Drake’s Katie Dinnebier trading in her jersey and basketball shoes for a lab coat
For most basketball players
By Jeff Dubrof
Click here for updates on this story
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — For most basketball players, making it to the pro ranks is everything.
Drake’s Kate Dinnebier is not most basketball players.
“I love basketball, and I wouldn’t trade my career for the world, but you gotta retire at some point,” Dinnebier told KCCI after announcing on Monday night that she’d be opting out of the WNBA draft.
“I would’ve never thought I’d have the opportunity to play professional basketball,” Dinnebier said.
However, mock drafts did not have Dinnebier as a projected pick. Her other option was to play in an international league, an option she decided was not for her.
“I honestly didn’t want to go overseas,” she said. “It was WNBA or bust.”
After taking some time to think it over, Dinnebier decided it was time to trade her jersey and basketball shoes for a lab coat.
“Ultimately, this was the right decision for me,” she said. “My goal has always been to be a doctor, always been to go to pharmacy school and get my degree.”
Dinnebier will continue to pursue her degree at Drake’s Pharmacy School, though she’ll still have to adjust to a new normal.
“I used to say, ‘Hi, I’m Katie Dinnebier, Drake women’s basketball player.’ I can’t say that anymore. Now, it’s just, ‘Hi, I’m Katie,’ and that’s weird,” she said.
She said next year will be bittersweet without basketball but that she’s relieved to just be a student and cheer on her Bulldogs from the student section.
“I’m excited to be back (at the Knapp Center) and be the No. 1 fan in the crowd,” she said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
