Jacki Gemelos plays for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. After numerous knee injuries derailed her WNBA career in 2015, Gemelos made her long-awaited return to the league this summer for the 2020 season, first as a member of the Connecticut Sun before being picked up by the Mystics. She spoke with JWS about her experience inside the Wubble, how she’s persevered through all of her injuries, and what’s next for her career.

When you look back on your experience in the Wubble, what will you remember most?

I think what I’ll remember most is the fact that I switched teams in the bubble. It was just such a unique experience. And even throughout it all, I still maintained good contact with my old Connecticut Suns teammates. I stayed in the same room, which was like right in the middle of the team. So it was like nothing changed. It was literally just like, “Okay, same bubble, same routine, same situation, but move your Connecticut gear to the side and now let me bring you some Washington Mystics gear because you’re just on a different team.” There were just so many emotions with everything going on within the bubble, but that is definitely something that I’ll never forget.

Another standout was when we boycotted the games to represent Jacob Blake. That was just such a monumental moment for this entire season. Those couple of days were incredibly emotional, and it was really hard for everyone to just come out of that and turn it back on to play. But ultimately, I think it brought our league closer.

The word that I think of when I think of the WNBA is unity. The entire league made sure that everyone had a voice and was able to express exactly how they felt when decisions were being made. And to see an unanimous decision of 144 girls coming to one conclusion was a pretty amazing sight to see.

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You spoke a bit about this, but for you personally, how did you handle the emotional aspect of being stuck inside the bubble?

Yeah, I mean, I think that that was the hardest part of the bubble. It was just a roller coaster of emotions, for me and everyone involved. Just trying to transition into that situation, in that routine, it wasn’t easy. The idea that you’re just in this one area for so long was already a big challenge in itself, but then there was this other fact that we’re there to play basketball with games every other night.

And aside from the routine of waking up, having practice, and watching videos, we also were eating three times a day in the cafeteria and sharing elevators with other teams and personnel and that sometimes was pretty awkward. Like, maybe you just played them the night before, maybe it’s the coach from the game you just played, or maybe you’re stuck in the elevator with Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird and it’s like, “Oh my God, this is amazing.”

So it was just a really unique experience. One full of ups and downs, but mainly ups. For me, I went through more of a personal rollercoaster just because I switched teams, but I think that everyone handled it really well despite the uncertainty of how it was going to be and how everything was going to play out. And the fact that the WNBA was able to pull it off in such an amazing way that made us all feel safe and healthy was a huge plus. Between testing us every single day and giving us activities and events throughout the bubble to keep us going, they did the best that they could in such a short amount of time and for such a condensed season.

Can you walk us through those 24 or 48 hrs in the bubble when you transitioned from the Sun to the Mystics? 

So, it was like the last day where people can get cut and for me, I had no idea it was coming. I thought that I had proved myself to be on the team for the rest of the season and really didn’t have any thought in my mind that I was going to get cut. Usually, you hear from your agent or you’ll hear something before it actually happens. I hadn’t heard anything prior, so I had no idea that it was coming. And then it ended up happening like 15 minutes before the deadline.

I was at the pool, just chilling with all my teammates, and then Curt (Miller) came down and was like, “I need to talk to you. I’m so sorry, but I have to waive you.” And you could tell he was really emotional having to make that decision, but it was a decision that I think that people from above had to make. Which when it all comes down to it, it’s a business and they have to do what they think is best for the team. So, I understood the reason even though I didn’t like it. I thought I had found a good place within that team and I really liked the coaching staff and the girls a lot.

So that was a down moment for me because I’m like, “I have all this stuff in this hotel room that I’ve accumulated throughout the last month and a half. How am I going to get everything back? I’m not ready to leave.” It was just like, I expected to be here for the end of the season. So I felt pretty shitty about that. And then the next day I got a call from Mike Thibault at 10 p.m., and he was like, “Hey, we want to sign you to a seven-day contract. Are you willing to stick around?” And I’m like, “Wait, what’s going on? Yeah, sure.” So he’s like, “Okay, well we have a game tomorrow against Atlanta, we’re going to play you.”

