Dishin & Swishin 07/17/14 Podcast: Temeka Johnson continues to produce on the court and on the bookshelf
This week ends with WNBA All-Star weekend and some of the best players in the world will convene in Phoenix, Arizona to entertain excited fans of every team, from all over the country.
All-Star crowds are different than your average WNBA game crowd. In addition to being larger in quantity, the diversity is as much fun as the game. You will see jerseys of every team, and every star, not to mention throwbacks from days gone by (Cleveland Rockers and Orlando Miracle jerseys have been sighted in prior years). Fans love the game, but they also love the atmosphere, and they will attend open practices and fan fest activities to meet, greet, and just have fun.
In addition to the league sponsored events, on Friday night, at a local bookstore, Seattle Storm point guard and children’s book author Temeka Johnson will team up with 13 Teams, 1 Journey author Alex Chambers, and Tulsa Shock assistant coach Bridget Pettis for a book signing plus a question and answer session.
Johnson has written three books now in the “Meek’s Moments” series, each with the idea of empowering children to face the obstacles in their path, to stand up for themselves and persevere when things get difficult.
Of course, all of those traits come easily to Johnson. Despite being only 5-3, she has used her dedication, work ethic, and never say no attitude to carve out a successful WNBA career. Former Rookie of the Year and owner of a WNBA championship ring from her time in Phoenix, Johnson has never averaged less than 17 minutes per game on any of the six teams she has played for in her ten year career.
It is a pleasure to have Johnson back on Dishin & Swishin, to discuss her passion for basketball, her passion for writing, and her passion for giving back to the community, most notably through her charitable organization, Heaven Open People’s Eyes (HOPE).
Topics discussed include her inspiration for her books, the Storm season, finding the drive to overcome obstacles, the state of the point guard position in the WNBA, the difficulty of both the Western Conference and the league in general.
If you are traveling to Phoenix for the All-Star game, make sure to stop in after the open practices on Friday and say hello to Temeka Johnson at her book signing. You will not be disappointed!
