{"id":474722,"date":"2026-02-17T23:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/474722\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T23:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:22:09","slug":"how-this-substitute-teacher-ended-up-with-more-than-her-wnba-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/474722\/","title":{"rendered":"How this substitute teacher ended up with more than her WNBA dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arysia \u201cAce\u201d Porter, who started playing basketball at age 6 with professional dreams, was a substitute teacher<\/a> for the San Antonio Spurs, contemplating her next career move. After a short period playing in Mexico, she intended to try out for a WNBA<\/a> team when a surprise opportunity presented itself.<\/p>\n

Porter told People<\/a>, \u201cI actually got a call from the Harlem Globetrotters saying that they loved the way I handled the ball. They loved my personality because I love posting content and basketball content. They just invited me to a tryout. Their history fits my purpose. I haven\u2019t looked back since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since joining the Globetrotters in 2023, the 28-year-old has established herself as one of the six women on the largest female roster in the team\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Porter emphasized that while the Globetrotters<\/a> are famous for entertainment, their games require significant preparation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe go to the gym five hours before the game,\u201d she noted. \u201cPractice my crafts, practice my skills, and get mentally ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[I] stretch. I listen to music sometimes. I definitely have to say a prayer to get myself mentally ready for the game, be grateful, and be in the moment, knowing that I\u2019m able to do this job and make an impact in any way I can. By game time, it\u2019s ready to go,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Returning to the team annually allows her to \u201cbe that role model\u201d for young women and girls, which she sees as a key opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always such a cool experience and a blessing to show that we can do anything that anybody else can do,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe can do anything the men can do,\u201d adding that she is proud to be one of the women on the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, being a lady on the team is rare. It\u2019s an all-dominant male team, so just seeing a lady on a team and just representing and showing that we\u2019re not limited to anything is also my favorite part of just being that role model,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

One fan<\/a> interaction, in particular, remains significant to her.<\/p>\n

She recalled an occasion when an older woman approached her and shared that it had been 40 years since her last Globetrotters game. The woman mentioned that Meadowlark Lemon and Frederick \u201cCurly\u201d Neal were still with the team during her previous attendance.<\/p>\n

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\u201cShe\u2019s like, \u2018The fact that I\u2019m here right now and I haven\u2019t seen it in so long and there\u2019s a girl on the team.\u2019 She started tearing up. Then she was holding my hand, like, really tight, and she was like, \u2018This is, like, so cool,’\u201d Porter recounted. \u201cShe\u2019s seen the Scooby-Doo episodes, and it\u2019s just crazy how they haven\u2019t seen the updated version of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another perk, Porter admitted, is \u201ctraveling all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to spread that joy, that love and laughter with the game that we love so much, and just making other people feel special and making an impact in any way that we can,\u201d Porter shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the Harlem Globetrotters mark their 100th anniversary<\/a>, Porter expressed her hope that the team will continue to \u201cbreak down barriers any way that we can and just keep paving new ways\u201d over the next century.<\/p>\n

Porter emphasized that she is grateful for the present, stating she \u201cdoesn\u2019t take these opportunities for granted.\u201d She considers the chance to \u201ctravel to different places\u201d and experience \u201cdifferent cultures\u201d a true blessing.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: Immigrant single mom of four gets dream home built with iconic Rockefeller Christmas tree lumber<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arysia \u201cAce\u201d Porter, who started playing basketball at age 6 with professional dreams, was a substitute teacher for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-474722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}