INDIANAPOLIS — Becoming a mother can be considered one of the most empowering and humbling experiences in a woman's life.
Sometimes the role comes with the fear of women feeling like they must choose between growing a family and reaching career goals.
Indiana Fever player Katie Lou Samuelson knows this scenario all too well as she is returning to the court eight months after giving birth to her daughter Aliyah. It's a journey she hopes will encourage women to see that you can have it all.
"There's never the right timing. The right timing is when it is and everything will work out how it is, you know, especially as an athlete," Katie Lou Samuelson said.
Samuelson was the fourth overall draft pick for the Chicago Sky in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
The UConn star went on to sign with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, the last season she played before life took an incredible turn.
"My husband and I, we always wanted to have kids. We didn't know when, but with the timing of everything. This moment kind of chose us," Samuelson said.
Samuelson and her then fiancé tied the knot that April and welcomed Aliyah Cannady in August.
"It was God's timing. And this was the plan that we were supposed to have. And it's been the best thing in my life," Samuelson said.
Most women take maternity leave, but after missing a season, Samuelson had to get back to work.
"I've had injuries before I've come back. But this was just different, it was kind of coming back and starting from ground zero of like taking care of myself. Your body changes, you know, adjusting to your new normal of yourself as an individual. So, getting back definitely was a process, it was hard," Samuelson said.
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A hard climb back to the top and the Indiana Fever, nearly six months after her daughter was born.
"I didn't know what we were going to do with her when she hurt herself in warm-ups the other day and she didn't get to play because she was so ready," Fever head coach Christie Sides said. "She was so excited. She's just trying to get back to where she was a couple of years ago. She was feeling good."
"It's definitely a good perspective coming into training camp this year. I finished practice and I got to go home, and I got to hang out with my baby girl. There's nothing better in the world than that," Samuelson said.
Samuelson said becoming a mother can weigh heavy on professional athletes. She hopes her comeback provides comfort to other women that you can truly score big as both.
"It's been empowering to become a mother and to still be a basketball player, WNBA player," Samuelson said. "I had to decide that this was something that I wanted to do. I wanted to get back on the court for myself. I'm very proud of myself and I know for other women around the world, you can do anything. You know, we're pretty badass."
Samuelson says seeing her 8-month-old around so many strong women is the best thing a mom can ask for.
