TAMPA, Fla. — Kitija Laksa was supposed to get her moment in the sun during her final season at USF. 

But just three games into the 2018-19 season, Laksa lost that chance when she went down with a torn ACL. So quickly, her plan to enter the 2019 WNBA Draft was gone. Last summer she made the decision to turn pro in her native Latvia and began the journey to the WNBA all over again. 

“To be honest, I’m not used to things coming easy to me,” said Laksa, who is sixth on USF’s all-time scoring list. “So, at the end of the day I was just trying to get back out there. There were those ups and downs. I was expecting to be back in November, that didn’t happen.”

Laksa finally got back out on the court this past December for TTT Riga of the EuroLeague. The milestone moment put Laksa on cloud nine.

“The first game was just, oh my god, it felt amazing,” said Laksa. “When something has been taken away from you for so long – something you love so much – the road to it is rough, with these ups and downs. But getting back to it was amazing.”

The coronavirus pandemic cut short the time Laksa would spend on the court, but enough was done to make her a strong prospect for the 2020 WNBA Draft. The sharp shooter would now be able to tout her international resume to WNBA executives – something she had been waiting to do. 

“I played in the European Championships, I played in the World Cup,” said Laksa. “I don’t think anyone in the draft has that type of experience so, yeah, that is definitely something that will help me.”

We spoke with Laksa prior to draft night and asked what that moment would be like to finally hear her name called.

“I mean, I am not going to lie that’s a dream,” said Laksa. “That will be a dream come true just to be like ‘yeah, I made it to the WNBA.’”

Finally, the night came for the draft. And it didn’t take long for Kitja Laksa to realize her lifelong goal. With the 11^th pick in the 2020 WNBA Daft, the Seattle Storm selected Kitija Laksa.

“The second I saw my name come up on the screen I just tried to hug my family and it was an amazing moment for us and we enjoyed it very, very much,” said Laksa in a post-draft interview.

Laksa would enjoy rave reviews from some of basketball’s best.

“She’s a phenomenal three point shooter,” said ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo. “She makes tough shots, she moves really well without the basketball.”

“Quick release, great shooter, she can space the floor, she fits our style perfectly and I think she’s hungry,” said Sue Bird, who was serving as a draft analyst and will be teammates with Laksa in Seattle.

Laksa also received kind words from a fellow Latvian and 1^st round NBA pick Kristaps Porzingis of the Dallas Mavericks, who congratulated her on joining the ranks in NBA/WNBA.

“My phone went crazy and all these sweet text messages and calls and everything I got. Just the support is a great feeling,” said Laksa.

The journey to get to the WNBA Draft is finally complete for Kitija Laksa. But in true form, she isn’t basking in the glory, Laksa is already focused on earning her time in Seattle.

“Right now I’m ready to work and prove myself and fight for my spot,” said Laksa.