SEATTLE -- Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull recently returned to play in her home state for the first time in the 2025 season. Hull, a native of Spokane (Spo-KAN), Washington, had a career night in the Pacific Northwest as the Fever beat the Seattle Storm, 94-86.  She scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. Coming back to her home again, Hull was able to enjoy the experience playing in front of the people who inspired her love for basketball.

Growing up in Spokane, Hull developed a love for the game from her family, specifically her dad, Jason. She talked about how her dad influenced her love of the game as he passed down his experience as a former college player.

“My dad [was my biggest influence],” Hull said. “He played in college, so he definitely put the bug in my sister and I early, and we’ve loved it ever since we started playing… .”

Her love of the game originated from her family, and she was able to learn from her dad while sharing the experience with her sister. Hull played high school basketball with her twin sister, Lacie, at Central Valley High School, where they won two WIAA 4A State championships. As she reflected on where her basketball journey started, Hull talked about her favorite memory from her high school days.

“We got to go to New York for the Geico National Championship,” she said. “People didn’t expect us to do well, people didn’t expect us to win, and we ended up winning that…it was such a special experience getting to travel with those groups of girls and eventually come home with the championship.”

As she completed her high school career, Hull did so by winning the National Championship when very few thought they could. Both Hull sisters’ contributions to the 2016 and 2018 State titles were well recognized, as they were inducted into the school Wall of Fame along with both championship teams. When reflecting on that experience with her sister, Hull expressed her gratitude for being recognized at a place where she has many memories.

“It’s always an honor to get recognized at someplace that I spent so much time and have so many fond memories,” Hull said. “...our entire championship team got to go back, so it [was] really cool to see those girls again and kind of reminisce in the good old days.”

Hull felt the love she and her sister received at Lake Valley while also reuniting with the teams she battled with to win multiple championships. Although she learned to play basketball from her family, Hull’s experience watching as a fan influenced her love for the game. In a city where Gonzaga University is the basketball school, she grew up watching their games until she played in high school. Hull reflected on how growing up in Spokane influenced her love of basketball and highlighted how the love and support always remained when she played.

“I grew up in a city [where] Gonzaga is kind of the thing that made Spokane known nationwide, so [I] definitely grew up a basketball fan,” she said. “[I] grew up going to games…our high school games were packed, so [I] just grew up in a place that people really appreciated and loved to support everyone’s basketball, so [I’m] really grateful for that.”

Her love of basketball was always there as she grew up in Spokane, and she’s received the appreciation back as she’s played at every level. After a successful high school career, Hull played with her sister at Stanford, winning a National Championship in 2021. Following her college success, she was drafted sixth overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Fever. After a rough few years in the league, her career heated up with the addition of the 2024 Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark. She described what impresses her about playing with Hull and her impact on the offensive end.

“Offensively, I think [Hull]’s one of the best cutters in the league,” she said. “...[She’s] a high basketball IQ player…that speaks to the ways she’s able to cut and move without the ball…. Her offensive game has taken quite a few steps forward this season, which is exciting.”

Clark described Hull’s ability to move without the ball and how her basketball IQ is underrated, while praising the progress she’s made this season. Fever Head Coach Stephanie White also spoke before their win in Seattle about Hull’s approach to the game and how she’s almost impossible to take off the floor.

“I think the ultimate compliment to any player is that they never give you a reason to take them off the floor, and that’s Lexie,” she said. “She’s always working her tail off on the defensive end, doing all the little things it takes to position us for success… .”

Hull’s ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball makes a player like her hard to take off the floor, and her coach views her as a key to their success this season. As she continues her pro career, her schedule finds her returning to her home state almost every season. Hull felt immense gratitude for the opportunity to return to Washington to play at the highest level in front of her loved ones.

“The great thing about this league is [that] you get to go across the country, going to go to places that are near home,” Hull said. “Getting to come back to Washington and play in a state that I love [and] I grew up in is really special. To be able to have friends and family be able to come out and see us play is really special.”