Wnba's Jacki Gemelos Retires from Professional Basketball.

Washington Mystics guard Jacki Gemelos announced her retirement Friday, ending her injury-filled journey.

Announcing her retirement, Jacki Gemelos wrote, “Goodbye takes a hell of a lot of courage but what takes, even more, is the hello that comes next.

Basketball, you are a part of me forever. Excited to see what you bring next.”

Then she thanked the WNBA, the Washington Mystics, the Chicago Sky, the Connecticut Sun, Greece, USC, St. Mary’s, all her coaches & Fabrice.

Gemelos, who is just 32 years has played only 35 career WNBA games with three teams.

She made her debut in 2015 and returned to the league just last year after injury.

Her return to the league was something many thought would never happen but Gemelos never gave up.

An injury-filled inspiring journey

Before every practice and every game, Jacki Gemelos says a prayer: Please keep me safe.

The prayer gives her the strength to take the court and live her dream.

Gemelos’ entire basketball journey is full of uncertainties and injuries, as she has suffered numerous knee injuries to fulfill her dream of playing in the WNBA.

Born and raised in Stockton, California, Gemelos graduated from St. Mary’s High School as the most recruited player.

But she suffered five knee injuries during her high school and college career, due to which she missed many important games.

In the last game of her high school career, she suffered an ACL tear in her right knee.

It forced her to miss the famed McDonald’s All-American Game and her entire freshman season at USC.

Unfortunately, Gemelos re-tore the same ACL in 2007, just before starting a redshirt freshman season.

She again tore her other ACL in 2008 in a preseason workout, due to which she missed a third straight season.

Her injuries worsen; a few months after her third ACL tear, she was forced to have a fourth reconstructive ACL surgery.

Ain’t no mountain high enough for Gemelos

Despite all the injuries, she kept fighting and finally geared up for her first game in Cardinal and Gold, where she scored 8 points and a game-high 5 assists.

Gemelos finished out the 2010 season and made it through the 2011 season without major injuries. She averaged 12.4 points in her game.

After the 2011 season, she won a gold medal with Team USA at the World University Games held in Shenzhen, China.

Nine games into her sixth season at USC, Gemelos suffered the third tear in her left ACL, ending her college career.

I dream of being a WNBA player, but the wait was longer.

“It’s an athlete’s worst nightmare,” said Gemelos of tearing an ACL. “It’s such a long process.”

“It takes such a long time. And every day, it’s not pretty. It doesn’t feel good. It hurts. You’re constantly in your head about whether you’re going to be the same player you were before, if it’s even possible.

Can you even mentally convince yourself to get out there? For me, there was always a bigger picture. There was always that end goal.

And for me, it was to make it to the WNBA”. But, that goal took longer to become fulfilled.

In the 2012 WNBA draft, the Minnesota Lynx drafted Gemelos in the third round. Gemelos signed with the team in April 2013 but was released before the regular season.

After that, she went to Europe, where she flourished. She changed her game and worked to become a strong outside shooter to prevent more injuries.

Her playstyle was then recognized and rewarded, and she went on to play Serie A! teams in Italy, Greece, and Spain.

“To be successful out there, you have to be able to shoot from the outside,” Gemelos explained.

“The game is more with your mind versus quickness, speed, and athleticism. It’s more thought-out and structured. It fit me really well.”

Despite her success in Europe, Gemelos return to US to fulfill her only dream- to play in the WNBA.