The WNBA has 22 teams, 23 with the addition of the New Mexico Bobcats, nothing about the number of games played changed, it is still 82, and it’s still a 40 minute match divided in 4 quarters. Which means that in a team of 15 people, there is only 10 minutes per quarter for a professional to show their worth. If it was all divided equally, each player would only play 160 seconds. Of course, that’s not how it works, in a season, Arike Ogunbowale played 38 minutes per game in a full season. A player’s playing time varies between coaching style, bench depth and the most important factor in this equation; Their value to the team.

Are they one of the best defensive bigs in the world, like Yuki? Are they an one woman offensive engine, like Hannah? Are they a floor general that could take a G-league team to the playoffs, like Patricia? Are they at least a promising prospect, like Cia? There are many reasons to have someone in your roster, that player just needs to fit in their role, but what role should a player like Anika be capable of filling?

Drafted in the middle of the second round two years ago, she is at the last year of her deal, actually, she was saved by this expansion, there was no way her last team, the Atlanta Nightmares, were going to pick her team deal, she had two years to show why she deserved a share of those 2400 seconds, but she could’t, her jumper was too slow, her playmaking was subpar, her defense was ordinary and game IQ was lacking. She was at best an average player and at worse a liability. The Bobcats are still paying her rookie salary for the year, but she will reach unrestricted free agency next year and if her stats don’t see a sudden increase, there’s not a single doubt in her mind that she will be out of the league.

Her season avengers were: 15.5 Minutes, 2.4 Field Goals while attempting 5.9, 1 Assist, 2.2 Rebounds and just 5.3 Points. That’s not enough to guarantee a contract, she will probably get the feared Ten Day. That’s all she can think while the group parties around her, resting her back on the counter she looks at her teammates.

In the league, your opponents are not only people on rival teams, Every player dreams of being in the starting line up and since Anika is not anywhere close to surpassing Hannah, her eyes fall on the other two options, Cia Fall and Dina Larianoova. According to the latest notice, she is going to get about 12 minutes per game, that’s pretty much leaving her as the third Point Guard in the rotation since Dina can play the one and Cia can work as the two.

“Really pathetic…” she lets out as she gently rotates her drink with her hand, she could’t even her the conversation that the rest of her team where having, after Hannah’s words Anika found herself lost on her own mind, thinking about the difference between them, while some are worried about winning it all, others just want to keep playing.

“You? I am, I wasn’t the one saying it, but if we’re talking about it…” There’s no need for her to turn to see who is talking, the now perceptible Ukrainian accent and the hurtful words could only be from Dina.

“You’re slipping, I can see that you’re russian.” Anika answers before taking a slight sip from her glass.

Dina puts one hand on her bare chest, a courtesy of the huge cleavage she uses, in a fake offended tone she yells, “You hurt me, comrade, we are very different people. Speaking of it, who is pathetic?”

“That has nothing to do with what we’re talking about?” Anika tries to stir the conversation away from her recent existential crises but before she can ask again, Dina is already wagging her finger back and forth close to her face.

“You can’t run from me comrade, I’m faster and hotter, explain it to the best Shooting Guard in history, just after Diana, duh.”

“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“Nope. I’m way too smart to forget things!”

Anika lets out a sigh, letting her head fall onto her hands, after a second of waiting she fixes her posture, looking up and meeting the cerulean eyes of Dina. Before she can actually say something, the intense eye contact makes her look down as she explains, “I just… I was thinking about my place on the team, a few years ago we could only have 12 players on the roster, if that was still happening I would be outta here in a second.”

“Why? Is it ‘cause you suck?” Dina asks while waving at someone on the other side of the room.

“No, stop being an asshole.” Anika angrily argues, she takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself before continuing, “it’s just… If I don’t prove myself this season, I’m not gonna have a contract next year…”

“So you’re worried about your bag?”

“No! Jesus Christ!” She lets out an exasperated sigh while shaking her head, all the memories of people commenting about Larianoova’s behavior and how she is known to force her way out of teams flooding her mind.

Looking up, Anika expects to find a malicious look, maybe a smile filled with arrogance, but instead, Kattan finds two bright marbles overflowing with curiosity as the Shooting Guard waits for an answer. The shorter girl rests her back against the chair, now believing that maybe all of the gossip is untrue, Dina is not an evil mastermind that likes to hurt people, maybe she is just rude and stupid, a common combination in the WNBA.

Anika begins, hesitating before the liquid courage works, “M-maybe it is… I just, it’s not about the money, of course I would love a million dollar deal, but I’be happy with a minimum, I just wanna play basketball, and I don’t think I can do that if I can’t just… like… get way better…”

“I don’t follow your thought process. If you just wanna play, just play, isn't it that easy? Are you, like, dumb?”

“Dina… I’m the 35th pick in the draft, just the fact I got minutes in my first season is already a miracle. If I don’t make a difference, why would the Bobcats keep me?”

The Ukrainian takes a moment to tap her glass, pouting for a moment, Anika assumes that she is thinking about what to say, but she is still not sure that the starter can do that, after a second, she receives an answer, “Like, I still don’t get it, if you can’t make it here, just go overseas, play in the turkish league or something.”

“I don’t wanna play in another league, I wanna play with the best, right here.”

Dina tilts her head to the side, realization appearing on her face before she rolls her eyes, “I got it, you’re stupid! Come with me, little one.”

