Life after basketball isn't exactly what Bridget Pettis had planned. The former Phoenix Mercury star traded the gym for the garden.
"I never thought I'd be a farmer," Pettis said. "It's just kind of how it worked out."
Pettis founded Project Roots in 2019, a community garden fighting hunger in South Phoenix.
Pettis says it's her way of giving back to the community she once played in.
"It's important to know it's not all about basketball," Pettis told ABC15.
She was drafted by the Mercury in 1997 as part of the WNBA's inaugural draft.
"Those were the time[s]! It was the beginning of something marvelous," Pettis explained.
The Mercury retired Pettis's number, but she's anything but retired.
She works on the farm of her non-profit, growing fruits and veggies that go to families in the nearby communities.
"I love seeing the miracle of food growing from the earth," Pettis said. "It's a great way to do our part."
Pettis hopes her work on the farm leads to a legacy that's bigger than basketball.
"Our talent is something with a time limit. It's important to know it's not all about basketball."
Pettis doesn't do the work at Project Roots alone. Volunteers help tend to the farm year-round.
She said, "When volunteers come out it inspires them and they too are planning and growing real food on the spaces they hold."
Away from farming, Pettis stays involved in basketball with the Bridget Pettis Foundation.
She holds clinics and mentoring programs for young women in the Valley.
"There are ways to keep basketball in your life with coaching and mentoring," Pettis said.
