From the moment Geelong Venom import Alissa Pili shed tears of joy with her family as her brother Brandon’s Seahawks won through to the Super Bowl, she knew she had to move heaven and earth to get back to the US to watch him.
The 24-year-old Alaskan forward negotiated an early finish to her first WNBL season, one that should allow her to arrive in San Francisco on Super Bowl Sunday (Monday AEDT).
Geelong Venom import Alissa Pili will rush home to the US to watch her brother Brandon play in the Super Bowl on Monday.Credit: Eddie Jim
Pili’s sisters Trinity and Kayla were visiting her in Geelong when Brandon and the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams in the AFC title game to clinch their place in the Super Bowl.
“We were jumping up and down, [and] screaming in the house,” she told this masthead.
“We were so excited. Our parents called us just after the game – they were crying, they were so happy.”
After leading the Venom in their clash with the Capitals in Canberra on Saturday, Pili is flying back to Melbourne on Sunday morning, and then boarding a direct flight to San Francisco. If all goes according to plan, she’ll touch down in the US at 8am on the day of the Super Bowl.
She will still need to drive 90 minutes down the road to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where Seattle will take on the New England Patriots for the biggest prize in American sport.
Pili couldn’t imagine not being alongside her parents, her eight other siblings and some aunties and uncles to watch Brandon, so as soon as the Seahawks qualified, she went to Venom coach Chris Lucas and, between the WNBL and club, they arranged for her early departure.
“I told him this is very important to me,” Pili said of her conversation with Lucas.
“He was really understanding. I found a way to make it work where I wasn’t missing any games here, and I would still make the Super Bowl. They were very helpful in working with me on that.
“It’s just crazy – I don’t think it will really sink in until we are at the game.”
Pili played a starring role against Bendigo recently.Credit: Getty Images
Pili’s first WNBL season hasn’t exactly gone to plan. She suffered a serious ankle injury in her first game, and after she made her way back suffered a kidney infection that left her in hospital in Perth for four days.
Saturday’s game was just her eighth of the season, but in those games she starred with 28 points against Perth and a game-winning 26 against title fancies Bendigo.
“It’s been a challenge, a roller coaster, and I’ve experienced some pretty crazy things,” Pili said.
“But I’ve finally felt healthy in the last few games.”
Brandon has also had a roller-coaster career in the cut-throat NFL.
He made the Miami Dolphins’ roster for the 2024-25 season, but the defensive tackle was left heart-broken when he was cut by the team in November 2024.
Still, he wasn’t down for long with the Seahawks swooping in to sign him for their practice squad, where he remained until he was elevated to the 53-man playing roster earlier this season.
“I thought I had really built my resume in Miami, and when I got released it was kind of devastating,” Brandon told SB Nation’s Field Gulls site ahead of the Super Bowl.
“But coming here [to the Seahawks], getting to be closer to my family was a plus, and knowing the guys upstairs in the recruiting team believed in me allowed me to go on an upwards direction.”
While most fans would be eagerly watching Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold or star wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, or even punter Michael Dickson (though an Australian lens), Alissa said it isn’t hard to find her 6′3″ (192-centimetre), 334-pound (151-kilogram) brother on field.
“He’s a big guy, so he’s hard to miss,” she said with a laugh.
“We definitely know whenever he is in the game, and we’re always looking for that.”
The imposing Brandon Pili has a key role to play in Super Bowl LX.Credit: Getty Images
Pili’s parents regularly attend Brandon’s games in Seattle as it is one of the closest US cities to their home in Alaska.
“It’s an easy flight, like three hours. Seattle is probably the closest flight to anywhere in the US,” she said.
Alissa and Brandon both spent time playing their respective sports at the University of Southern California, and Alissa said she was excited to see another former Trojan alongside her brother in the Super Bowl – Darnold.
“Me and my brother both went to school with Sam Darnold so it’s cool to have them both on the same team together again and see them make it that far,” Alissa said.
Brandon Pili (No.95) has forged a reputation as a fearsome nose tackle.Credit: Getty Images
Trinity and Kayla flew back to the US on Saturday (AEDT), but they loved watching their sister “in her element” in the WNBL and are just as excited for their family reunion at the Super Bowl.
“It’s exciting because he’s never been in such a big game like that, so I’m happy for him,” Kayla said of Brandon.
“He’s living his dream. I’m excited to watch him play and, hopefully, they win.”
Alissa has also become a fan favourite among members of Victoria’s growing Samoan community. Her father’s family originally hails from Samoa, while he grew up in Hawaii.
Pili can’t wait for her family reunion with a difference in San Francisco.Credit: Eddie Jim
Australian basketball has a growing number of Polynesian players and Alissa is proud to be a role model, just as she was back in the US during her college career and during her WNBA stops in Minnesota and Los Angeles.
“I love seeing our community come to games and support me, [and] little girls coming up to me after the game – it’s so humbling for me and motivates me to keep inspiring them,” she said.
“There are starting to be more and more [Polynesian basketballers] and I think that representation is super important – I definitely take pride in doing that for our community.”
Trinity couldn’t help but smile when recalling the looks on young girls approaching her sister.
“It’s honestly so cute to see them looking up to someone that we looked up to growing up,” she said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
