NEW YORK – Earlier this week, Sugar Rodgers checked her phone and saw she had a
voicemail from WNBA president Lisa Borders. Borders told Rodgers to call her
back, not spoiling the surprise yet. When the two were eventually able to
connect, Borders informed a delighted Rodgers that she was indeed named an
All-Star.
“I just told her thank you, and that I’m just excited to go out there and have
fun,” said Rodgers, who now heads to Seattle for her first career All-Star Game.
“It’s my first year, but I kind of know what to expect. I’ll have Tina out there
to guide me.”
Liberty teammate Tina Charles is among the many perennial All-Stars that will
join Rodgers in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. An injury to one of them,
Elena Delle Donne, is the reason Rodgers has this chance to represent the
Eastern Conference. Delle Donne won’t play in the All-Star Game due to an ankle
sprain, and Borders named Rodgers her replacement on Wednesday. She will also
participate in the Three-Point Contest at halftime.
Simply put, Rodgers might have the best story of perseverance in the WNBA, and
perhaps all of sports. Making the All-Star Team is just the latest checkpoint on
her unbelievable journey of overcoming the odds.
If you aren’t familiar with her story, here’s the short version. Rodgers grew up
around violence and drugs in Suffolk, Virginia. She helped take care of her ill
mother until she died from lupus in 2005, when Sugar was 15. Her father was
mostly out of the picture, and he also passed away in 2012. Rodgers’ brother and
sister were in and out of jail. After their mom passed, Sugar was homeless
during high school, bouncing around with various friends and sleeping on
couches. As she wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune, “I grew up in chaos.”
She wears the No. 14 because her mother died on July 14, 2005, 12 years ago last
Friday.
I thought I wouldn't make it without you. July 14, 2005 – July 14, 2017. 12 years later I'm someone you can be proud of! RIP MOM 😘
— Sugar Rodgers (@14Sugar) July 14, 2017
How Sugar became a WNBA player – much less an All-Star – is beyond
comprehension.
“I think it means everything for her and her family,” Charles said of her
teammate. “It means a lot to individuals who have a similar life, a similar
path, knowing that you can get out and do certain things to change your
situation. You don’t have to let your situation define you.”
Rodgers’ incredible story extends to on-court perseverance. She has improved
every year since entering the WNBA as a second-round pick in 2013, when she
played just eight minutes per game for the Lynx. Rodgers took full advantage of
her opportunity in New York, working her way up to a starting role last season.
If there was an All-Star Game in 2016, Rodgers likely would have been there. She
averaged 14.5 points on one of the best teams in the league and nailed a
franchise-record 86 three-pointers. The Georgetown product was among the most
accurate three-point shooters in the WNBA at 41 percent. Hence the selection to
the Three-Point Contest.
Now, Rodgers is going through yet another challenging situation. After starting
the first 15 games, she has been relegated to the bench. The Liberty were
struggling, and with one of the lowest-scoring benches in the league, coach Bill
Laimbeer needed to make a change.
But one of the reasons she’s so valuable and respected is her selfness nature.
Early this season, Rodgers told WNBA.com, “I’m there to do whatever the coaches
need me to do, whether that’s scoring, defense or rebounding. Whatever the team
needs me to do, I’m there.”
Fast forward a couple months, and in a completely different role, Rodgers has
the same mindset.
“Nothing really changes. It’s just me coming off the bench,” she said. “I can
bring energy and scoring off the bench. Just being able to play with both groups
is a sacrifice that I had to make for the betterment of the team. I’m willing to
sacrifice so that we can collectively be a great team.”
The sacrifice has paid off. Since Rodgers moved to the bench, New York is 2-0
with emphatic victories over the two best teams in the East (Washington and
Connecticut). Rodgers provides essential scoring in the second unit – she’s
averaging 11 points in the last two games, close to her season average – and
remains a constant threat from three-point range.
When asked what she’s most looking forward to in Seattle this weekend, Rodgers
said the Three-Point Contest, without hesitation. Not because of the potential
bragging rights, but so that Rodgers can be the one to donate $10,000 to her
charity of choice. That would be Hopey’s Heart Foundation, founded by Charles,
which provides Automated External Defibrillators to help prevent heart failure
in young athletes all over the world.
Even if Rodgers doesn’t come out on top and win $10,000 for Charles – whom she
calls her big sister – this weekend is momentous for one of the WNBA’s brightest
stars. It’s a celebration of someone that has overcome all odds to reach the top
of her profession.
As she always has, Rodgers will make the most of her opportunity.
“The work she’s put in both on and off the court over the years to get to where
she is, this is the reward,” Laimbeer said. “She’s worked very hard at her game,
over the last three years especially. This is the culmination of getting
recognition for her hard work.”
