Seattle, WA- Vegas Aces’ SF Tamera Young has impacted women on and off the court with her empowering words of encouragement, determination, skill, and leadership ability. Leadership has always been Young’s strong point during her WNBA career, as well as in everyday life. You can see her encouraging her team if they make a mistake or if they lose a game. Leadership builds confidence in individuals and that is what Young brings to the game, as well as helping her community out. There are a lot of people that look up to her as a role model.
“It is a great feeling that people look up to me. With everything going on in the world, we need to come together and encourage each other to be a better individual daily, In order to be successful and have a successful team, world, friendship, and community, you have to build people. Also, lead by example. Lead by helping others and supporting them. Be kind and again just encourage them to do what is best for them.”
Young has hurdled many obstacles in her life by not having many financial resources growing up, her mother being a single mother after her parents divorced, and dealing with her fathers’ death, but she always kept a positive attitude during her trials. Playing basketball helped her through the obstacles and she fell in love over and over with her passion. “Basketball molded me into the woman that I am today, because it gave me a lot of confidence, taught me to become a team player, and showed me that I can not rush the process. As a team, you have to count on each other, encourage each other, and uplift each other. The bonding, life lessions, and going through the process with your team is what basketball is all about.”
With the Aces struggling this season with a record of 3-8, Young is very optimistic that things will improve throughout the season. “We are very young and it will take some time to get our chemistry down pact. We need to cut down on the turnovers, but overall we have some great talent on our team. We just have to find out what works for us.”
Inspiring people is what Young loves to do when she is not playing basketball or doing positive events for the community. She leaves the words for anyone that is chasing a dream. “Never give up. Take the risks, follow the process, and never allow anyone to stand in your way. For ladies, never let any male tell you, you can’t do something. Work hard, be determined, and never sell yourself short.”
