Bree Hall’s first year as a professional basketball player was, by any honest measure, a grind.
The former South Carolina standout was selected in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever — a life-changing phone call that came just eight days after her college career ended in heartbreak at the national championship game. She survived most of training camp, only to be cut 12 days before the season tipped off.
What followed was a lesson in professional precarity. Hall was signed and released by the Golden State Valkyries not once but twice in the span of roughly two months. She joined the roster on June 18, was waived on June 30, signed a seven-day contract again on August 27, and was released once more on September 1. In total, she appeared in three games for Golden State, logging 12 minutes, three points, and two rebounds.
“It was definitely tough,” Hall said. “It definitely became my motivation in the offseason. Being waived and cut, you don’t really get a flow of things. Of course, you go in, you’re grateful for the opportunity. You go in, you learn. Each time I kind of ask them ‘What can I do better? What do you want to see improve in my game.'”
The season took a warmer turn on September 4, when Hall signed with Indiana and reunited with Aliyah Boston, her former Gamecock teammate. The familiarity clearly meant something.
“She’s an incredible basketball player, incredible leader, and, of course, friend…it was great to be able to share the court with her again (and) learn from her,” Hall said of Boston.
The timing proved fortuitous. Indiana made a playoff run, and Hall was along for eight postseason games — playing in four of them, averaging two minutes and 1.5 points per game. Modest numbers, but Hall saw the experience as something larger than statistics.
“Playing with such elite vets, being able to learn from somebody like Sydney Colson…hearing what she had to say in the locker room was really important,” she said. “Just seeing the routine, the focus of the team, and what we were trying to accomplish every day on the court, even in the practice, in the lifts, walk through. It was really good, just to see how those things are supposed to go. The vets did a really good job leading by example.”
Indiana was eventually eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces — the eventual WNBA champions, led by fellow Gamecock great A’ja Wilson. In her exit meeting with Indiana’s coaches and front office, Hall received a clear set of targets for the offseason.
“I talked to the coaches and the GM…they told me the things that they wanted me to improve on and so I took that and ran with it,” she said. “I was everyday disciplined, focused, intentional in my workouts, trying to improve on what they asked me to improve on.”
Hall took her development overseas, signing with Mainland Pouākai in New Zealand to sharpen her three-point shooting, perimeter defense, post-up game, and ball-handling. Living alone abroad for the first time added a dimension beyond basketball.
“You kind of mature, you grow as a person, first of all, when you go overseas,” Hall said. “That’s my first time being out of the country by myself…it’s not really the same as in the States, as it is overseas. You’re really independent, on your own.”
Without a personal trainer available, Hall turned to whatever resources she could find.
“There wasn’t a trainer, so I had to look on YouTube, look at Tiktok, and figure out drills that I can do every single day to improve on the things that I was asked to improve on by the Indiana [coaches] and the GM,” she said. “It was a really great experience. I got to build (and) improve my skills. I had some things that I needed to work on, that I just felt like I was given the floor to work on and mess up and make those mistakes in New Zealand, and kind of just kind of get better in that way.”
She left New Zealand in December having averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Now Hall is competing in Athletes Unlimited, a professional 5-on-5 league based in Nashville where four weekly-rotating rosters face off throughout the winter. She announced herself immediately, scoring 17 points in her February 4 debut and following with a 25-point performance days later.
“I think for me going into the game, it was just important for me to just kind of showcase what I’ve been working on in the offseason,” she said. “Play free, be me and play to my strengths.”
Hall is one of several former Gamecocks in the league, alongside Te-Hina Paopao, Zia Cooke, and Alaina Coates — which has produced some spirited moments on the court.
“It’s always great playing against Te-Hina,” Hall said. “A little trash talking. Of course, we’re not necessarily in the exact same position but [when] she’s coming up the court I’m saying stuff to her. She might hit a three. I hit a three. We’re saying stuff to each other. So it’s good. It’s good to have that friendly competition and show love to each other after the game.”
Through six games she is averaging 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 21.2 minutes per game, with the season running through March. The league’s structure, Hall says, suits where she is right now as a player.
“AU gives you the opportunity to just play free, not as many sets as you would with maybe a different team or in the WNBA, or anything like that,” she said. “So you’re given the opportunity to try new things, try things that you’ve been working on during the off season. I’m just looking forward to it.”
