The Lynx went to Washington, D.C. Tuesday.
They went a day early; they don't play the Mystics until Thursday. They could have taken the day off, but they didn't. Every time they have won a WNBA title the Lynx have used a trip to Washington the following season to celebrate that title.
This time, a little differently.
Instead of a trip to the White House _ that invitation never came _ the Lynx will attend a local school, where they will give away socks, shoes and good will.
"We want to serve," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We want to give back, show that this is what champions do."
The idea of visiting the White House, and the fact that the Lynx never got an invite, made news in early May. The Lynx community service comes at a time when championship teams visiting the White House is again in the news, with a trip by the Philadelphia Eagles being cancelled.
To Reeve, though, it's not about what the team isn't going to do, but what it will do. Reeve said talk among the players never centered around such a visit.
Here's how it happened. Led by the team captains, the players decided they wanted to celebrate their title in D.C. by doing community service.
"We didn't want to make it about us," center Sylvia Fowles said. "So we came up with the idea of, 'Why don't we just give back?' We reached out to coach, and told her what we were thinking."
It just so happened that Reeve had just talked with the Samaritan's Feet, a nonprofit that provides shoes to children, about partnering with the organization. So, the day after the home opener, on May 21, Reeve called them up. "I said, 'I know this is crazy, I know time is short, but do you think we can pull something off?' And they literally ran with it."
In just weeks, Samaritan's Feet had identified Payne Elementary in D.C. A Title 1 school, 30 percent of its students are homeless and all fall under "low income" status.
Nike, Jordan Brand and DTLR Villa donated new socks and shoes for all 340 students.
"Once it became the idea, and that it could come to fruition, our business people jumped in and were sprinting with it, pulling it together," Reeve said. "I'm super proud of the players. They could have had a day off. But they were like, 'Nope, this is how we want to do this. This is how we want to celebrate our 2017 title in D.C."
It's unclear whether the team would have gone to the White House had an invitation been issued. Forward Rebekkah Brunson said shortly after the 2017 title was won that she would not. Reeve had said such an offer would be considered by the whole team.
But that issue is moot.
The Lynx will end up doing some good; the distribution of the shoes Wednesday will also include the washing of the students' feet.
To Fowles, it is a welcome break from the frustration of a season that hasn't begun in normal fashion for the Lynx, who are 2-5 entering the game in Washington.
"It will be good to take a mental break," Fowles said, "and focus on others. Not everybody gets the opportunity to do something like this. I think we're more excited than the kids, probably."