In Connecticut, I wasn’t playing, I didn’t get any minutes. I was just pretty much a bench player for like a month and some change. So I wasn’t even in shape to play basketball. I had sustained my stamina and stuff just like on the treadmill and stuff, but that has nothing to do with the basketball court. I kind of just accepted that I wasn’t going to play so much for Connecticut and that was going to be that. And then Coach T was like, “No, you’re going to play. We need you to play and you’re going to get minutes, we’re just going to throw you out there.”

So I went to shoot around the next morning and we went through a couple of plays and it was just like, “Okay, we’re just going to go for it tonight. Let’s see what happens.” And we played Atlanta, and luckily Connecticut had played Atlanta like a week prior. So I knew the scouting report well and knew what to expect. Everything just ended up being okay and we won that game. So that was cool. It was a really unique experience, to say the least.

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The Mystics surprised a lot of people by making the playoffs during what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. What allowed this team to overachieve? 

I think that a lot of credit goes to our staff. Coach Thibault and Eric [Thibault] and Asjha [Jones] and Maria [Giovannetti]. Shout out to them because they’ve been around for so long. Coach T has been coaching for so many years and I think that he’s been through every emotion possible when it comes to being a coach, like whether it’s good or bad. I felt like he always had the right thing to say after a loss or after a win.

There was a time, like right when I had gotten to the team, where it felt like everyone felt defeated. We didn’t really understand what we were playing for because we didn’t think that it was going to be possible to make the playoffs. It was just a really down time. As a coach, what are you supposed to say to a team of girls who are trying and giving a hundred percent, but the results aren’t what we want them to be? I’m not sure how he does it, but I felt like after every game, he was always on point.

After we lost a game to Dallas, we thought our chances were done to make the playoffs. We had four games left and the only way we were going to make playoffs was if we won all of them. So, we play Minnesota. We get a huge win. Then we beat LA. Then we beat New York and then it’s like, “Okay, Atlanta has nothing to play for right now. If they win, they still don’t go to the playoffs. So, maybe they’re not going to put so much energy into the game.”

Like all these things are just circling your thoughts. Turns out, Atlanta ended up playing really hard, but we still got the win. And it was just like, wow. We deserved that eighth seed.

Unfortunately, it all came to an end with that loss against Phoenix. That is still hard to swallow because it all came down to that last-second shot, and you hate going out like that. But that was a super amazing shot by Shey Peddy, and I’m happy for her, but dang, that should have been us.

You’ve had to overcome an incredible number of knee injuries throughout your career. In 15 years, you’ve torn your ACL five times and had eight knee surgeries. What has kept you motivated? 

Just always wanting to chase the dream of being a WNBA player. When I had made the Chicago Sky in 2015, it was such a fulfillment for me because all I wanted to do, after my injuries, was prove to myself and everyone that I could still play at a high level. But being able to get back in the league this past summer after not being in it five years, it was just another exclamation point on my career. It’s truly been a time that I’m never going to forget and I’m just so grateful that I had this opportunity. I just feel like everything really does work out.

I had put in so many hours and so much time and devotion. Same for my parents. They’ve sacrificed so much for me and my sister to be able to do anything we wanted and play all the sports that we could. They took us from tournament to tournament, driving throughout the state, taking airplanes and flights to different tournaments. I saw the devotion that they put into my childhood and career. It made me want to keep trying and make them really happy and proud by making it back, so they could say that their daughter played in the WNBA.

During those five years between Chicago and this season, were you always focused on trying to get back into the league? Or were there bigger goals in mind?

I think I really found my niche in Europe and overseas. I have a really good career over there and it’s just been like the core of everything. I’ve been really happy playing there. It’s super high level, and they treat you well over there. It’s just a good life. I was able to be very satisfied with what I was doing there, and the WNBA was just going to be an added bonus if that were to ever happen. I think that the season that I had overseas last year is what propelled me to get back into the WNBA this summer. Sometimes it just works out like that, and I’m super grateful. And now hopefully I made a statement this summer where I can maintain a roster spot in the league next year.

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Looking forward, what’s next for you?

So I leave for Turkey this week, and I’ll be playing there this offseason. I think it’s a really strong league and there’s a lot of WNBA players that are also playing in that league. Honestly, I’m just really happy to continue to be playing and playing in a different country that I’ve never played in before. So that’ll be pretty fun.

