- In any sport, you have to learn how to win,
then you have to learn how to lose,
but at the same time, you still keep working hard
to accomplish your goal, and then you just keep working at.
- Keep working at it. - Like repetition.
- That's doing the same over and over again, right?
- Yes. - Like, repetition,
repetition, repetition, repetition,
repetition (laughs). (all laugh)
(cheerful music)
- Hi, my name is Bevin.
What's your name?
- My name's Ryneldi Becenti.
- I'm Abby Cadabby, hi.
- Hi, Abby. - Hi!
- Do you know what we're here to talk about?
- A former basketball player?
- Wait a minute, there's a basketball player right here?
Under the table, or?
Wait a minute, are you a former basketball player?
- Yes, I am.
I was the first Native American to play in the WNBA.
- Wow. - Yeah.
- That's a big deal!
- It is. - Yeah.
You must have inspired a lot of people
- Yes. - by doing that.
- What is the WNBA?
- It's Women's National Basketball Association.
So when they first started the WNBA,
I was recruited to play for the Phoenix Mercury.
- How did you learn basketball?
- I learned basketball through my parents,
and they gave me a basketball,
so I just dribbled, dribbled, dribbled,
and I just worked on it every day.
So it was like a job for me.
- How old were you when you started playing?
- I started playing when I was five years old.
- Five, that's only a year older than me.
(Ryneldi laughs)
- What are some of your special talents?
- Well, I do a lot of singing and dancing.
- Can you dribble like, you know, they do between your legs?
- Yes, between the legs,
behind the back. - What?
So you're dancing with a basketball.
- Yes, dancing with a basketball, good way to put it.
- Can you spin a basketball on your finger?
- Yes.
- Oh, oh, let's see, okay.
Wow! - I can only do it
for like two sec, oh, that's cool.
- Wow, that was amazing.
- I can only do it for like two seconds.
- How about you, Elmo?
How about you, you wanna?
- Elmo can touch the ball.
(all chuckle)
And Elmo can watch Rafa do a great job right now.
- Okay, let's see. - Let's see.
Oh. - Very good, there it goes.
- Is there anything you practice a lot, Ellie?
- When I was seven, I did gymnastics,
and I'm practicing on a split, and I've almost got it.
- How do you train to do splits?
- Well, there's a lot of stretching involving it.
- Do you have to practice your flexibility for basketball?
- Yes, definitely. - Oh.
- But we don't get to do splits.
(all laugh)
- That'd be really impressive, though.
- You've seen a basketball court, right?
- Yeah. - It has a free throw line
and a three point line.
The basketball court I used to play on was just dirt.
We used to get flour and we used
to make our basketball court.
Have you heard of Frybread?
- Nope, but sounds good.
- It's our Native American bread that we make a lot.
So our dad would get mad 'cause we're using all the flour.
(both chuckle)
- Did your friends ever help you
when you were growing up and playing basketball?
- Yes, all my friends helped me, all my teammates,
my coaches, my dad and me.
A big group of support helped me.
Rafa, who supports you in your life?
- Well, obviously my parents, because they feed me
and do a lot of things that's important for my life.
- Yeah. - And also my friends
that cheer me on when I'm playing soccer.
- What made you want to play basketball professionally?
- My favorite basketball player was Cheryl Miller,
and when I was a little kid,
I watched the Olympics and it said,
look at Cheryl Miller, she's a African American,
she's opening doors for African Americans,
and so my goal was be the first out there
to open doors for all Native Americans.
So when I tell you my story about Cheryl Miller,
she was my head coach.
- You met your hero?
- Yes, exactly. - The one that inspired you,
and now you're inspiring everybody else.
- Exactly.
Who inspires you?
- Well, I look up to my sister a lot, and my parents, too.
My mom teaches high school band.
- Wow. - And so
that has encouraged me to start playing the drums too.
- You play the drums?
- Kind of. - Do you know
I play the electric guitar, right?
Do you wanna be in a band?
- We should.
- What do you play?
- I'll just hit the basketball,
or dribble the ball. - That's amazing.
That's a new sound, no one's ever heard it.
We'll be called Nothing But Net.
- Yes, good one. (Ellie laughs)
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Rafa, what would you like to be the best at?
- Well, my mom always tells me
that you're never perfect.
That's true, but you know what?
You can work really, really hard
and be the best that you can be.
- And in any sport, you have to learn how to win,
then you have to learn how to lose,
but at the same time, you still keep working hard
to accomplish your goal, and you just keep working at.
- Keep working at it. - Like repetition.
- That's doing the same thing over and over again, right?
- Yes. - Like, repetition,
repetition, repetition, repetition,
repetition (laughs). (all laugh)
- How did it feel to be the first Native American
in the WNBA?
- It was awesome, because when I first realized
that I got recruited to the Mercury, I was nervous,
but what made me feel so good was, when I put on the jersey,
I was actually doing it for my Native Americans
that looked up to me.
It just made them proud to know
that I'm on the court representing them,
and that my dream is also their dream.
- Wow. - Cool.
- Do you teach basketball to other kids?
- Yes, ever since I finished professionally in basketball,
my dad had always told me, no matter what,
you go back and you give back to your community.
So I do free basketball camps,
I go out and speak to kids about my story,
the story that you're hearing right now.
- Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today.
It was really inspiring and amazing to hear about.
- Yeah, I was really inspired too.
- Well, thank you, that's awesome.
- Can I get a hug?
- Sure. - Yeah!
(laughs) Yeah, you're so cool.
- [Ryneldi] Thank you.