52); Shavonte Zellous, Detroit/Tulsa/Indiana/New York/Seattle/Washington (2009-present; also wore 11); Tamera Young, Atlanta/Chicago/Las Vegas (2008-19; also wore Nos. The consummate pass-first point guard, Penicheiro averaged 7.7 points for her career, but did have one season in which she averaged double figures (11.9 in 2008). She started just two games and averaged 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in the 2012 regular season. The Liberty fell in Game 3 and didn't win the championship, but her shot lives on. Brunson is a five-time WNBA champion, winning four of those titles with the Lynx. 18 gives us a chance to spotlight her here. Whitmore wore this number for the bulk of her career, and it's the one she is best remembered for. She helped lead the Sun to the 2019 WNBA Finals. 3 pick in 2014, has averaged 14.6 points in her career and went to the WNBA Finals last year with Las Vegas. The dominant center has been the perfect fit with the Lynx, winning titles there in 2015 and '17 as WNBA Finals MVP both times. At Atlanta, she appeared in the 2010 and 2011 WNBA Finals, with her best season coming in 2010, when she averaged 16.9 PPG. Griffith was one of the best post players in women's basketball history. Ndiaye-Diatta, from Senegal, was an NAIA player like McWilliams-Franklin and was taken in the 1999 draft's fourth round, which no longer exists. 2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, ahead of Michael Jordan. 3 in college are there in the WNBA: Taurasi and Parker. But an ACL injury in the 1999 opener cost her the rest of that season, and after re-injuring the knee six months later in a scrimmage, she also missed the 2000 season. Jones has made huge strides the past two seasons and was an All-Star this year. She persevered through 10 knee operations, including five ACL surgeries. She played for eight different teams and wore No. A two-time NCAA champion at UConn, she was the No. Robinson, a three-time All-Star, is in her 10th season out of Oklahoma as one of the league's most dependable point guards. See also: Florina Pascalau, Seattle (2015). 1 pick in a strong 2001 draft class, then teamed with 2002 top pick Sue Bird to lead the Storm to the 2004 and 2010 WNBA titles. 33 at Georgia -- stands out. 3 pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, Wiggins won the 2011 title with the Lynx. She spent her seven-season career with Detroit, winning three championships (although she was out the 2008 postseason with injury) and making one other WNBA Finals appearance. 17 for two championship runs with the . The forward spent six seasons wearing No. A Naismith Hall of Famer, three-time MVP, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Swoopes averaged 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in her 12-season career. 23 isn't just any numberit's the number that belongs to the greatest basketball player in NBA history, Michael Jordan. Both were WNBA first-round draft picks 12 years apart and six-time All-Stars, but Holdsclaw didn't play in the WNBA Finals in her 12-season career. She donned No. We mentioned earlier that Castro Marques spent most of her career wearing No. 6 seed, with the winners advancing to a best-of-five semifinals series against one another . What Brittney Griner's return for the 2023 WNBA season means for her and the Phoenix Mercury, Why Jonquel Jones brings top-5 fantasy upside to New York, Voepel: Moore hits buzzer-beater in moment of 'greatness', 'I had to be an Olympian': How a Team USA snub launched Dawn Staley to the doorstep of Olympic history, Not just Nneka: 12 WNBA standouts who never suited up for Team USA, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Timms was among the initial group of Australians who helped launch the WNBA and she is still one of the most popular. 20: Kristi Toliver, Chicago/Los Angeles/Washington (2009-present; also wore No. Without a lot of 18s, it's worth mentioning Stanford grad Nygaard. A 2017 All-Star, Hayes has averaged in double figures in eight of her nine seasons. 41: Erika de Souza, Los Angeles/Connecticut/Atlanta/Chicago/San Antonio (2002-17; also wore No. 8, but for this list we'll discuss her at No. She missed most of that season after having her daughter, but played four games as a rookie, and then 13 full seasons after that with a perfect ending: the 2017 WNBA title with the Lynx. Connecticut reached the WNBA Finals, falling in four games to the Las Vegas Aces. 44 and 4); Marlies Askamp, Phoenix/Miami/Los Angeles (1997-2002; also wore No. NBA players also . They couldn't have been more wrong: She signed as a free agent with the Sun and played on their 2004 and '05 WNBA Finals teams. North Carolina native Stinson was allocated to Charlotte, entering the league at age 29 when it launched, and spent eight of her nine WNBA seasons there. And for the first time since 2015, white jerseys will be back in the WNBA. 0, 4, 14). Williams, the 2016 No. Number: 12; Years active: 1998 - 2008; . But she ended up being one of four players selected that year in the now-defunct fourth round who not only made the WNBA but played at least five seasons. Larkins often seemed to bring her best in the playoffs, including for Indiana's 2012 title team. 35 and 15); Susanna Bonfiglio, Phoenix (2002); Two of the least-popular numbers in women's college hoops are 53 and 54, and that remains true with 53 in the WNBA. Ford was the third pick in the 2003 draft out of Louisiana Tech. 1 draft picks, in 1998 and 2000, respectively. The semifinals and WNBA Finals are best-of-five series. 6); Elaine Powell, Orlando/Detroit/Chicago (1999-2008; also wore No. Notable players who wore/wear No. She played in her first All-Star Game last month. 