"Last season I went to Zaragoza… and it was horrible! I think I lost the desire to play basketball that year. Truly. There were times when I didn’t want to go to practice. It was six very difficult months. It was understandable to think: "Why am I doing all this? I could have an easier life…" But basketball is my whole life, my passion. I can’t imagine life without it. I was frustrated for a couple of days, but I didn’t see myself giving it up completely," Leite begins.
The French guard says she relied heavily on Ornella Bankolé and Aminata Gueye, both French, while her teammates helped her "think about other things and do things outside basketball, because otherwise it would not have been easy at all." Leite does not point to anything specific as to why she felt so bad in the Aragonese capital, although she says factors such as the coach, Carlos Cantero, and the team may have contributed to her not feeling entirely comfortable.
"The prospect of reaching the EuroLeague Final Six helped me stay strong, as did the fact that I would at least win a medal. And the WNBA. I knew I would be joining a new franchise, Portland, and that I had to arrive in good shape, confident and mentally prepared. I held on to that to keep moving forward in Spain," the French player says.
HER ARRIVAL IN PORTLAND
The French player paid her buyout clause after winning EuroLeague bronze to leave for the WNBA and join Portland Fire. "The contrast with last season is incredible. Sometimes I compare myself with myself: I think that six months ago things were not going well, I had lost all the joy of playing basketball, and now, in Portland, I am playing better than ever. In reality, sometimes all it takes is having a coach who believes in you and helps you change your mindset," she says.
