WNBA: Seimone Augustus – the Elegant Warrior

Seimone Augustus: The Player and Person

Seimone Augustus is every so often you meet someone who has an immediate impact on you. It could be for a variety of reasons, and that impact will likely leave an indelible mark. I became a season ticket holder for the Minnesota Lynx in 2015. I entered a world as foreign to me as Katmandu is from Minneapolis, but a world in which I knew I belonged. In short order, I began to appreciate what and who I was watching: Maya Moore, Lindsay Whelan, Rebekkah Brunson, Sylvia Fowles, and Augustus.

As much as everyone astounded me with their athletic skills, their collective dignity on the court, and a team personality that exuded confidence and strength, Seimone had something a little different, something elegant.  As I watched I thought, you I’d like to meet, if for no other reason than to find out what that something was. 

That didn’t happen until two years later. At the end of the 2016 season, I decided to have my motorcycle painted with the team colors and logo. Back in those days, there was a pre-season event, generally held at a sports bar. It is where the players and coaches would act as servers and bartenders. It was a fundraiser for the Lynx Fast Break Foundation, and fans could pay $10 for an autograph or a photo.

Seimone Augustus and My Motorcycle

I decided that if I could get some of the players to have a picture taken on my bike and make a contribution to the foundation. Ultimately, I did manage to get several players to do it, and no one that I asked said no. When I approached Seimone and asked her, she gave me that big smile and happily agreed. I will say this – when Seimone got on my bike, well, it just fit. She owned it, much like she owned the court. Of all the photos I took, it is still my favorite, with one of Cheryl Reeve a very close second.