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BROOKLYN — It was difficult not to think about what life as a professional basketball player could mean for Alissa Pili.
The former University of Utah forward, who collected numerous accolades over her collegiate career — including both the Pac-12 freshman of the year and player of the year honors — admitted that her future was very much on her mind as she closed out the final chapter of so-called amateur life.
"I think about it a lot. ... But I try to just stay in the moment," she told KSL.com. "It's hard not to think about your future, but I'm just excited to see where I end up and what team decides to take a chance on me. I'm just going to — like I did when I came to Utah, I'm just going to prove myself all over again, and just work my way up. So I'm super excited for the future."
Pili no longer has to wonder after the Minnesota Lynx made her dream a reality Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the No. 8 selection in the 2024 WNBA draft.
"With the eighth pick in the 2024 WNBA draft," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, "the Minnesota Lynx select Alissa Pili, University of Utah."
The Alaska native became just the seventh-ever player drafted to the WNBA from the Utes and the second-highest ever (Shona Thorburn was selected seventh overall in 2006 also to the Minnesota Lynx). She's also only the third Utah player to be drafted in the first round.
"I'm super excited to come in and just learn from players like that," Pili told media. "I think that's the fun part about it is we think we've been playing for so long, we know a lot about the game, but there's so much more to learn. I'm just looking forward to that. I think that I just bring versatility and just a physicality to the game of basketball, and so that's what mostly they'll be seeing from me."
In her first season with the Lynx, Pili is expected to garner a salary of $73,439, according to Spotrac, which tracks athlete salaries for various sports. In total, Pili's contract is a four-year deal for a total of $324,383, with her last season an increased $93,636.
Pili leaves Utah after two seasons with the program, where she quickly stamped her name in the record books. The former USC player before she transferred to Utah leaves as the single-season all-time scoring leader (727 points) and the single-season all-time scoring average leader (21.4 points).
Pili eclipsed 1,370 points in her two seasons at Utah, making her the 16th all-time scoring leader for the program — a mark that was the fastest to 1,000 points in program history.
WELCOME TO MINNESOTA, @alissa_pili! pic.twitter.com/8VavtWWNaa
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) April 16, 2024
She finishes with 2,165 career points, though she credits most of her success as a player to her transfer to Utah, where she was able to "bring my joy back for the game and love what I do."
"It's been everything for me," Pili said of her time at Utah. "Just ever since I've gotten to Utah, my life has just progressively gotten better, and my game has gotten better. I feel like I'm just living, like, doing things the right way and just doing things better. It's impacted me very much in a positive way, and I'm just grateful that I got the chance to get a fresh start and that it turned out to be this good.
"I'm just very fortunate to have coaches and teammates that are very genuine and caring people; they've been a big part of my success here."
In turn, Pili was embraced wherever she went. Fans flocked to see the dominant post player who also had finesse from 3-point range. In return, she hoped to serve as a "positive role model" as she left her mark on the program and the people who supporter her along the way.
"Not only just leaving my mark as a player, but as a person, and just giving back to everybody who supported me along the way, because without them, I wouldn't be here," Pili said. "All the fans and supporters that I've gained along the way, it just means a lot to me. And just leaving here, I want to make my mark when I make my impact on all my people from my background and everybody in Utah, and everybody who reps Utah."
Pili will now rep Utah in the WNBA, where she gets the chance to rub shoulders with the elite women basketball players in the country. The Lynx now get a proven post player who will continue to work hard to be the best she can be in another situation as she makes her professional dreams a reality.
This story will be updated.
