Hoops dreams a bucket of adventure
Born in New York and raised in North Carolina, where she played basketball for the Tar Heels, Jessica Breland has overcome so much to get to where she is today. The summer before her senior year of college, Breland was thinking about all the places she wanted to visit before school started. Instead, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and spent the next halfyear undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
Now 28 and healthy, the 6-foot-3 forward is playing with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. During her team’s offseason, she enjoys playing overseas (China, Turkey, Israel, South Korea). An edited version of our conversation follows.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from traveling?
A: I’ve learned that, as Americans, we are really blessed with freedom and the opportunity to enjoy a great quality of life.
Q: What were some of the challenges of playing overseas?
A: One of them is being away from my friends and family for an extended period of time. Also, language barriers and cultural differences sometimes make communicating with my teammates and coaches more challenging. I have translators, which made communicating with my teams easier, but it was very different from being able to speak directly with someone in English.
Q: How is women’s basketball received in the countries that you’ve played versus in the U.S.?
A: I’ve had the opportunity to play professionally in Turkey, Israel and South Korea. Women’s basketball is generally well received, with more support in all of these countries. I was surprised.
Q: Of the places you’ve played overseas, which stands out?
A: They were all great. I wish I had more time to sightsee. When I was in Korea, it was so fun shopping in Myeong-dong and Insadong and seeing Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?
A: I remember taking an elementary school field trip to the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia, and I really enjoyed it.
Q: What are your fa-
vorite hotels?
A: The Grand Hyatt. In New York I like to stay at the Hyatt in Times Square. Intercontinental is another one of my favorites.
Q: What are your five favorite cities?
A: My five are Chicago, New York, Seattle, London and Tel Aviv.
Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A: Bora Bora! I have seen pictures of resorts there, and it looks really beautiful.
Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A: I have to bring along my Xbox and other devices like my MacBook, iPhone, iPad; Aveeno products and cocoa butter lotion.