 

It doesn’t count in the game log since it was a preseason bucket. But you can bet that it mattered for Harrison.

“Once you get that first bucket, you’re good. You can pace yourself and where you’re at,” Harrison said.

It was the first bucket of many for Harrison this season, who has had to play an expanded role for the Sky after Elizabeth Williams went down earlier this season with a meniscus injury – the same one that Harrison suffered last year – to end her 2024 campaign early. Harrison is averaging 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1 stock (steals plus blocks) in 15.4 minutes per game this season.

But Harrison said that the larger role was something she was ready for, and it was what she was anticipating taking on last year when she signed with the Sky.

“I didn’t get to play the first few games of the season unfortunately since I had a little tweak in my knee, so we relied on Angel (Reese) and Kamilla (Cardoso),” Harrison explained. “That’s the starting point that we’ve been going with, and I love integrating with their game especially with E (Williams) out. 

Harrison said that the two rookie standouts both bring something different on the court, with Cardoso having some sneaky speed.

See Also


“I know people say Kamilla is tall, but she’s so swift and is so springy,” Harrison said. “She’s not your average big, and I appreciate that.”

Harrison arrived in Chicago at an interesting time. The Sky were two years removed from winning the WNBA title, and former Tennessee Volunteer Candace Parker brought the city its first WNBA championship. 

Now, only Diamond DeShields and Dana Evans remain from the championship team. There were a couple of reasons that Harrison wanted to come to Chicago, and Parker was one of them.

“Before CP (Parker) was in Chicago, she was at Tennessee. That appreciation has always been there,’ said Harrison, who is now the last player in the WNBA who played under legendary coach Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee. “I’ve always had some of my best games in Chicago. These fans are truly, truly dedicated to you – almost to a fault. Now that I’m on the other side, I’m thankful. Being in Chicago has been pretty dope.”

And she’s joining the legendary T-Spoon, who is manning the sidelines for the first time as a head coach in the WNBA.

“It’s refreshing. She doesn’t feel like she has to fix us,” Harrison told Stephen PridGeon-Garner in May about having a Black woman in Weatherspoon as the team’s coach. “She allows us to be our own players and enhances that. It’s refreshing because it brings out the best of everybody.”

 

 

We’re seeing the best come out of Harrison, too, and it’s been a journey for the soon-to-be 31-year-old out of Nashville, Tenn. She’s at that interesting point in her career where she’s able to bridge the gap between WNBA fans who have been around and those who are new to the product.

“I think on the court, like you said, the talent has always been there. You’re seeing a lot of teams equal out as far as talent and who they have and who they compete with,” Harrison explained. “There’s no team that’s unbalanced. It’s a very balanced league as the league progresses.” 

“Off the court, the support and viewership has been amazing. Part of me wishes we had that before for the people who laid the foundation, but it’s great to see that today. It’s amazing for the growth of the game. I hope it continues. As you can see, when we play, people watch.”

And the one person that Harrison hopes comes to watch the Sky play happens to be the most famous athlete of all time – and is a pretty big deal in Chicago, too.

Michael Jordan.

“It’s pretty special. With my Jordan connection (Harrison is an official Jordan brand athlete) I’m thankful to represent his brand,” Harrison said. “I want to get him to a game.”

 



About author

About Author

admin

Related posts

Add comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

X