INDIANAPOLIS — Glance at the Indiana Fever social media page, and you’ll see a video of Myisha Hines-Allen stopping an iPhone timer on exactly the two-second mark. That was her task — she wears No. 2, so she had to hit two seconds.
“Right on the first try!” she exclaimed in the video.
She left the phone behind her so Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, her former teammate of more than five seasons with the Washington Mystics, could see the accomplishment. Hines-Allen and Walker-Kimbrough are close. But this story, as shown, was a lie. Hines-Allen did not stop the timer on her first try. In fact, it wasn’t even close.
“I walked past once, I walked past twice, I walked past three times,” Walker-Kimbrough told The IX Basketball. “It took 15 minutes. … She had our [social] media standing there for 15 minutes.”
So while it appeared that Hines-Allen was yelling out for Walker-Kimbrough to share a silly moment with a close friend, it was more to gloat that she finally accomplished an insignificant task in a not-insignificant amount of time. Yet she still wanted to make the moment about more than herself, which made those two seconds a fleeting look into who Hines-Allen actually is.
A few days later, her coaches and teammates offered another glimpse into Hines-Allen’s makeup. One minute, head coach Stephanie White was calling Hines-Allen the team’s mother hen. Moments later, Walker-Kimbrough was likening her to a linebacker — fitting given the defensive role her brother Josh has for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That combination of a softer interior yet hardened exterior, particularly as it pertains to her play style, is exactly why the Fever wanted to sign Hines-Allen in the first place. It’s also why they had pursued the forward before. Hines-Allen shared that Indiana had tried hard to sign her the first time she entered free agency, as a restricted free agent in 2022.
Tamika Catchings was the general manager then, and Marianne Stanley was the head coach. Stanley had been an assistant coach for the Mystics in 2018 and 2019, Hines-Allen’s first two WNBA seasons, so she knew Hines-Allen’s game, and traits, well.
In the end, being a restricted free agent made it hard for Hines-Allen, then in her mid-20s, to switch teams. And she believed it wasn’t the right time to move on from the Mystics. But that interest from the Fever was meaningful and stuck with Hines-Allen all this time.
Now, the 30-year-old is in Indiana. Even though Catchings isn’t the general manager anymore, she shot Hines-Allen a text after the agreement was finalized in mid-April. “I’m glad we finally got it done,” the message read.
The two have connected since Hines-Allen got to Indianapolis. And of course they did — Hines-Allen’s ability to bond with others is part of what makes her such a valuable part of any team.
“What she’s good at is just being able to learn the team and learn each player. She did it for us also in D.C., but she’s able to also do it here,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “But it looks different because players are different, people’s personalities are different.”
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Watch Hines-Allen talk to her teammates or media members. One might think she’s the nicest player in the WNBA. Then watch her play. That thought will seem impossible. She’s bruising, a hard hitter in the post. She’s a beast on the glass despite being shorter than most frontcourt players at 6’1. White attributes her rebounding prowess to good instincts, feel and body control.
“Honestly, I think people are surprised. On the court, I’m all serious. Once I step on the court, I’m serious. No joking around. But off the court, I’m light-hearted. I like to play, I like to joke around,” Hines-Allen explained. It’s how she’s been since she grew up playing sports, and she believes Josh has the same qualities. They came from her grandfather, who instilled tough yet kind traits in the Hines-Allen athletes when they were kids.
“It comes natural. It’s all natural for me,” the Fever forward said of her personality. Her entire career started that way. Her first-ever WNBA minutes were in a preseason game against the legendary Sylvia Fowles and the Minnesota Lynx. Hines-Allen had 13 points and four rebounds.
“Being able to play against her and hold my own against her for my professional career, [that] started the ‘I’m not getting bullied’ mindset,” Hines-Allen recalled. That’s a mindset she shares with her teammates and holds close to this day.
“Don’t let anyone just bully you on the court. I think that’s just how I come,” she said. “I’m an undersized post player. So for me, I’m not going to get bullied.”
Not that Hines-Allen has to prove who she is this far into her career, but her home debut with the Fever had a never-get-bullied moment, too. In a preseason game on Thursday, Hines-Allen was guarding Dallas Wings center Li Yueru and giving up 6 inches of height in the matchup. Less than 30 seconds after Li entered the game, Hines-Allen had to box her out to fight for a rebound.
Of course, Hines-Allen came away with the ball. She ranked in the top 20 in rebounds per minute last season and can battle on the boards with anyone. That’s one of the many ways her bruising, self-described “bullying” style of play shows itself. It’s also there on every screen she sets and every loose ball she chases. Hines-Allen will hit opponents first and make them feel her presence.
Then the final buzzer sounds, and she’s back to being a smiley connector. She’s jovial when her team needs a lift yet serious when a blithe spirit arrives. That emotional balance is crucial, and it’s similar to the difference between the person Hines-Allen is off the court and on it.
“We always talk about being a different kind of person on the floor. It takes a different kind of mentality. I think she exemplifies that,” White said. “She’s a beast on the floor. She’s competitive. And off the floor, she’s kind. She’s a mother hen. She’s great to everybody; she’s welcoming and inclusive. She’s really the perfect example of what you mean.”
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As the Fever figure out their frontcourt rotation for the coming season, Hines-Allen is certain to be part of it. Exactly where that role lands is still unclear. Aliyah Boston hasn’t played in preseason action yet and Damiris Dantas was a late arrival to training camp. But Boston, Hines-Allen and Monique Billings project to get most of the team’s minutes on the interior, and that trio brings power, defense and some athleticism.
With Dallas last season, Hines-Allen averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She toggled between bench and starting roles, a sign of her still-valuable versatility. Her off-court traits blend well with those numbers, and that’s why the Fever still wanted Hines-Allen years after Catchings’ failed pursuit.
And Hines-Allen wanted to come to the Fever this time. Winning was a big part of that decision, and so was the opportunity to play with star guard Caitlin Clark. That feeling was mutual, as Clark hoped her team could add Hines-Allen.
“That came up later in negotiations, or not necessarily negotiations, but just talks of like, ‘Let’s get this done,'” Hines-Allen said of Clark’s interest.
“Just having the opportunity to be able to play with [Clark], definitely eye-opening,” Hines-Allen added.
In two preseason games, Hines-Allen has started twice. She’s averaging 3.5 points and 5.5 rebounds so far, though her efficiency hasn’t been where it needs to be. More time and reps will help, as will Boston’s return to the lineup. In the meantime, Hines-Allen’s on-court impact is less important during a time of chemistry building. Her off-court value matters most right now, and she’s proving it one stopwatch rep at a time.
“It’s a big thing for me, being a great teammate. But all in all, I’m a great human. And that’s one thing that no one can ever take away or say anything bad about me,” Hines-Allen said. “I’m a great person and I carry that on to my teammates and I give them the confidence to be who they are. And I think that’s the most important thing.”
Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Washington Mystics, holds a minority stake in The IX Basketball. The IX Basketball’s editorial operations are entirely independent of Monumental and all other business partners.
