22-Year-Old Center Rupert was Activated on July 4 Coming from the French National Team
By: Jameelah Johnson
As her daughter stood taking the photographs she missed during media day, Elham Rupert slowly made her way down the arena stairs, making sure she wasn’t seen. She came up behind the photographer, and a smile crept across her daughter’s face.
It was Iliana Rupert’s birthday and the team wanted to surprise her.
Rupert found it odd she hadn’t received a birthday call from her mom and then thought to herself, “Imagine she’s in the plane and she’s coming” but dismissed it as they were to meet up in Vegas literally the following day.
“And then I saw her, and at the same time I was taking pictures so I did not want to have a weird face…I was just like ‘Oh my God,’” recounted Rupert with a chuckle. She was indeed surprised but didn’t want to ruin the photographs for the team.
@Iliana_rups ‘s mom flew in from France to surprise her at her first home game in the A 🥹🫂 pic.twitter.com/y5eBuG0btL
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) July 12, 2023
Standing where she could hide but also see the interaction was Rupert’s teammate Cheyenne Parker. Parker and Rupert both played for the Virtus Segafredo Bologna team in the 2022-23 season where they became close.
“We played together in Italy this year. So I’ve been really familiar with her.” Rupert said Parker was great during their time abroad, “We had a really good relationship already. Even before we knew I was going to Atlanta. It was really a person that I really appreciate.”
Rupert remarked how Parker’s whole family was in Italy and everyone was so thrilled to hear the two would be together in Atlanta as well, “I was also really happy because she’s an amazing player but as a person also, she is like really, really nice and I know I can count on her.”
Rupert was activated by the Dream on July 4, after playing with the French National team and helping them finish third-place in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket competition.
“I think the biggest thing that I learned in winning the championship is that everything is about detail.” Joining a team in the midst of their season isn’t new for the sophomore center, she did the same last year as a rookie for the Las Vegas Aces.
Dream Head Coach Tanisha Wright praised Rupert before the team’s matchup against the Minnesota Lynx, “Prior to what I saw about Ili is just, just a good basketball player. Super solid basketball player. Ili is somebody who can obviously stretch the floor. She’s played with the French National team so she has some experience of playing in big games.”
Rupert saw her first minutes as a member of the Dream in their win against Seattle on July 12. She grabbed three rebounds, scored two points, came up with a steal, and got a block all in seven minutes of action. In the team’s win against the Lynx on July 18, she showed off that range Coach Wright alluded to by making a three in the second quarter.
“Just understanding the game better. My game is really in reading and trying to see how the defender is defending and trying to, you know, sneak around.” Rupert’s growth in playing basketball over the years has come in the form of preparing her body but also her knowledge of the game, “So it was really (to) elevate my understanding of the game. And I think with Coach T in like, what…two weeks already, I learned a lot of little things and it’s in all those details that personally I will really grow.”