It’s going to be my eighth season overseas, which is just so wild to me. I never would have dreamed of having a long career in Europe, but I think I’ve just fallen in love with my life out there. So I’m just really excited to get there and see how that’s going to unravel and how this season will unfold. COVID is obviously still very real, and I’m curious to see how FIBA and everyone, like Euro Cup and Euro League, are going to manage the season. But I’m just really pumped for this next chapter and can’t wait to get out there.

The grind never stops, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Chicago Sky showed up in a big way on Tuesday night, taking down 2023 WNBA Finals runners-up New York Liberty by an impressively wide margin. 

The Sky walked away with a 101-53 win, boasting a 48 point swing that still looms large despite the fact that it's only preseason. Perhaps the team felt extra pressure to perform — not only did WNBA League Pass follow through on their promise to stream the game for free, but Chicago Bears rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze also happened to be watching on from the stands.

“I’m gonna just say — it’s about time," said Sky guard Dana Evans in response to the star-studded turnout at Wintrust Arena. "Everybody wants to watch women’s basketball. I feel like we’ve been doing a really good job of doing stuff on the court and off the court. So just having them support us is great — but keep bringing them out."

Chicago's Marina Mabrey was lights out with four threes and 20 points on the night, while training camp addition Chennedy Carter racked up 11 points and two steals. 

Sky rookie Angel Reese proved that she can do it all, putting up 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals in 19 minutes — all less than 24 hours after she walked the Met Gala red carpet in New York. The 6-foot-3 top draft pick out of LSU even knocked down a layup over 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart in one of the night's many highlights.

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"So now yall can delete them drafts & tweets saying i shouldn’t have gone to the met gala & i can’t do both," she later wrote on social media. 

While some may chalk it up to preseason coaching choices and the fact that it was the Liberty’s first real game outside of training camp scrimmages, New York head coach Sandy Brondello still voiced disappointed in her team’s result.

"We just got our butts kicked, everywhere. I mean everything. It’s an embarrassing effort, I don’t care that it’s preseason," she said in a postgame press conference. "Our starters didn't get us off to a good start. We missed a lot of layups early, but they just took us out of everything."

On a lighter note, the third-year Liberty coach had some kind words for undrafted rookie Jaylyn Sherrod, who showed real effort on defense.

"She has speed," remarked Brondello. "She could guard Dana Evans. No one else could."

As the WNBA plans to implement league-wide charter flights, the NWSL is struggling with some travel issues of its own. 

Missed flights, inclement weather, and a stretch of midweek games have spurred workload and logistical concerns for a number of NWSL teams. Last week, three games were played Wednesday night, while another three games are set to be played tonight. 

"You can't play your best XI right now because of the amount of games you have," said Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson after last Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Washington. Donaldson emphasized the importance of rotating through the team’s depth so as to avoid injury.

"You have to get to about 16 deep where you can," he continued. "Or else your best XI is going to be injured or walk off the field and they can’t finish the season."

Kansas City has faced some of the league's most extreme turnaround times this season. On Sunday, the Current missed an evening flight to Seattle due to a multi-hour rain delay in Houston, throwing off their training schedule ahead of their midweek match against the Reign. The NWSL eventually gave them the green light to charter a plane, but not before frustration spread throughout the team.

"We lost the whole day of the opportunity to recover," said Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski after the Current's weekend draw against the Dash. "So the schedule, it's already challenging to begin with. We have by far the worst schedule in the league, and this just made it even worse.

"We don't have a hotel, we got to figure out a hotel. We don't have flights for tomorrow, we got to figure out flights. We had trainings for some players that we believe needed training time to be able to perform on Wednesday.”

While the team was given permission to charter a plane, navigating such approvals has proven difficult in the past. This past July, the NWSL fined Kansas City $55,000 over the unauthorized use of a charter flight.

Recently retired WNBA superstar Candace Parker has her next gig lined up: president of women’s basketball at Adidas.

Parker announced her retirement at the end of April, bringing a close to a 16-year professional career spanning three WNBA championship titles with three different teams. And now, she’s stepping into a slightly different role — this time off the court — with longtime sponsor Adidas.

