Bologna, Italy — Naomi Cernina Taius is not feeling one hundred pc, so she’s resting at house as Virtus Segafredo Bologna and ZVVZ USK Praha take courtroom on a wet mid-December evening. It is Naomi’s first time with the flu, and whereas she’s been getting over her bout, some worldwide journey within the weeks main as much as the sport has her feeling just a little beneath the climate.
Not less than that is what her mother, Cheyenne Sernina Parker, thinks.
Throughout the mid-season Euroleague competitors, Parker’s daughter is simply over per week away from celebrating her first birthday. Virtually every part continues to be new to Naomi. A lot of additionally it is new to Parker. “It was simply the journey of studying to be a mom,” she says.
Parker was chosen fifth within the 2015 WNBA Draft by Chicago Sky She performed six seasons with the franchise to start her profession. She has spent the previous two years with Atlanta Dream. All WNBA The 30-year-old striker’s offseason has blasted all around the world – initially to China, ultimately to South Korea and France. The time she spent in Italy this winter, she says, is “very totally different” from these; She is now a first-time mom. With motherhood comes a altering mindset: “The ball is life, however there’s extra to life than the ball,” says Parker. “Now that I’ve that perspective, the strain will go away.”
Whether or not or not Naomi realizes it, basketball is already an enormous a part of her life. She’s spent the summer time going to the Dream Video games – Parker performed in each competitors final season, months after she was born on December 27, 2021. Throughout Parker’s time in Italy, she was an everyday in Bologna competitions too, each at house and on the highway. She is commonly stationed on the playground with Parker’s mom, Verna Bryant, who has been in Italy serving to along with her granddaughter’s kids as she has since Naomi’s delivery.
Parker says she thinks usually of the sacrifices she’s made to take care of a excessive customary on the courtroom, whether or not it is being away from her child for hours at a time to work on her recreation, or her household adjusting her life. She will stay out her profession desires, or the bodily and psychological toll on her physique from breastfeeding and enjoying on the identical time. “However that is what retains me going, truthfully,” she says. “It is my gasoline. Listening to my teammates give me props or simply name me superb for with the ability to deal with all of it. It lets me know, yeah, what I do is difficult, even difficult typically. Nevertheless it’s all value it and it makes it a journey.” Way more superb that I might share along with her someday.”
Parker’s fiancé, Kevin Teus, provides: “She is a powerful lady. Not each lady can do what she does.”
Forward of her December 4 highway match in opposition to Passalacqua Ragusa, Naomi wasn’t feeling her finest and wanted to relaxation. Nonetheless, Parker wanted to begin stress-free her muscle tissues. In courtroom, wearing uniform quantity 32, she held her child in her arms and rocked it whereas she squatted.
Within the days that adopted, Naomi’s situation worsened (she’s since recovered), so whereas Parker and her teammates flew to Athens for a two-day journey to play Olympiacos, Naomi stayed house. This was the primary prolonged time period Parker had been away from her daughter. “It was exhausting. It was loopy,” she mentioned. “I did not know what to do with myself.”
Bologna returned to Italy with a 79-63 win in Greece, however had two extra video games on the highway. Bryant was coping with her personal battle with the flu, and consequently didn’t journey with the staff to Campobasso, a metropolis in southern Italy, and to Szczard, Hungary.
Within the Italian league competitors, Parker entrusts Naomi to the palms of Angela Gianola, the sporting director of Virtus. Anxiousness crept in earlier than the competition about how Naomi would really feel whereas enjoying. Parker says she tried meditation and prayer beforehand. “I have no idea why, [but] It was emotional,” she says. She scored 25 factors and grabbed 9 rebounds with Naomi alongside Gianola on the finish of the bench.
4 nights later, Naomi is asleep when Polonia enters Szekszárd’s enviornment. When it was time to heat up, I organized some chairs collectively and laid Naomi on them, with staff supervisor Roberta Resta watching carefully. As soon as the motion tilted, at any time when Bologna was on the free throw line (or throughout different stops) Parker would look down on her child. Resist the urge to stroll, although, as a result of she says, “If I get too shut, she’ll need me.”
