The towels were one of the first things Leïla Lacan noticed.

Not cars or food. Not the grocery stores, though all of those stood out too. But at some point, sitting on the bench in America, Lacan saw players throw towels on the floor and could not quite understand why.

“For us, it’s a little weird,” Lacan said. “You can just keep the towel.”

It is a small detail, but Lacan notices small details.

That may be the easiest way to understand her, away from basketball. She is calm, reserved, and observant. She is not the loudest person in the room, but she is usually catching more than people realize.

On the court, Lacan’s game comes at opponents quickly. She plays with speed, gets into action fast, and can change the pace of a possession almost immediately. Away from the game, she moves differently. She takes her time. She listens first. She opens up when the comfort is there. When asked to describe herself outside of basketball, Lacan did not make it complicated:

“I would say that I’m calm. I like to spend time with my animals. I like easy stuff.”

The easy stuff matters to her. Back home in France, that includes her two cats, Tris and Gingy. One is gray and white. The other is ginger. Lacan adopted them from a nonprofit, and although she misses them, she did not bring them to Connecticut this season because she wanted to make sure her apartment would be comfortable for them.

“I didn’t know how my apartment would be, if it would be small or not,” Lacan said. “I didn’t want them to not be happy.”

That answer fits her personality well. A simple practical decision made with care.

Lacan has always been a mix of calm and energy. Growing up, she said she was energetic but easy to manage. She didn’t give her family many problems, but she still had plenty of life in her.

“I had a lot of energy,” Lacan said.

That combination still shows. In conversation, Lacan is measured. In basketball, she is immediate. She can be quiet in one setting and disruptive in another.

The United States has given Lacan a lot to process.

When she first arrived, everything felt different and larger than what she was used to in France. The roads were different. Even normal errands came with a learning curve.

“I was stressed because everything is bigger,” Lacan said. “Starting with the cars. I was scared to drive. I was scared to go to grocery stores, and the food is different.”

Driving brought its own list of surprises. In France, turning right on red is not part of the rules. In Connecticut, exits sometimes come from the left. Drivers also move faster than Lacan expected.

“People go fast,” Lacan said. “They go faster, way faster than the limits.”

Still, she did not talk about the adjustment as a complaint. For Lacan, the stress came with curiosity. It was a lot at once, but it was also new.

“I was happy to discover so many new things at the same time,” Lacan said.

Food was one adjustment. Lacan said the United States has more diversity, but when it came to the debate of who has better food, she didn’t take long to answer.

“France.”

There was no diplomatic answer coming.

In Connecticut, when she cooks, she keeps things simple: chicken with vegetables in the oven, pasta, or rice. The same word kept coming back with Lacan. Simple. Calm. Easy.

But the biggest adjustment was not something she could find in a grocery aisle or learn from a road sign. It was language.

Lacan does not feel like her personality comes out the same way in English as it does in French. In French, she can be more playful. She can joke faster. She can talk trash more naturally. In English, every sentence asks for a little more thought.

“It’s not really natural in my head to speak English,” Lacan said. “I have to think. Even to make jokes, it’s more complicated.”

That can make her seem more reserved than she actually is. The humor is there. The personality is there. It just does not always arrive as quickly in a second language.

In France, with her former team, Lacan said she was more playful. The group was smaller, and the team spent more time together. Over time, she got comfortable enough to show that side of herself.

“I was able to open and be funnier and feel free,” Lacan said.

For Lacan, opening up isn’t necessarily about location.

“I think it’s more a question of trust than France or another place.”

This season, rookie Nell Angloma has helped bring some of that familiarity to Connecticut. Angloma, who is also French, gives Lacan someone who understands the language, the culture and the small differences that may not seem like much until you are the one living through them.

“It’s really nice to have her,” Lacan said. “It’s easier to connect when you speak the same language, you have the same culture.”

Together, they can joke about the things they notice. The towels. The extroverted personalities. The parts of American culture that can feel funny, confusing or simply different.

“I think it would be different for me if she wasn’t here,” Lacan said.

Their connection gives Lacan an easy place to land. They do not have to explain everything to each other. Some things are understood before they are said.

“We understand each other in some things,” Lacan reflected. “We can support each other.”

That kind of connection matters for someone who does not force comfort. Lacan has lived away from home since she was 13, so being independent is not new to her. But moving countries, learning a new rhythm and communicating in a second language adds another layer. If anything, the move has confirmed something about her.

“I can adapt.”

In Connecticut, that adaptation has come through everyday moments. Learning the roads. Adjusting to the food. Getting more comfortable with English. Building relationships slowly. Finding humor in the little differences.

It has also come through the nature Connecticut brings.

Before coming to the United States, Lacan’s picture of America was bigger cities and tall buildings. But Connecticut gave her something else. Trees. Green space. Room to breathe.

“I really enjoy the nature part,” Lacan said. “It’s not the picture that we have of America.”

That part feels familiar. Lacan grew up in a small town in France, and some of her family lives in the countryside. Being around nature has always been part of her life.

“It’s so green, and there are trees everywhere,” Lacan said. “You feel space.”

As the Sun play their final season in Connecticut, Lacan hopes people remember the team for its competitiveness and energy.

“I hope they remember that we gave energy,” Lacan said. “Even if we didn’t win everything, we were competitors.”

It is a simple answer, which makes sense. Lacan does not need to overstate things.

She is not trying to be the biggest voice in the room. She is not trying to make every part of herself obvious at once. She is watching, learning, adjusting, and letting people in at her own pace.

The towels may still be strange. The left exits may still be confusing. The food debate may already be settled in France’s favor. But Leïla has found a peace in Connecticut that’s invaluable.

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Behind the Glow: Kennedy Burke

Behind the Glow: Leïla Lacan

Behind the Glow: Aneesah Morrow