Grandma Style: Can an 84-Year-Old Make the WNBA? She has their attention

Shirley Simson, an 84-year-old mother of four, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of 10, stood in the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in early January waiting for her ride. She wore bright pink athletic shorts with “SPORT DRIP” printed all over them, a white one-leg sleeve down her left side, a white shooting sleeve on her right arm, and a white headband with “CANDY” in the center that tied to the back . her gray hair. Along with two of her grandchildren, Shirley planned to take a 20-minute trip to Henderson, Nev., where the Las Vegas Aces are headquartered. She hoped to train at the WNBA team's facility.

Before the trio left, a teenager – “a young boy,” in Simson's words – saw her at the hotel entrance and asked for a photo. She had never been held back like this before. She was surprised, but gave in anyway.

Samson lived almost her entire life in obscurity. For about four decades, she was a registered nurse in southern British Columbia, Canada. Now retired, she gardens, plays bridge, makes stone sculptures and participates in two book clubs. Despite her age and height (she was once 6 feet tall, but says she has shrunk to 6 feet 4 inches), Simson is also a basketball player. Or rather, she tries to be one.

She hopes to become a WNBA All-Star. “For me, life is worth living,” says Simson. “I think you have to make the best of it because you're only here for a certain amount of time.”

Simson's journey to the professional ranks began in mid-October. Her grandchildren, Parker, 25, and Hunter, 21, threw her in and she was immediately game. “I enjoyed being with them,” says Simson, “and I was always someone who liked a bit of crazy things.”

They film her practicing at their local recreation center and then share the edited videos on the Instagram and TikTok accounts of their basketball accessories brand Court Candy, which they founded in the summer of 2020. They aim to make at least 50 videos of her. it presents it as a series, each titled “Grandma to the WNBA.” Simson delivers her visuals and uses Gen Z phrases like, “I'm stuck,” “I started cooking,” and “Chef Curry with the pot, boy.”

“I don't know what it means, but they don't understand the jargon from my time,” she says.

The project is obviously ambitious. Simson's grandchildren hoped it would raise their company's profile. But it was also a way for her to get in better shape after undergoing left knee replacement last March. The most important thing for the trio is that it allows them to spend more time together.

“She really is one of our best friends,” Parker says.

Simson last played recreational basketball at nursing school sixty years earlier. During her first training back, she had a hard time. “I was hopeless,” she says. “I couldn't dribble. I couldn't get it in the basket unless I did it grandma style. However, that didn't stop her. It hasn't turned off consumers either. Her progress has subsequently captured the attention of millions.

The series debut was viewed almost 2 million times on TikTok alone. Three other videos have been viewed more than a million times on the social media platform. Three videos on Instagram have surpassed the 500,000 views mark. Simson says she doesn't really understand social media. “I don't have enough time in my life to do all that,” she says. Still, she appreciates that people follow her. Parker and Hunter regularly show her the comments. “We think this is the coolest part for her,” says Parker. They are mostly positive. “I'm really happy that people have shown interest because one of the most important factors is that when you're moving, you're grooving,” says Simson.

Her workouts start earlier than any standard WNBA or college practice. On training days, Simson wakes up around 5:30 am and starts getting ready. At seven in the morning she is on the court, dressed not only in her grandchildren's brand of accessories, but also in their basketball shoes, which she wears only after putting on two pairs of socks and adding an extra insole. Her grandchildren guide her through her exercises, such as two-ball dribbling and pin-down shooting. She practices both underhand and overhand jumpers. She still uses an eight-foot hoop; they hope to eventually achieve WNBA regulation.

In one video, Simson pushes her walker away. In another, she lifts free weights and does split lunges. She practices her vertical jump (0.67 inches) and completes a three-cone drill in just over six seconds. Multiple videos show her racing through a ladder, sometimes with a basketball, which she says is one of the most difficult exercises. 'Baba, you are 84 years old. You're doing great,” her grandchildren tell her when she's having a hard time.

The WNBA is starting to notice Simson. In December, the Connecticut Sun noted, “Grandma… where are you?”

“That was like holy crap,” Hunter says. Shortly afterwards, and at Simson's urging during a video itself, the league's official account dropped eye emojis on its Instagram and TikTok content. Liberty star Breanna Stewart even shared a video of Simson on her Instagram Story.

Still, the Simsons' Las Vegas adventure didn't go exactly as they had hoped. Without an appointment, Parker said a security guard at the Aces facility turned them away. Instead, they filmed a video on the sidewalk outside.

Simson's grandchildren hope that the project will create more opportunities for 'Grandma Shirley', for whom they recently launched a separate Instagram page. It's called 'EasyMoneyGranny', a play Kevin Durant's 'easymoneysniper' handle.

They would like to see her receive an invitation to a WNBA All-Star Game or play a ceremonial role at the draft. “We just want it to lead to cool adventures for her,” Parker says.

That prospect fascinates Samson, but also brings with it some concerns. She asked her grandsons: “What if someone wants me to actually come and then I'm not good enough? What if a team takes me and I play poorly?”

They respond, “Baba, don't worry, they don't expect you to be dunking and doing crazy things.”

It also doesn't help to quell the nerves that a family vacation and a cold temporarily halted Simson's training. But after she recovers and settles back home in British Columbia, her journey to the WNBA will continue.

“Those of us who are lucky enough to be alive need to show people that old people can do things and that old people can have dreams,” says Simson. “Although we may forget a lot, we certainly know how to do a lot.”

(Top photo of Shirley Simson: courtesy of Court Candy)