Because she was here when the Lynx couldn't win, it's possible nobody appreciates the past six years more than Seimone Augustus.
Monday at the team's media day, Augustus was doing what she does best. Smiling, joking, telling stories. Laughing. As teammate Lindsay Whalen said, nobody holds court like Augustus.
She's about to start her 12th season, focused on a fourth title in seven years.
But Augustus remembers her first few seasons here, when she scored a ton of points but the Lynx didn't win many games. When she had to fight through a knee injury. When she made regular trips to the WNBA All-Star Game, getting pats on the back while all the while thinking she was wearing a big "L" on her forehead.
"Everyone was, 'Mone, you're having a good season,' " Augustus said. "We were a laughingstock in the league. It really bothered me. I wanted to have the success Detroit was having at the time. That takes time. Patience."
In 2010 Cheryl Reeve came from Detroit, where she was an assistant.
"She said, 'The first years of your career have been the toughest,' " Augustus said of Reeve. "I lost. I got injured. A few things happened. But Reeve said, 'From this point on we're building your legacy.' Until that point I had never thought about my legacy. What I wanted to be remembered as here. That changed everything."
Leaving her mark
So, what is her legacy? Or, better, what does she want it to be? A talent, certainly. A good teammate, obviously.
"I guess the humble superstar," she said.
Reeve's arrival got it started. In 2010 Rebekkah Brunson came via a dispersal draft, Whalen by trade. Maya Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. Critical mass, three titles.
Augustus facilitated a lot of that.
"Her talent is once in a generation," said Whalen, who remembers first seeing Augustus play on the Team USA squad that went to Croatia and won the U-21 title in 2003. On a team with Whalen, Cappie Pondexter and Alana Beard, Augustus — two years younger than everyone else — was the best player. Whalen marveled at Augustus' crossover, her unblockable shot.
"I think one of the great unselfish things a professional athlete has done was what she did welcoming us all in here when they traded for me, brought Brunson in," Whalen said. "And the next year we got Maya. For her, as a franchise player, to open up the franchise to all of us is the reason we have three rings. It started with her unselfishness. Without that, it doesn't happen. I think that's pretty cool."
It was natural. Growing up in Baton Rouge, La., she was surrounded by generations of elders. Known for her tattoos, the first two Augustus got were the names of her two grandmothers — Sarah and Mimi — on her ankles. She was driven to succeed as a child, but never allowed to get to self-satisfied.
"What is it they say? 'You need to get ahold of your britches?' " Augustus said. "They would put me in my place if I needed it."
So when things started coming together for the Lynx, Augustus was all for it. "I didin't care about scoring 20 points a game, as long as we won," she said.
Unquestioned leader
The crossover is still lethal. Augustus is still a leader in the classic sense, able to take over games with her skill. And she's still working; Reeve has been on her to improve her three-point shot.
"That's what's left for Seimone at this stage of her career, to become a knock-down three-baller," Reeve said. "Shoot more of them. You don't want to always be the one that has to get the dreads popping, breaking people down. Sometimes you want to stand there and knock down a three."
Named one of the top 20 players in league history during the WNBA's 20th season celebration, with Olympic and WNBA titles, Augustus said her goal is to simply be the best player she can be for the team.
But she offers more. A demanding coach, Reeve loves Augustus' ability to sometimes break the tension. The longest-tenured player on the team, Augustus is also the player around whom the team orbits. She is its emotional center.
"I'm the big sister," Augustus said of how she's viewed by the younger players. "I've gotten calls at 1 in the morning. I've had door knocks at all hours. I know how it was as a rookie. I want to be there for 'em. Loosen up the situation. This is my extended family. When I have my teammates around me, it feels warm and comforting."
Along the way, the Twin Cities have become a second home for Augustus, the Lynx a sort of extended family for someone who was raised an only child. Legacy? Perhaps the biggest thing for Augustus is that she's still here, still winning.
Still building her legacy.
"I can appreciate it, maybe more," she said. "I mention it to 'em all the time. I'm like, 'Man, I'm thankful.' There were times in free agency when I could have left. But I wanted to fight it out. The organization stuck with me after my knee injury. The fans have been amazing, the city has been amazing. I really couldn't see myself anywhere else."