9), See also: Samantha Prahalis, Phoenix/New York/Los Angeles (2012-2014, also wore Nos. T-Spoon was a perfect fit for New York, the heart and soul of the teams that played in the '97 title game and in three WNBA Finals. Langhorne's two championships (2018, '20) came near the end of her career in Seattle. The Tennessee grad won her championship with Los Angeles in 2016, when she was Finals MVP. On our college list, Holdsclaw edged Moore for the top spot at No. Swoopes was in the trio with Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo who were the first to sign with the WNBA for its inaugural season, which she then joined late after giving birth to her son. But she beat the odds, playing 10 seasons and going to four WNBA Finals with Detroit and winning three of them. North Carolina's Reid was the first WNBA rookie of the year (the honor wasn't given in the league's inaugural season) in 1998. Dupree, 36, was recently released by Seattle and then picked up by Atlanta during the Olympic break. As a national champion at Purdue and in her first seven WNBA seasons, she wore No. Lotus Seven was an open top, two-seater sports car. Maria is the fourth-tallest player in the WNBA and wears a size 24 US shoe (48 EU size). 24: Tamika Catchings, Indiana (2002-2016), See also: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota (2019-present); Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas (2019-present); Jewell Loyd, Seattle (2015-present); DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix/Connecticut (2009-present); Tari Phillips, Orlando/New York/Houston (1999-2007); Natalie Williams, Utah/Indiana (1999-2005; also wore No. Lobo wasn't the same player after being out two years, but played three more seasons in the league. Miller played 12 seasons, but had 15.6 win shares to Catchings' 93.7. There are some exceptions noted, such as when a player's so-called "secondary" number is far less popular and thus gives her a better chance to make the list. 1 pick out of Duke by Phoenix, but traded on draft day to Minnesota. Thielen's cap hit is scheduled to be $19.9 million in 2023. Her best years were with the Detroit Shock, with whom she won the 2003 WNBA title. On the other side of the ball, Griner has been one of the league's best rim protectors as a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. 2. So with not many 16s to choose from, we slotted her here. 25 on the college list, and was a strong contender here, too. 18 to give a shoutout here to Gemelos. 6 pick in 2013, won a title with Mystics as a key reserve in 2019. Former NC State center Mapp was 27 when the league launched, and her career highlight was playing for the Sparks' 2001 title team. January, still a top perimeter defender at age 34, played in all three of the Fever's WNBA Finals appearances, winning the title in 2012. At some point, you kind of run out of superlatives for Bird, who at age 40 and in her 18th season is still at the top of her game. She has averaged 17.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in her nine-season WNBA career. A three-time All-Star, she missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury, but returned in 2020 without missing a beat. Hammon is the patron saint of the undrafted, although it comes with the caveat that the 1999 draft was when the influx of veterans from the folded ABL entered the WNBA. Brunson, who played nine seasons for the Lynx, is second in all-time rebounding (3,356) to former Minnesota teammate Sylvia Fowles. The former UConn star played in the WNBA only until age 31, but was the picture of consistency that whole time, averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. 49: Amaya Valdemoro, Houston (1998-2000; also wore No. a; b; c; d; e; f; g; h; i; j; k; l; m; n; o; p; q; r; s; t; u; v; w; x; y; z She was on UConn's first national championship team in 1995, then played in the ABL before being drafted into the WNBA by Houston in 1999. Lyttle made two WNBA Finals appearances for Atlanta. 7 seed and the No. 14), See also: Kiah Stokes, New York/Las Vegas (2015-present); Tully Bevilaqua, Cleveland/Portland/Seattle/Indiana/San Antonio (1998-2012; also wore Nos. 7 at 1,578). She was traded to Sacramento and played two seasons there, but injuries ended her career prematurely. From 2008-11, she played in just 34 games for four different franchises. Johnson, now the Dallas Wings' coach, also was our college pick at No. The No. No player was more important to the launch of the WNBA than Cooper, who won the league's first two MVP awards as the Comets took the first four titles. 12, 34). 8, but her one season at No. All-star guard Jewell Lloyd became the highest-paid player in the WNBA when she re-signed with the Seattle Storm on a two-year $463,030 contract earlier this year, according to the Associated Press, earning an average of $231,515 a season. Sunday wasn't the first time that the WNBA has tried to keep Griner at the . 9); Michele Timms, Phoenix (1997-2001). Cedric Maxwell, a.k.a. An All-Star in 2015, she was Finals MVP in 2019 when the Mystics won their first championship. 15); Janeth Arcain, Houston (1997-2005). Miller and twin sister, Coco, were Georgia grads; Kelly's WNBA highlight was starting for the Mercury's 2007 championship team. Popular. Phillips played in two WNBA Finals with New York; she and Williams were both four-time All-Stars. 25: Becky Hammon, New York/San Antonio (1999-2014), See also: Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut (2014-present); Glory Johnson, Tulsa/Dallas/Atlanta (2012-20; also wore No. She was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2007, when the Mercury won their first title, and she also won a championship with Phoenix in 2009. 45: Kara Braxton, Detroit/Phoenix/New York (2005-14), See also: Astou Ndour-Fall, San Antonio/Chicago/Dallas (2014-present); Noelle Quinn, Minnesota/Los Angeles/Washington/Seattle/Phoenix (2007-18). Chicago/Los Angeles/Washington ( 2009-present ; also wore No to Catchings ' 93.7 Kelly 's WNBA highlight was starting for top! Askamp, Phoenix/Miami/Los Angeles ( 1997-2002 ; also wore Nos the best post players in women 's basketball history 17.6! Pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, ahead of Michael Jordan her championship Los... 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