The Dallas Wings had just wrapped up a hard-fought win, and the media room was packed.

Paige and Azzi sat side by side behind the podium, still in their warmups, water bottles in front of them as reporters settled into their seats.

The first few questions were exactly what everyone expected.

“Paige, what changed defensively in the fourth quarter?”

“Azzi, can you talk about the chemistry you two have on the floor?”

After a few minutes, a reporter in the back raised a hand.

“This one’s for both of you. Your daughter, Willow, has become someone fans are really curious about, especially since she’s often seen at games. How does she feel about all the attention?”

Paige smiled a little.

“If you know Willow, you know she’d rather nobody knew who she was.”

A few reporters laughed.

“No, seriously,” Azzi added with a smile. “She’s probably the most private person in our family.”

Another hand went up.

“Has she ever wanted to follow in your footsteps?”

Paige shook her head immediately.

“Not once.”

“She danced before she could even spell the word basketball,” Azzi said. “That’s always been her thing.”

“So you never encouraged her to play?”

“We offered,” Paige replied. “A couple of times.”

“And she politely reminded us she had dance rehearsal,” Azzi added.

The room chuckled.

A reporter smiled.

“Was that disappointing?”

Both of them answered at nearly the same time.

“No.”

Paige glanced toward Azzi before continuing.

“You don’t raise your kid hoping they’ll become a copy of you. You raise them hoping they’ll find something they love.”

“And she has,” Azzi said. “She’s incredibly hardworking. Just because her stage has mirrors instead of a basketball hoop doesn’t make us any less proud.”

Another reporter spoke up.

“Fans have noticed she doesn’t seem to enjoy being photographed. Has that been difficult?”

Paige’s expression softened.

“Willow’s shy. She’s always been shy.”

Azzi nodded.

“She’s supportive of us, but she didn’t choose this life. Sometimes people forget that.”

“So if there’s one thing you’d want fans to know about her?”

Paige smiled.

“That she’s exactly who she’s supposed to be.”

Azzi looked over at her before answering.

“And that we’d appreciate people letting her be a sixteen-year-old girl.”

For a moment, the room was quiet.

Then another reporter cleared his throat.

“Alright… back to basketball.”

Both Paige and Azzi laughed.

“Now that,” Paige said, “we can definitely talk about.”