“Right after my surgery, I remember buying Legos,” the 6-foot-1 Dallas Wings guard said. “And I found it very fun. I wasn't able to, you know, travel or do a lot. So I was in my apartment and did that a lot.”
After knee surgery sidelined her during her entire rookie season with the Dallas Wings in 2023, the former University of Connecticut (UConn) women’s basketball star temporarily turned to a new career: Lego building. She also journaled, read and created social media content to help pass the time during her recovery.
“Just trying to find new things that I didn't really do as much before,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “Those little things outside of basketball that made my day a little bit better.”
Lopez Sénéchal made her long-anticipated WNBA debut on Wednesday, May 15, against the Chicago Sky, finally taking the court as the league's first Mexican-born player.
“I try not to feel pressure,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “I feel like I see it more as a positive thing, being from Mexico and France. Being able to represent two different countries, it's really special, so I try to use that.”
As the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, she entered a league widely recognized as one of the most challenging to join, with just 144 available roster spots.
Ignited by a whole new game on and off the court, Lopez Sénéchal went into the 2024 campaign with the Dallas Wings rebuilt, riding high on a newfound perspective gained during rehab.
“It definitely made me stronger mentally, understanding that there are always ups and downs in basketball, and that's the same with life,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “It really helped me to be patient. To learn that sometimes things take time.”
She returned to the game with a better understanding of the importance of ensuring longevity in her sport, as this was her first significant injury in her basketball career thus far.
“I feel like it made me more mature,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “Also having a different perspective on my career in the long term. If I want to have a long career, I also need to take care of myself.”
In preparation for the current season, Lopez Sénéchal sought advice from her coaches and reached out to players like Maddy Siegrist — also a rookie last year — to get more comfortable with the team's dynamics. During the league’s offseason, she geared up while playing for a Czech club named BK Žabiny Brno.
“I'm glad that I went one year overseas,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “I was able to play, you know, professional obviously in Spain, so at least that, I think, gave me an idea of what professional basketball is.”
“I try to see it also as a job where I can keep learning things because it's a job that I want to keep doing for many, many more years.” – Lou Lopez Sénéchal, Dallas Wings
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In learning to bridge the gap from college athletics to competing professionally, she says the past year made her realize she is no longer in school.
“I was so used to playing basketball and having education or other things on the side, but now this is all I have, you know, this is my job, this is basketball,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “I try to see it also as a job where I can keep learning things because it's a job that I want to keep doing for many, many more years.”
Her basketball playing days began when she was an 8-year-old in France, where she spent most of her life after moving there from Mexico.
“I always wanted to go outside of Europe or outside of France to either study or play basketball,” Lopez Sénéchal said.
Only when she played at the North Atlantic Basketball Academy in Ireland did she discover, through a chance conversation, that she could do athletics and academics simultaneously in America.
“When I realized that in the U.S., you could have an education and also play basketball, I really tried to work for that, and I'm very proud,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “Very grateful that it happened.”
The Mexican-born French resident carved a name for herself at Fairfield University before transferring to UConn for her fifth year of collegiate eligibility, where she quickly became one of the team's best scorers with her exceptional three-point shot.
While Lopez Sénéchal says she’s still trying to find her rhythm in transitioning from college to her current position, she aims to build on her debut WNBA season by contributing to her team's success moving forward.
“I'm a competitor, so whatever my role can be with the team, I just want to win as many games and get better as a team,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “We're a young team. Right now, we're a little bit short with some injuries, so it's just trying to get that chemistry. And it's getting better, I think, week after week.”
Looking ahead to the WNBA's future, she hopes to be the first of many Mexican-born players to join the league, paving the way for young girls who aspire to compete professionally.
“We see the diversity of people that are in this league, people from a lot of countries, people that have not really played college here who came from overseas, so I feel like I would hope that there's still going to be a lot of international players coming into the league,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “But obviously, for me, it's trying to also be that role model for those young girls that have a dream to be a professional one day, and with my story and my journey, seeing that it's possible.”
