Isabelle Harrison has no trouble spotting her father, Dennis, sitting courtside this season at Athletes Unlimited games in her hometown of Nashville.
Then again, it’s hard to miss the sturdy 6-foot-8 former NFL defensive lineman who dwarfs the average person.
After each game, Dennis waits for Isabelle to cool down and shower before taking her bag, throwing it in his car and driving her home.
The rides have been reminiscent of her girlhood days.
Harrison, who stands 6-3, may have gotten some of her physical and athletic gifts from her father.
But her competitive spirit? That comes from growing up with 11 siblings — including nine older than her.
She remembers being constantly sent outside to play games. Football, basketball, tag. Any game, they’d play it.
From a young age, Harrison couldn’t stand the thought of losing.
“For me, I always wanted to beat them,” said Harrison. “And I always wanted to impress them, so when my dad did get the chance to come to a game or my sibling did get a chance to come to a game, I just wanted to show off.”
That drive helped Harrison get to this point of her professional career, despite it having been derailed twice by injuries and once by an autoimmune illness.
Harrison, 30, is preparing for her eighth WNBA season, and first with the Liberty, with whom she signed a one-year deal last week.
After a turbulent 2024 season with the Chicago Sky, Harrison is eager for the chance to put the past behind her and help bolster New York’s frontcourt rotation.
“I’m just at a point now where I want to play with a great team,” Harrison said. “And we’re just ready to come in and play, and I think New York does an amazing job just making sure all we have to do is play our basketball.”
Harrison knows what she’s getting into by joining a team coached by Sandy Brondello.
The two have known each other for a decade now. Brondello was the head coach for the Phoenix Mercury when they picked Harrison 12th overall in the 2015 WNBA draft out of Tennessee.
Harrison missed that entire season as she continued to rehab from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. But every time she dropped in, Brondello always had “helpful words” to share.
Harrison learned a lot during her rookie season, despite having to go up against “the hardest team to guard” at practices. Her teammates included Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, DeWanna Bonner and Candace Dupree — just to name a few.
Harrison also grew close to Brondello and her family — so much so that the Brondello’s dog is named Izzy, which is Harrison’s nickname.
“It’s just that’s the type of relationship that it’s more than basketball,” Harrison said. “Sandy just always made it fun to come to work, so I’m excited to be back with her now.”
Harrison has played on three other teams since her lone season in Phoenix.
breath while the offense is on the field against Texas Tech during
the 7th annual Peach Bowl on Dec. 28, 1974. Harrison. Isabelle’s
father, played 10 seasons in the NFL. Frank Empson / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Harrison, who has a family history of Lupus, missed the 2018 season with an undisclosed autoimmune disease. In 2023, adversity hit again when Harrison had to undergo knee surgery, which caused her to miss the entire WNBA season.
Harrison didn’t get the same ramp-up for last season as she had in years prior. She missed two of Athletes Unlimited’s five-week seasons because of a bout of vertigo. When she could play, Harrison was on a strict minutes restriction.
“It wasn’t an easy situation for me,” Harrison said.
Harrison wasn’t at full strength in 2024, but she said, “I feel like I still did great.”
of an Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball game at Municipal Auditorium in
Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 19, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
She dealt with constant knee soreness, and it took time for her to relearn the game and trust her body again.
It also didn’t help that the Sky had a new head coach, a first-year general manager and a very different roster, featuring lottery picks Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
“When I signed there [in 2023], everybody from the coaching staff, players, front office, it just was different. So going into Year 2 … I felt like it was shaky from the beginning,” Harrison said. “Obviously you try to make it work for as much as you can while you’re there but [there wasn’t] really any consistency. And for me, that just kind of made me feel uneasy and it was just kind of hard to come in every day and know what to expect and as a veteran, who I played on so many teams and so many players, to see it kind of go down like that, it just always gives a feel of Year 1 vibe.”
Harrison played a career-high 36 games, averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while mostly coming off the bench, down from her career averages of 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Harrison learned a lot of lessons from her time in Chicago, including how to deal with adversity.
“I just wish my time in Chicago was utilized more because I know I could have done even more when I was there. But it brought me to now, going into free agency, knowing what I want,” Harrison said. “And [I’m] so happy that I landed in New York and that culture and professionalism is something that I knew I needed in my career at this point.”
Harrison still doesn’t feel like she’s 100 percent yet.
“It’s a constant battle,” she said.
But she has high hopes for the 2025 season in New York.
“I just know the mentality of those types of players are never satisfied,” Harrison said. “So to know that, to hear that, it makes me want to bring my very best game in to help them accomplish that goal [of winning another title.] I hate that I’m a year too late with those guys, but I’m looking forward to build that with them.”