Katie Lou Samuelson achieved one of her lifetime dreams on Wednesday when she was drafted No. 4 overall in the WNBA Draft to the Chicago Sky. She had an incredible career at UConn where she won a championship in 2016 and was a two-time AAC Player of the Year. She also shot the lights out with a career 3-point percentage of 42 percent, and is a great addition to a Sky team that already features shooters like Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot.
For Samuelson, becoming a great shooter like she is was by design. She wears No. 33 in honor of one of the greatest players ever and a damn good shooter himself, Larry Bird. Every athlete has a player they looked up to growing up in some way, but most of them don’t get a chance to meet them or hear from them until well into their pro careers.
Well, someone must have told Bird about Samuelson’s adoration for his game because when she was drafted she was led to a video that appeared to just be a clip of her highlights. Then, Bird popped on to the screen to give her some words of praise. It’s a fantastic moment that should put a smile on anyone’s face.
That 3️⃣3️⃣ connection 🔥 @33katielou was selected No. 4 overall pick by the @wnbachicagosky and received a surprise message from @nba legend Larry Bird pic.twitter.com/sxK1rm03jQ
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 11, 2019
This is a genuine reaction. She’s clearly stunned and it’s a very cool moment for the now pro. For what it’s worth, nobody on the Sky is currently wearing No. 33 so it looks like she’ll be able to continue representing her favorite player into her NBA career. If she keeps shooting like she did in college she’ll do a good job representing his game too.
