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Laney Maria Lupe remembers when Alissa Pili was still playing for the University of Utah.

Having attended a game against the University of Arizona in Tucson, she recalled her initial conversation with the Minnesota Lynx rookie forward and the devout connection they shared, even before Pili’s WNBA debut.

Friday night in downtown Phoenix was no different. Pili, Samoan and Iñupiaq, and her Lynx team were in the city to play the Phoenix Mercury.

“I gifted her an eagle feather because it has significance with Indigenous people,” Lupe, who currently holds the title of Miss Indian Arizona for the 2023-24 year, said. “(It’s for) strength, wisdom and guidance throughout her journey.”

Lupe, like many other Indigenous fans, has followed Pili throughout her career and understands the significant role she plays as an up-and-coming Indigenous basketball player. Lupe, dressed in her Miss Indian Arizona regalia, chatted some with Pili before the game when the rookie walked around near her bench and signed autographs for fans and posed for photos.

“That’s my main reason for coming here,” Lupe said. “(I’m) letting her know that we’re all behind her because she’s the one that’s breaking down barriers and walls for us.”

Pili checked into the game for the first time late in the third quarter to a roar of the crowd. The game was a thriller, ending with a game-winning shot by Phoenix with less than a second to play. The Mercury won, 81-80.

Before Pili checked in, short chants by some fans asking for Pili could be heard sporadically in the arena. Pili took one shot after checking but went scoreless in her four minutes played. So far in her young WNBA career, she has come off the bench. Pili averages around six minutes a game and has played in 9 of the team’s first 12 games. Just a week before coming to Arizona, she exploded for 20 points in a win against the Mercury in Minnesota.

Despite her rookie status, Pili signed an endorsement deal with Nike as a N7 athlete. The announcement was made on Friday and Nike held a private ceremony after the game to recognize her.

“When I talked to my agent about marketing myself in that area, I wanted to include my heritage,” Pili told ICT before Friday’s game. “I wanted to include the people who have supported me along the way and represent them and myself.”

The deal aims to provide Indigenous communities with inclusivity and equity both on and off the court, an opportunity that Pili believes will benefit aspiring youth. She joins a growing list of Indigenous athletes playing a variety of professional sports.

“I hope that me being in this position has a lot of impact and opens that pathway for (them),” Pili said. “I’m always somebody who’s going to support my people. …I carry that with pride and I hope that people don’t settle, no matter what culture they come from.”

Before she was selected in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft, Pili was a three-time Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year winner and Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Laura Tina Poyer and her young daughter Malia were in the stands near the Lynx bench. Both had signs, one had a photo of Malia with Pili when she played for Utah. The other sign had a Samoan greeting along with Pili’s name.

“She’s Samoan Native, we are Samoan and it’s awesome to see someone from our culture, our roots in the WNBA,” Laura Tina Poyer said.

“We follow her current team right now, I think she’s very versatile on the floor. She’s a beast in the paint,” Poyer added.

Although she’s still adjusting to the WNBA’s intense pace and starting with a new team, Pili said the support she’s received has only grown since playing professionally.

“In college I had a bunch of support and it’s only carrying over and getting bigger,” Pili said. “This league does a great job of just uplifting women, not only the league, but players as well. Everybody is very supportive of each other, so it’s a super cool thing to be a part of.”

ICT’s Dalton Walker contributed to this report.

Although she’s still adjusting to the WNBA’s intense pace and starting with a new team, Pili said the support she’s received has only grown since playing professionally as a member of the Minnesota Lynx.

a WNBA basketball game between Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm

Alissa Pili signs with N7, talks Indigenous fan support

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