SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – Canadian players Kayla Alexander and Miranda Ayim couldn't stay still before arriving at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Alexander is a talented illustrator that, with her sister, published her first book several months ago. During the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, Ayim left several posts in automatic publishing mode for a blog she began in 2012 to empower people to get to know themselves better and become truly successful.

The two professional players have been able to perfectly harmonize the interesting combination of art and sports. The duo has found a balance between two entirely different ways of expression, as well as a way to follow other interests outside of basketball.

“I've had my website for some time, writing here and there, but this last year I've been writing and publishing almost every week,” said twice Olympian athlete Ayim to FIBA.basketball.

Alexander, for her part, started to follow her artistic inclinations very early in life. “I've been drawing since I was a little girl,” said Alexander, a reserve player for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. “My favorite medium then were paper and colored crayons. As I grew, I explored colored markers and I liked them a lot. Recently I started to use an app for my iPad, and I love it. Before, when I traveled for basketball, I always carried a bag with my art materials. Now I just need an iPad, a pencil and a charger and I'm ready.”

For Ayim, writing is a way to connect with other interesting subjects and give value to the community through her learning process in the court for the past 10 years, where she has achieved medals in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup and the Pan American Games. “This allows me to express myself outside basketball because I have a lot of interests in different areas, like Philosophy and Psychology. It's interesting to take the lessons I've learned on the court, particularly those that have to do with success, how you find success, how you perceive failure and how you deal with all those emotions,” said Ayim.

“I think they're similar (basketball and art) in that there are many different ways of playing,” said Alexander. “For example, I play near the rim and there are other point guards that are very good creating by themselves. I think we're all very creative in the way that we play. We all have some creativity. We simply show it in different ways. Some like to do it in the court and others in paper.”

Expressing themselves through art has favored both on the court. With them, and after defeating Brazil, Canada will fight to win their third consecutive championship in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup against the United States. Alexander concluded the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Group Phase with an average of 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Ayim was also effective with 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds from the Canadian bench.

In Alexander’s case, she already took the first big step of her life as an illustrator. With her sister, she published a children’s book that tells part of her life and seeks to inspire them to set big goals in life.

“It's a girls’ book titled ‘The Magic of Basketball’ and it's available through kaylaalexander.net. It's the story of this girl and her journey playing basketball. Through my path it shows my life story with basketball and how it’s blessed me in many ways, for example in the different skills I've learned, like confidence, hard work, being able to travel (a lot) and representing my country. In the end, the book inspires young girls and boys to dream big,” explained Alexander.

It can't be easy finding enough time for both tasks. Both art and sports are demanding activities that, in many cases, can only be mastered through long hours of practice.

“Both take a lot of hard work and dedication,” said Ayim. “Sometimes you must make an effort. Make an effort in practice, or sometimes make an effort when you need to finish something and publish it too.”

For the two Canadian stars, art is more than a mere hobby. It's an activity they wish to continue once they conclude their athletic career.

“I would definitely be interested in exploring that,” said Ayim. “Yes, that's the next step. Connecting that and continuing once I finish (basketball).”

Alexander went a little further, stating that after years of searching she's finally found the medium that fulfills her, that's a way to express her feelings, but also a way to inspire change in others. “I would definitely like to keep doing both at the same time. However, I've always loved art and looked for ways to combine my love for art, children, and basketball, and how to inspire people. And I could do that by writing a book,” Alexander explained.

Likewise, another one of their teammates, Ruth Hamblin, keeps a YouTube channel where she posts videos of her personal life, including one during her stay in Puerto Rico and how she prepared for the FIBA Women's AmeriCup semi-finals. One of Hamblin’s most popular videos is from two months ago and she titled it “I failed”. In it, she tells how she prepared for a WNBA trial that, in the end, she couldn't excel.

Basketball is art and players are artists. Ayim and Alexander are proof of this. Art – and basketball – are a labor of love.

Emmanuel Márquez
FIBA