WNBA: Sooner or later, Awak Kuier will be back in the W

Awak Kuier is one of the few WNBA players who has dunked during a game. And she not only was blessed with incredible athleticism, but she also has the personality to match.

Speaking from her apartment in Venice, accompanied by her cat and waiting for her first dog, Kuier talked to Swish Appeal about fashion, Sudanese cuisine and the move to Dallas after being drafted No. 2 overall by the Wings in 2021. Highlights from our conversation include:

How she got into fashion:

I remember stealing my mom’s clothes and then cutting them up, and she used to be so mad at me for cutting them and trying to make them into other stuff that I couldn’t wear. But yeah, [fashion sense] is something that I’ve always had.

On why she learned how to dribble:

I think it was because I wanted to have the ability to create for myself. I think I was so used to everyone else creating for me or creating for me through ball screens and rolling, and I was very used to moving off the ball, like that was my thing. But I think when I went into more tougher leagues, I saw that I really needed to learn how to create for myself, too. So I think that’s when the dribbling came in. It’s almost like I didn’t have an option. It’s like either you survive and get better, or you just don’t.

On the decision to forgo the 2024 WNBA season:

It was hard because I feel like when I was with Dallas, we kept getting better every year, that was something that was so great for us because we started at one point and we kept getting better and better. And I started getting very close with the teammates and stuff… it was tough. If I would have gotten even more minutes, maybe I would have gotten more opportunities. So it did feel hard to leave that behind for last year. But I think it was also something that I needed to do mentally, physically. I was at a point where I felt like, “Okay, I’ve played for three years in a row.” It was the moment to just kind of take a break… not take a break from basketball because I did work out the whole summer. It was more to take a break from competing and just being able to play basketball, get better and still be with my family, my friends and also enjoy life.

A special thank you to Alessandro Schilardi of Evolution Sport Management for arranging the interview.