CAIRO (Egypt) - Egyptian basketball player Reem Moussa says that basketball has given her everything.
So, when she announced her retirement from the game unexpectedly earlier this month, she explained that she wanted to pour the same energy she had as a player into a new generation of players in her country.
In an interview with FIBA.basketball, Moussa expressed a mix of emotions. She was at peace with her decision to retire from the game she loved, which afforded her opportunities that many can only dream of.
Moussa shared a heartfelt letter on social media about her decision to retire, in which she paid tribute to her husband for being a support system during her life-changing decision.
"He did not want me to retire, but he was supportive, and we both agreed it was time. Given what we are planning for the future, we have decided to move on to the next chapter," said Moussa.
The letter further expressed her gratitude for basketball and the life lessons it gave her. She paid homage to her family for believing in her dreams and saluted the coaches who helped her reach them. Moussa was also grateful for the bonds it had helped her build and stated her love affair with the game will continue in a different way.
Moussa, who won the Egyptian Cup with her club Al Ahly at the beginning of the month, had an illustrious playing career spanning 18 years, and she has tasted success on the African continent and in Europe.
At 31, Moussa, a two-time Women's Basketball League Africa champion and Central European League winner, had more years to give to the game as a player, but she felt she had run her race on the court, and her focus now is on her next move.
"I feel like I had given basketball a lot as a player. I want to do that in a different role now. If I wait longer, it will be harder to help produce the next generation of Egyptian basketball players. I feel I need to start gaining experience now," said Moussa.
Apart from winning the domestic cup, there was also the potential of playing at the 2025 FIBA Women's AfroBasket in Côte d'Ivoire to be held from 25 July to 3 August.
In February, Moussa was part of the Egyptian team that finished second in the Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers, and, subsequently, received a wildcard for the upcoming biennial tournament in Abidjan.
While the prospect of donning the colours of her country was appealing, Moussa was adamant about her decision and stated that her career ended on her terms.
"I put a lot of thought into it. I have a few things going on this summer, and I might not be in Egypt during preparation time," said Moussa. "Ending on a high note was a factor... When we won the championship, there was a moment when the game paused for a bit, and everybody got emotional.
"So ending it with everybody I call family, be it players, coaches or actual family around me... I think it was a nice ending."
Reflecting on her farewell note to the game, she intimated that it was an impromptu act to write down her thoughts on the sport that had given her so much.
"This was not planned at all. It was the night of the last game - I couldn't sleep. I was sitting reminiscing all the good times I had throughout my career. All the championships and accolades, the people I met along the way. It was just a river of emotion," said Moussa.
She says it was during the third and fourth place game in the cup final that the magnitude of her decision began to sink in. The curtain was closing on her career.
"Before the last few games, my teammates kept asking me how I was feeling, and I responded, 'I am fine, I have made my decision and I am ok with it'," said Moussa. "I think the third-place game was going on, and I could feel my eyes well up. One of my teammates sitting in front of me turned around and asked, 'Oh, how do you feel now?' And I could not hold it anymore. I just started crying.
"It was tough to go through that, but I learnt to start something new, you have to let go. So I would not say they were tears of sadness. It was happiness... Knowing that I am going to take everything I learnt over past 18 years and put it into what I am going to do next."
Following her final bow to the game, what lessons did she learn during her almost two-decade career?
"Everything learnt in life was through basketball. I have learnt what it is to have a family outside my nuclear family. I learnt how to manage my time - to have a social life, focus on studies and practice," said Moussa. "I learnt discipline, and if you want something, you have put in time and effort to achieve it."
As Moussa said, she would like to help produce the future basketball stars in her homeland. So, she looks forward to earning the title of Coach Moussa.
"I plan on becoming a coach. You know how parents always say, 'You will never know until you become a parent'. I think it's the same for coaches," said Moussa. "I am excited to put into practice what I have learnt from other coaches."
She is taking a path that has been travelled by many who decided to become coaches after their playing days. Having built a CV of success as a player, she will hopefully do the same as a coach.
FIBA