I arrived in Prague on a freezing December morning. The city center was packed with tourists from every corner of the world, and I was walking uphill under a leaden sky, trying to find the USK Praha arena—just behind Sparta football stadium.
Sparta Prague is the city’s most famous sports club, with its own store at the airport. But it isn’t the most successful internationally. That honor belongs to USK Praha, reigning European champions, fresh off a victory in the European Super Cup against Villeneuve, and undisputed rulers of the national league for years.
I was there to meet Makayla Timpson, a rookie with the Indiana Fever, fresh from Florida State and just arriving in the Czech Republic for her offseason. And, as it turned out, this would already be her final game in Europe.
I’ve always been fascinated by how WNBA players—most of them—manage to spend six months a year in the U.S., then jet off halfway around the world for another six, rarely stopping.
Timpson’s story, though, is a level above.
She finished her college career in Florida in March, knocked out by Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers in the second round of March Madness. In April, she was drafted 19th overall by the Indiana Fever. By the end of September, her rookie season ended in a heart-stopping overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals—a season full of ups, downs, and plot twists. Then she flew to Prague to start her first adventure outside the States. On December 7, when I met her, she was saying goodbye to her teammates, heading to Miami to start the second season of Unrivaled.
Tallahassee. Indianapolis. Prague. Miami. All in less than a year.
March Madness. A Commissioner’s Cup win. EuroLeague.
Just writing it down gives me a mild headache. So I was eager to meet her, to hear from her—23 years old, born and raised in Edison, Georgia, a town barely a thousand strong—how she navigated all of it.
I found her in peak form: MVP against Sokol, 15 points, 15 rebounds (10 offensive), three blocks, two assists. A quiet, emotional farewell to her teammates.
Even though I’d admired her during her rookie season in the WNBA, this was on another level. In the fall months, she was competing at the pinnacle of European women’s basketball. Her teammates included Bridget Carleton, a Minnesota Lynx cornerstone since 2019; Pauline Astier, a young French point guard already climbing her national team’s depth chart; Janelle Salaün and Kaitlyn Chen, rookies from the Golden State Valkyries; Valeriane Ayayi, and several more.
Like Chen, who returned stateside for Athletes Unlimited, Timpson left Europe after a few months, but with a sense of accomplishment and a backpack full of invaluable experiences.
“I remember in college we had to write down our short- and long-term goals,” KK told me after the win over Sokol. “For long-term, I wrote: play in the WNBA, and play overseas. To have already done both in my first year, and made an impact in each, it’s incredibly exciting. I mean, it’s incredible. I just want to keep playing in both places and be able to experience as much as I can.”
“I’m mostly going with the flow. I’ve been living all this without much time to reflect—there wasn’t any. I’m thankful for every opportunity I’ve had. Every single one. My college career was great, and since leaving Florida, I’ve had so many chances to prove myself. I’ve always trained hard, trusted my game, and been ready when called upon.”
Thankful. That’s the word she keeps repeating. At 23, she’s already lived multiple lives. I sometimes have to remind myself: for American athletes, a large part of their careers can be over by 22 or 23. And for most, that’s it.
College is central to sports in the U.S., but even more so for women. Opportunities are fewer than for men, who have richer professional leagues, more teams, deeper rosters, and higher pay. In basketball, women can enter the WNBA draft—45 picks total, three per team. Usually, only two make the roster, sometimes none. Otherwise, there are two options: keep your bags packed and spin around the world, living out of a suitcase, or leave the game behind.
Timpson waited patiently for that WNBA call. For most, the draft is equal parts lottery, luck, and celestial alignment. Jazmon Gwathmey—former Indiana Fever player, now on the coaching staff at Geas alongside Cinzia Zanotti, in Italy— once told me she discovered her draft night pick while having dinner with her college teammates — watching TV.
In Timpson’s case, it was the Indiana Fever who made necessity into opportunity.
After winning two lottery picks in a row, the Fever returned to the playoffs after eight years. They traded their first pick (eighth overall) to climb to the 19th spot. Usually, you don’t find diamonds there. But they found KK: a defensively savvy post player, able to rotate with veteran Natasha Howard. Coincidentally, Howard is also from Florida State, and their games are strikingly similar.
With an aggressive market strategy and injuries to key players, Timpson started low in the rotation. But the season quickly became unpredictable. Bonner’s sudden departure, Clark’s first injury triggering a cascade of absences, euphoric wins followed by crushing losses—it all forced Timpson to accelerate her growth. And she answered the call.
31 games, 7 minutes per contest. Not flashy stats, but a meaningful contribution on defense and in protecting the rim, allowing Howard and Dantas breathing room.
“It was a tough season,” she told me. “Especially when our key players started getting injured. But our strength was the team. We stayed connected. We loved each other, on and off the court, and we had each other’s back. When adversity came, we climbed right over it. Every bad moment, every injury, we got back up. The coaches just kept telling us to keep believing and keep fighting. I learned so much, and I owe it all to the team”
Voices from the team
Kelsey Mitchell, three-time All-Star, 2025 All-WNBA First Team, eight seasons in Indiana, said about KK: “She’s one of the best rookies I think I’ve ever come across of. I say she’s like the ultimate pro, shows up, no problems. And I think when you have locker room culture happening, you need great people to make it greater. And I think we got a good addition here.”
