A WNBA lottery pick teared up over the 'long journey' to hearing her name called at this year's draft

• The Indiana Fever selected Louisville's Emily Engstler with the fourth pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
• The Queens, New York, native teared up while reflecting on her "long journey" to the pros.

Emily Engstler was overcome with emotion when she heard her name called Monday night.

The Indiana Fever selected Louisville's 6-foot-1 forward with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. After transferring schools, transforming her body, and sacrificing so much for the game she loves, the 21-year-old Queens, New York, native was finally going pro.

She couldn't help but tear up in the moment — especially while reflecting on her siblings' influence on her path to the WNBA.

"Me and my sister are so close, and my brother, too," Engstler told ESPN's Holly Rowe after walking across the draft stage. "I wouldn't be here without them. I'm getting a little emotional, I'm sorry."

"It's been a really long journey, you know?" she added through tears. "I love them, and they've always been there for me."

Engstler's family looked on from a nearby table with tears in their eyes, too. They were all there on Roosevelt Island when, early on in the pandemic, Engstler upended her previous approaches to diet and fitness and went all-in on off-court basketball preparation.

Her sister, Danielle, helped design new routines for the then-Syracuse Orange star. Engstler lost 40 pounds by the time she returned to campus, according to The Daily Orange, which helped her reach new heights on the basketball court.

Engstler later left a Syracuse program embroiled in controversy and joined Jeff Walz's Cardinals, which she called "a very smart decision" in hindsight. She continued to elevate her game at Louisville and credited the move with helping her WNBA draft stock rise as high as it had.

Those two years made all the difference. So after she walked off the draft room floor and took a moment to let it all sink in, Engstler explained that the flood of emotions came after realizing that all that hard work and sacrifice had finally paid off.

"I got a little emotional up there for a second because I think it all hit me at once," Engstler said at her post-draft press conference. "This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I'm super grateful, and I feel very blessed."

Check out the full video of Engstler's tearful interview with Rowe below:

—ACC Network (@accnetwork) April 11, 2022