Championship Q&A: Kamila Vodichkova
As important as Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson have been as franchise building blocks for the Storm, the team's first ever draft pick, Kamila Vodichkova, might have been equally key to the franchise's development from 6-26 in year one to a WNBA Championship at the end of year five. "Let me tell you what the real bonus for this franchise was," the Storm's first coach, Lin Dunn, said earlier this season, "that we got Kamila Vodichkova with the ninth pick in the 2000 Draft and that was a real, real steal." Vodichkova returned to Seattle knowing it would keep her from playing in the Olympics with the Czech Republic with a championship in mind, and helped make that reality by battling Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith in the Western Conference Finals and scoring 14 points in the Storm's championship-clinching Game 3 victory over Connecticut.
 Vodichkova acknowledges the crowd during the celebration Tuesday night. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty |
Kamila Vodichkova: Exactly (according to plan). The victory, the trophy, it was the reason I came back. Last year, I knew that I had to come back to bring the team to the spot where we deserved to be last year. I felt like we lost something big last year because of my injury. This year, we did what we wanted to do last year.
Did what happened last year serve as motivation?
Vodichkova: Yeah, it definitely helped us because we know how good a team the Seattle Storm is and we just wanted to show everybody. The team was new and even better than last year.
How much sweeter is the championship because you've been through everything with the Storm since the start of the franchise?
Vodichkova: It's hard to describe, because it's a big feeling, especially after those things that happened in April with the Olympics. I feel like it's the biggest success in my life, the biggest accomplishment. I feel very happy, and I am happy for coach, for my teammates, for the whole team.
Does winning the championship validate your decision to pass on the Olympics in order to play for the Storm?
Vodichkova: Yeah. I don't know how to say it, but after everything that happened in the past, this victory, to be a WNBA Champion, it covers everything. I know what you are asking, but I don't know how to say it the best. I think I've said it in many ways.
Did it feel good to be a big part of the Game 3 victory?
Vodichkova: Yes. I definitely feel like I helped my team more to win it than in games before.
Is this the highlight of your career?
Vodichkova: Absolutely, because I think the WNBA is the best league in the world. Anybody can play here. It's the biggest competition between teams, between players. It's hard to make a team, it's hard to stay on a team because you can still be traded and the rotation is different every day. For me personally, this is not just a WNBA Championship but a whole season that started in the fall last year when we won the World Cup with my Russian team. This year, specifically, is the best in my basketball career because I got a trophy from Russia, so I'm a Russian champion and an American champion. I think it's kind of unique.
