The 2022 Atlanta Dream were a very interesting team indeed. Even though they missed the playoffs, I really enjoyed watching a lot of the players on this team that I believe will help them be a contender for years to come.
One player in particular that I enjoyed watching was Kristy Wallace. I remember watching her in several Dream home games that I attended and being impressed with how much grit and hustle she always had on both sides of the court.
I was able to speak to Wallace one day after practice last month and learn more about her. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Swish Appeal: That person who you were talking to. Was that Ben King or Steve Hawkins? Who was that?
Kristy Wallace: Those are guys, so they’re Australian. They helped me get back from my injuries, so Steve Hawkins is a physio.
Is that Steve Hawkins? Is that him?
Steve Hawkins, he’s a trainer, like a physio and Ben King was my weights coach. Really good relationship with those two.
Was that him that we just saw there? Who was that just leaving?
Oh no, that was Paul Goriss. That’s our assistant coach. They’re in Australia, those two: Steve and Ben.
What kind of training did you do?
I did three years of rehab with those guys.
Was it grueling?
It was very grueling. It was long. I didn’t know if I’d come back. I didn’t know if I was able to get back to playing basketball, but those two helped me get in shape and ready to go.
You really didn’t think you’d come back to play basketball?
No, I thought I had to retire. I couldn’t move without pain for a long time, so I’m glad I’m back.
Suffering not one, but two ACL tears, what was that like?
Yeah, rough man. So I did my first one in 2018 in America while I was at Baylor in college, and then, as soon as I got back, so I did the nine-month recovery, and then, at my second game back, I tore it again, and then I had two more complications coming back, so I had two more surgeries just to scope out some cartilage and stuff, so yeah man, three-year process, it was really tough, but had good support team around me that helped me get back.
How was it like going through a three-year process of recovering?
Yeah, really hard. It felt never-ending because I had to get the repeat surgeries too and it was frustrating, but again, having a good support team around me to help me get back was really good.
This support team, how did they help you get back?
Yeah, so I did a lot of mental health work. Psychology.
Mental health?
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