Jessie Moses is rehabbing her way back to the court, just as the WNBA arrives in her city. Now, the dream is local — and the fire is personal.
By John “Woods” Armwood III
Built for Philly
Jessie Moses leans back in her chair, a grin spreading across her face at the mention of the WNBA’s newest home. “It’s definitely great,” she says, shaking her head as if she still can’t believe it. “Now I’ll have influences I can see and look up to that are in my city. There’s so many great players in the WNBA, but it was hard to relate because there wasn’t a team here. Now there is — and of course you want to give back to your city.”
For Moses, the news hit different. Philadelphia basketball isn’t just a backdrop to her story; it’s the soundtrack. It’s summer events that pull generations into the same gym. It’s seeing her stepdad coach at community tournaments. It’s conversations with college coaches at the Basketball Family Conference that feel less like recruitment pitches and more like neighborhood check-ins.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” Moses says. “It reunites a lot of people. I love coming here every year
The Hard Call
This summer brought change. Moses made the gut-punch decision to step away from her current program, trading familiarity for opportunity. “It’s definitely a hard decision,” she admits. “I’m going to miss my teammates and coaches. But I think it’s a personal decision — where I think I would thrive the best.”
Her choice was shaped by something else, too: an injury that stripped basketball from her daily routine and made her see the game through new eyes.
The Grind of Getting Back
“It definitely changed my mentality just going into everything,” Moses says. “I’m living in the moment now. Rehab has taught me consistency — even on days I’m tired or exhausted, I find the motivation.”
She attacks her recovery the same way she plans to attack defenses when she returns: relentlessly. “It’s attacking rehab, attacking workouts, attacking my day-to-day. I’ll be hungrier to play because I’ll know what it’s like not to have basketball. I’ll be ready to go in no time.”
A City, A Team, A Player
Philadelphia doesn’t just get a WNBA team next season; it gets a movement. For players like Moses, that means a future where chasing the dream doesn’t have to mean leaving home.
“I’ve had so many people ask if I’d want to play for Philly,” she says with a laugh. “Of course I would. Giving back to your city — that’s everything.”
For now, Moses is somewhere between rehab and full speed, between the weight room and the hardwood. But in a city built on grit, she’s exactly where she needs to be: putting in the work, imagining the roar of a Philly crowd, and preparing to be ready when her name gets called.