"The brand and I have grown together, and we’ve done some amazing things," she told Fast Company in an exclusive interview published Wednesday morning. "I’m excited about what the future holds on this side of things, because I’m so passionate about growing the game of basketball."

Parker initially signed with Adidas at the end of her first professional season in 2008, going on to spend the vast majority of her illustrious WNBA career linked to the German athletic brand. In 2010, she became the first woman to receive a signature Adidas shoe: the ACE Commander.

Her most recent Adidas collaborations include basketball sneakers Exhibit B (2022) and Exhibit Select (2023) in a variety of different colorways, as well as limited edition off-court apparel.

In 2022, Parker led a mentorship program for the brand’s first class of NIL-sponsored college athletes, a stacked roster that involved the likes of rising star Hailey Van Lith, among others. In her new position, she’ll be "overseeing pretty much everything" when it comes to the brand’s women’s basketball operations.

That "everything" includes weighing in on shoe and clothing design, navigating new and existing athlete partnerships, and taking control of Adidas' grassroots growth strategies. She’ll also help with "how we actually speak to the women’s basketball consumer," Eric Wise, who leads the brand’s global basketball business, told Fast Company.

According to Parker, the decision to accept the offer hinged on her desire to be more than just "the face" of Adidas women’s basketball.

"I said to [Adidas], 'I don’t want to be a mascot,'" Parker said. "'I really want to be in the meetings, and I want to be a part of making decisions.'"

Charter flights are on the horizon for the WNBA, with commissioner Cathy Engelbert saying on Tuesday that the league will provide teams with full-time private travel services beginning as soon as this season. 

The move is set to address years of player safety concerns, among other issues. Engelbert told AP Sports Editors that the league aims to launch the program "as soon as we can logistically get planes in place."

The initiative is projected to cost around $25 million per year over the next two seasons.

The WNBA has previously provided charter flights on a limited basis, including during the postseason and when teams were scheduled to play back-to-back regular season games. Individual owners seeking to independently provide their teams with private travel — such as the New York Liberty’s Joe and Clara Wu Tsai back in 2022 — faced significant fines for using unauthorized charters.

While players and team staff have been calling for league-wide charters even before Caitlin Clark and other high profile rookies joined the league, Engelbert has routinely cited steep year-to-year costs as the reasoning behind sticking to commercial flights. 

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However, the WNBA's surging popularity means increased visibility, and a subsequent uptick in security concerns — especially when it comes to big name newcomers like Clark — has Englebert reconsidering her previous decision. 

WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike called the move "transformational," and credited the WNBPA as well as the league for its implementation. 

"Our league is growing, the demand for women's basketball is growing," Ogwumike told ESPN. "That means more eyes on us, which is what we want, but that means more protection from the organization that we play for, the whole W that we play for.

"Chartering flights not only is a safety measure, the biggest thing, and then obviously what it means to be able to play a game and go home and rest and recover and be the elite athletes that we try to be every single night when we step out onto this court."

Aces coach Becky Hammon called the immediate response to the charter announcement "great" but noted that there are still kinks to be worked out. 

"What it all looks like, we’re still gathering information, we don’t know," she said Tuesday.

Several players emphasized the importance of safety, highlighting how last season the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner was harassed in an airport while traveling commercial.

"All these players and these faces are becoming so popular that it really is about that as much as it as about recovery," Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier said.

"Above everything else, I think it's the safety of our players," Mercury player Natasha Cloud added. "We have a prime example with BG on our team that needs to be safe. At airports, it's like a madhouse. You see Caitlin Clark walking through airports, people following her, people trying to touch her, get pictures with her. It's just a safety measure, through and through. You would never have an NBA team walk through an airport."

Prior to Tuesday's announcement, the league had said it would charter flights for the playoffs and back-to-back games via a program introduced last year. The latest news, however, promises that teams will also be provided charters to and from all regular season games.

"Our safety is being taken seriously now, finally. In no world should our security not be a priority," Griner told ESPN. "If we want to be the league that we want to be and have the respect that we have, it comes with some risks. Sometimes people want to get close to you and it's not people you want, so I'm just glad that we don't have to deal with that anymore."