Without letting the other girl answer, the older player is already interlacing their hands and dragging Kattan a few feet closer to the rest of the team, stopping in the middle of the conversation circle that Hannah, Yuki, Star and Zoe were populating, physically pushing herself in the middle, Dina points one finger at the Point Guard’s face, yelling her question, “Yo, what’s your reason to play basketball?”

Hannah backs away from this sudden movement, raising one eyebrow to her teammate before answering, “Huh… I play because I want to be the best.”

All of her teammates seem to be happy with that reasoning but Saya, even though the alcohol in her system is making her a little dizzy, still isn't convinced, years of closely watching Hannah made it so that she could actually read the impassive face of her friend. The ever so slight lip tremble, the way she hesitates for a moment before answering, even the way she looks up as the words leave her mouth, everything screams of lies.

Yuki’s eyes move from the shortest of the team to the drunkest one of them all, pointing the same finger at her, Dina asks, “You, why the hell you play in the W?”

Saya was asked the same question as a child, as a teen, as a teenager and when she won DPOY, all throughout her life, she has lied, but this time, she decides to tell the truth, shrugging she says “The money, of course.”

She hears the boo’s of her teammates with a smile, putting both hands up as if she were to give up and continues, “Don’t knock it till you try it guys, how’d you think I’m paying for everyone’s drinks?”

Ignoring the main subject, Dina just turns to Cia and asks, “And you, why do you play?”

Even though the murmur of conversation has started again, the player hears the question and still takes a second to answer, “I guess… it would, like, cause I like to compete, it’s… y’know, fun.”

“Aight, let’s go Anik.” The Shooting Guard declares, and without further explanation her motives she pulls the player away to the same table they were once sharing.

Kattan sits down, once again covering her face with her hands, her face burning up with embarrassment, peeking through the fingers just enough to give an angry glare at her teammate, she asks, “What. The. Hell. Was. That?”

“I was helping you! I gave you examples of reasons you’d wanna play with the big girls. If you have no reason to keep playing, of course you ain’t gonna have a bag next year, you’re gonna be sorry for the rest of your life without the right motivation.” The older girl explains.

“You can’t possibly be serious… it’s not that easy to jus— find something to play for?”

Dina shakes her head, rolling her eyes as she begins, “Of course it is, just look at me,” she points at herself with both hands, “I’m hot, I’m smart, I’m funny, but— but, when I was fourteen I played a pickup game with some of my girlies and I realized just how fun it is to see other people lose. So that’s why I play now.”

Anika stares at the woman in front of her, the same smile she always carries turning into something viler, that motive certainly is a clear sign of unsportsmanship, she is about to rebuke it, shame Larianoova into a better player, but before the words come out, there is a part of her, hidden like a hunter waiting for its prey, that agrees. For someone to win, another must lose. If Anika gets a starting spot, someone will go to the bench. 

On the other side of the room, a person who also played a high amount of games as a reservee before climbing her way into a locked spot in the starting line up of every game, Hannah is starting at one of the many clocks, as soon as all of them tick to 23:00, the Point Guard gets up, putting both of her hands on the counter and turning to her team with a smile on her face.

With the attention of all the women on her, she announces, “Guys, it’s been real. But I gotta go home, we all have training early in the morning.”

While the people around her let out their complaints, Yuki is the first to also get up, almost in the same breath she declares, “If she’s going, I’m going.” After a pause, where everyone stared at her in confusion, she continued, “We live in the same apartment block, it’s cheaper if we share an uber.”

Cia, a little bummed that all of the veterans are leaving early, asks, “Ain’t you rich? You don’t have 30 bucks to burn?”

“I’m rich, not stupid!”

Hannah whispers to herself, loud enough for everyone to catch, “debatable…”

“I heard that!”

Utilizing the laughter as a distraction, Court places her share of the bill on the table and quickly leaves the establishment, moving into Santa Fe’s cold air that immediately gives her chills. Resting her back against the walls of the club she notices a couple composed of two college students, smiles illuminated by the moonlight, a warm embrace of lovers moving inside their cars, whispered jokes just for two people, a jovial love that Hannah wishes she could live.

She is only brought back to reality when a heavy weight is suddenly put on her back, her immediate reaction is to look back, noticing a bright pink sweater covering her body and a presence at her left, she looks up meeting hazel eyes and a towering figure, Yuki Saya smiles at her like she has not a single care in the world.

“Whatcha waitin’ for? Did you already call the Uber?” She questions while keeping her eyes focused solely on her friend.

Hannah looks away, suddenly very interested in the empty parking lot in front of her, “You know you don’t have to follow me home, right? I won’t be angry at you for missing practice in the morning.” She almost stops talking right there, but feeling the need to explain herself further she continues, “Not right now at least, if you start being irresponsible in the middle of the season I will absolutely ruin your life.”

Yuki laughs, a heartfelt laughter that is probably heard inside the club, “Jesus, bud, don’t worry, I won’t miss a single day when we actually begin, but I actually just want to spend time with you, nothing more.”

Hannah once again looks up, searching for a hint of venom on her words, but once again, she is only met with the joyful energy the other woman radiates, trying to ignore the embarrassment burning on her body and hoping that Yuki assumes that the pinkish shade on her cheeks is a result of the icy weather.

“Cool, so I’ll wake you up tomorrow at eight. You better be ready.”