What a yr Sue Chook has had, from being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame to taking on the USA Ladies’s Nationwide Staff as Managing Director.
She additionally had her jersey quantity (No. 10) retired by UConn final Sunday and have become the primary participant in WNBA historical past to have a statue unveiled, courtesy of the Seattle Storm.
Chook obtained proper to work, as she spoke to the media on Thursday about her method as Managing Director of USA Basketball.
One of many ten new gamers she invited, USC Trojans star guard JuJu Watkins, is specializing in her restoration from a torn ACL whereas observing coach Kara Lawson‘s system all through the coaching camp.
“I believe it’s extra concerning the publicity (to the sport generally),” Chook stated Thursday. “Even whenever you’re simply round a staff, it’s useful, like one thing is constructing (and) one thing is occurring there. So, it’s nice for JuJu (Watkins), who’s clearly extremely gifted, (she) nonetheless has a few years (left) in faculty. I do know she desires to complete that off, however to get her used to what the nationwide staff is, used to being round these gamers, after which, in fact, the teaching employees.”
All through her taking part in profession with Staff USA, Chook gained 5 Olympic gold medals and performed alongside current and future Corridor of Famers, resembling Lisa Leslie and Daybreak Staley.
Just one has gained six gold medals, her longtime teammate and greatest pal, guard Diana Taurasi, who retired in February.
Chook is in her third yr of retirement after her 19-year taking part in profession, the place she led the Seattle Storm to 4 championships and have become the WNBA’s all-time chief in assists with 3,234.
Chook grew to become a part-owner of the Seattle Storm in 2024 and has been internet hosting podcast exhibits, A Contact Extra and Chook’s Eye View. She added a brand new function to her resume in Might: USA Ladies’s Nationwide Staff Managing Director.
A full circle second 🙌
Sue Chook sounds off in her new function as Managing Director for the #USABWNT! pic.twitter.com/RGS5EUezGK
— WNBA (@WNBA) December 12, 2025
“I positively had some moments like, ‘Oh. I’m not a participant anymore, that is completely totally different. Oh, I sort of must put on all my staff and shoot stuff.’ Now, it’s completely totally different,” Chook stated. “However for probably the most half, it’s been nice. All people with USA Basketball has been tremendous useful. Because the managing director, I did my first half, which was hiring Kara (Lawson). … So in a way, on this camp, I clearly need to be right here, current, (and) watching every part. It’s an ideal little segue into this function for me.”
One in all Chook’s first strikes was bringing in Duke College’s Kara Lawson as head coach. Chook and Lawson have been teammates on previous Olympic groups.
All through the years, the USA Ladies’s Nationwide Staff has contained veteran gamers who performed at a excessive degree for a very long time.
“One thing that positively caught out to me as I used to be considering and looking out, was that for actually very long time, our vets on the staff have been within the guard spots,” Chook stated. “And now, for those who have a look at the previous Olympic staff, you’ve obtained A’ja (Wilson), Napheesa (Collier), and Stewie (Breanna Stewart) they usually’re sort of going to be like that. They’re gonna have probably the most gold medals. … It’s attention-grabbing. I used to be considering again, it’s like, that truly hasn’t occurred shortly.
“The final time that occurred was the Lisa Leslie years, the place she was all the time a vet, however she all the time had Daybreak (Staley) on her aspect. In order that caught out to me the opposite day after I was considering, however in any other case, it’s all of the cycles have their very own transition interval.”
With the FIBA World Cup approaching in September, Chook and Lawson have time to resolve on which of the gamers will take part on the USA Ladies’s Nationwide Staff.
After the retirements of Chook and Taurasi all through the 2020s decade, Staff USA has entered a brand new period with gamers resembling Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese because the faces of the staff sooner or later.
“All of the cycles sort of have their very own, you already know, like transition interval. I believe there’s some which might be a little bit extra obtrusive than others,” Chook stated. “However all of them have parts of that, the place you need to have individuals who have been there, in fact, however you additionally must preserve the pipeline going with the youthful gamers and get them expertise. That steadiness is all the time present. It’s simply generally it appears a little bit totally different. So we’ll see how this one shapes up.”