In juggling motherhood and her profession, Parker says it helps that Naomi has “at all times been very adaptable”—a perk, she notes, that stems from herself. Naomi has began consuming pasta with crimson sauce. Spaghetti is my favorite. I quickly made it to the European appointment, and acquired up two or 3 times every evening to nurse earlier than going again to mattress. “I by no means miss an opportunity to sleep,” says Parker. “If she’s asleep, I undoubtedly will probably be.” In contrast to guys with out newborns, napping along with her daughter is “most likely my finest wager” for any noon relaxation, she provides.
Her teammates nonetheless invite Parker to hang around, and he or she says she nonetheless typically goes to dinner with them. The dynamic, although, is “undoubtedly totally different,” she says—not solely is she Virtus’ second-oldest participant, however she’s the one dad or mum on the checklist.
Parker says her daughter is the dimensions of a two-year-old and that Naomi is keen on enjoying with folks. Parker says she made some buddies on the video games, together with the children of assistant coach Jordan Losey. Her mother says Naomi is aware of easy methods to throw and move. Her capturing approach, Parker says, “that is just a little bit backwards in the intervening time.”
Because of Italian visa guidelines, Tyus spent the early a part of Parker’s season overseas in america. He arrived in Italy in mid-December and introduced not solely extra assist, however extra breast pumps, Tylenol and Pampers. Parker traveled to Italy stuffed with the latter — she additionally made certain to carry Aveeno Child lotion and shampoo, and Child Dove lotion, wanting to make use of the merchandise she and Naomi are used to — and he or she picked it up whereas within the States over the Thanksgiving vacation. Nonetheless, she says, motherhood “modifications the entire dynamic of simply being ready, being in cost.”
After a full summer time within the WNBA, Parker thought of sitting out the abroad marketing campaign solely or enjoying solely half a season as a approach to get better and spend extra time along with her little one. I explored the opportunity of returning to China, the place the season is shorter than in Italy. However with Bologna, she says she has a very good basketball prospect and an advantageous monetary supply. As well as, you haven’t been to the nation earlier than and heard optimistic critiques in regards to the metropolis through which you might be at the moment settling.
Towards Praha, Parker was tasked with making an attempt to match the productions of the massive stars Alyssa Thomas And Breonna Jones, who spend their WNBA seasons with the Czech nationwide staff. Tyus, who has performed collegiately and professionally abroad, calls out “Lionheart” whereas Parker is launched to the viewers. He shouts pointers and encouragements from a bench close to the staff bench all through the sport. Like Parker, he hopes her repertoire will proceed to evolve whereas she’s overseas — she is, in any case, there to carry out for a staff that aspires to be the very best in Europe. Making a mark within the Euroleague was primarily one other draw.
As Parker entered motherhood, she acquired recommendation from her colleagues within the WNBA neighborhood. I talked extra with Candace Parker, a veteran All-Star and mom of two, provided knowledge on elevating a daughter, the snapback course of after childbirth and the significance of holding time with a new child. Till now, Cheyenne hasn’t been shy about capturing as many reminiscences as potential — in pictures and movies. She can also be wanting ahead to someday telling Naomi in regards to the many locations she has already visited.
Dream ahead Cheyenne Parker has introduced her little one along with her to Italy, the place Parker goals to win a championship and proceed to develop her recreation. (courtesy Cheyenne Parker)
Parker mentioned all this on the night after her staff’s 81-65 defeat by Braha. Together with Tyus, I am sitting on a bench within the weight room at Virtus’ coaching facility. Naomi is at house resting with Bryant, who not solely helps with the cooking and cleanup round their Italian residence, but additionally imparts loads of recommendation her daughter may not consider in any other case, like searching for meals earlier than they’re digested as a result of she’s breastfeeding. Naomi’s transient break might additionally clarify Parker’s response when requested if there was something she needed so as to add about being a play dad or mum.
“She’s simply the goat,” she says of her mom. “I could not have requested for a greater useful hand.”
Minutes later, Parker and Teus acquired into their white Mercedes to lastly make their approach house. Their kids’s bedtime is just a few hours away.
The “No Offseason” sequence is a part of a partnership with Google. the athlete Maintains full editorial independence. The companions haven’t any management or enter into the reporting or modifying course of and don’t overview tales previous to publication.
(Illustration: John Bradford / the athlete; Picture from left Cheyenne ParkerNaomi Teuss and Verna Bryant: Courtesy of Virtus Segafredo Bologna)