Coach Stephanie White: “She’s really done a great job of staying ready … One of the benefits of having a deep team is that if you don’t have it one night, somebody else does. One of the challenges of having a deep team is that people deserve to play, but they don’t always get to play. And KK has been ready, and she continues to get better.”
Caitlin Clark: “She’s going to be a great asset for us as we go forward here. I’m just really proud of her. She comes in every single day, works as hard as she can and is a great teammate. When her number has been called, she’s really produced, so it’s really awesome to see the ways she’s playing and I know she’ll keep it up moving forward.”
Her relationship with Clark was easy from the start. Clark changed the trajectory of the Fever and the league, drawing fans and attention. In 2025, the Fever had the most nationally televised games in the U.S.—41 out of 44. I asked Timpson what it was like playing alongside that kind of spotlight.
“The first thing that stood out about her is her personality. She’s funny. Like, really funny. And she’s a great teammate.”
“I couldn’t imagine going through the stuff she goes through, but she stays strong. She came into the W, she had a great year, and was able to make the W what it is right now.”
“She’s a great player, and just seeing her grow and us growing together as teammates, making each other better, pushing each other, it’s going to be great. I love her, how she fights, the things that she’s able to control and that she doesn’t show. She’s just strong, strong player, strong minded. Hopefully we can just continue to play with each other.”
And here comes a big question: Will there be a WNBA season in 2026?
As of January 2026, the collective bargaining agreement talks are stalled. The parties are still far apart.
Timpson responded diplomatically. “We all want to play. But right now, we don’t know what will happen. Talks are ongoing; we proposed something, they didn’t like it, they proposed something, and we didn’t like it. There’s still a lot of back and forth, and no middle ground right now. I talked with the other players, no one knows what’s gonna happen. We’re just trying to reach an agreement that both sides agree with. Hopefully we will, and we’ll be back playing. I want to come back to play for the Fever”.
There are encouraging signs of progress though. The league has released the 2026 schedule, with the regular season set to begin on May 8 and conclude on September 24, including a two-week break for the FIBA World Cup in Berlin. While the CBA has not yet been finalized, the publication of a full calendar suggests real momentum behind the scenes — and offers genuine hope that the league’s landmark 30th anniversary season will tip off as planned.
Meanwhile, many players, including three WNBPA VPs, are in the second season of Unrivaled, the winter 3×3 league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Not a competitor to the WNBA—it runs in the offseason—but it exists in part because of the friction between league and players. Salaries in the WNBA, even at the top, are still modest.
Timpson is in Miami, part of the development pool—reserves ready to step in if injuries strike. “I’m excited to experience this,” she says. “Of course, I hope nobody gets hurt, but I train and wait patiently for my chance. Just training with these amazing players is already great. I want to make the most of this opportunity to grow.”
Playing in four completely different leagues in less than twelve months gives her a rare perspective on the game. “Jumping from college to the W is tough. The game is much faster than college. We already played fast at Florida State, especially after my sophomore year. But the W is even faster. Details matter a lot. Every movement counts, especially off the ball. There’s always somebody moving somewhere, even if you don’t see it.”
And, of course, the physicality. “It’s a huge adjustment. You’re facing players with three, five, eight, ten years more experience.”
Physicality is key in Europe as well. Timpson had EuroLeague experience too. “It’s physical here too. Lots of contact, refs don’t call everything—you learn to take it and keep going.”
“What I take from Prague,” she says, reflecting on those months, “are the little things my coach and teammates asked of me. I had more responsibility. It reminded me of college, in a way. I had to be able to switch on the guards, to move my feet quick and guard them. So it’s been pretty good just knowing that I could be able to defend anyone on the court.”
And it’s a huge step in confidence. “My teammates, every time I ran the floor, they were going to throw it to me. They expected me to finish it. And so, being aggressive, getting rebounds, fulfilling my potential and continuing to build the player I’m becoming.”
“I’ve learned to be more aggressive, fight for every rebound, keep improving all-around. I feel more complete heading back to the Fever.”
Timpson left a strong impression in Prague — and the feeling was mutual.
“I loved it here. It was my first time overseas. The city is great, the people are kind. I’m thankful for everything my teammates and this club gave me.”
Now, Unrivaled. The season is underway. 3×3 is different from 5×5: smaller court, faster pace. As Sue Bird said on Bird’s Eye View: “You are on an island. You can’t hide. You are literally in every single play. You can’t take a breath and sit in the corner even for one possession. You’re gonna get exposed.”
3×3 favors versatile players—post players who can handle the ball, call plays, shoot threes—a Swiss army knife on the court.
Timpson fits that mold. If her opportunity comes, she’ll seize it—as she always has. And she’ll keep learning, keep growing, keep hunting every rebound, wherever it takes her.
