Cynthia Cooper4. 5 best women's basketball players at every position in 2019-20. "It's just like the NBA or the NFL. She was the first female player to have a Nike shoe named after her: "Air Swoopes.". Women’s basketball has become a sensation in the past few decades and the WNBA is a major reason why. Case for: There hasn't been a scorer like her since she retired. The league's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 with Sacramento, Griffith averaged 13.6 points, … Male and female competitors are exceeding expectations at playing this sport. Indiana Fever icon Tamika Catchings is joining the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and it was an easy call for the voting committee. Most of these are players -- some of whom have gone on to coaching or broadcasting or other fields. Woodard was captain of the gold medal-winning Olympic team in 1984 and averaged 10.5 points in six games. She helped lead the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs to their only title in 2005, when she was also named WNBA Finals MVP. At 5 feet 9 inches tall, she’s far from the most physically imposing player on the court but her skills as a scorer and playmaker have led her to average 15.9 points and 4.9 assists per game for her career. She has played 22 games over the past four WNBA seasons. No player in WNBA history has won as many games as Lindsay Whalen. Catchings might not come to mind as the best ever, but she is a "stat-stuffer" along the lines of LeBron James, as Krauskopf put it. There may have never been a more fearsome physical presence in women’s basketball than the star center, who stands at 6 feet 8 inches and will not hesitate to posterize you. She averaged 18.7 points a game in the tournament. FIFA Women's World Cup ... Michael Jordan as the NBA's greatest player of all-time got us thinking. She was remarkably agile for her towering height of 6 feet 5 inches and used that to wreck defenders on a nightly basis, becoming arguably the league’s first household name. A coach now in the league she helped build, Katie Smith is passing her immense knowledge of the game down to a new generation. The legendary point guard won 323 contests in 15 seasons before retiring in 2018 and focusing full-time on coaching college basketball in her home state of Minnesota. Greatest WNBA Players of All Time. During her own career, which lasted 15 seasons, Smith led the Shock to two championships. Today's best women's basketball players include Lauren Jackson, Seimone Augustus and Tamika Catchings. Her career free throw shooting percentage of 93.8% is the best in league history and it’s not even close. Candace Parker5. In 14 seasons, she averaged 6.8 rebounds to go along with 11.4 points per game, helping her land on six All-Star teams and two All-WNBA teams. She was a four-time All-American in both high school — she once scored 105 points in a game — and college. After a stellar college career at Notre Dame, Skylar Diggins-Smith came into the WNBA in 2013 as a hot commodity. Born: March 25, 1971, Brownfield, Texas (age 41). Case for: In her era, she was usually considered No. Career recap: The sister of the NBA great Reggie Miller was labeled by Sports Illustrated as the best player in college basketball, male or female. Dupree also ranks eighth in career rebounding, showing how essential she’s been to her teams on both sides of the ball. Case against: Injuries have limited her. Charles has the ability to go down as the best player in WNBA history but the only thing missing from her resume so far is a championship. In 1985, she became the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Basketball is without a doubt a standout amongst the most took after recreations of all circumstances. Before that, Cooper helped USC to NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984. Where did your favorite player land? Knee problems may have severely shortened Cheryl Ford’s career but she was brilliant during her seven seasons in the WNBA. World > Lists > All Time Greatest > Women > SI. International medals: Olympics (bronze, 2012; silver, 2008, 2004, 2000, ); World Championships (gold, 2006, bronze, 2002). She averaged 32.8 points as a senior and was a Parade All-American four times. The Women's National Basketball Association's Top 15 Players of All Time were chosen in … Case against: Her scoring benefited from Mercury's up-tempo system. Case for: Her inside/outside versatility redefined what it meant to be a female post player. In 2019, Delle Donne became the first WNBA player to ever join the vaunted 50/40/90 club, which means she shot at least 50% from the floor, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free throw line for an entire season. Moreover, Catchings has won championships at every level: high school, college, WNBA and Olympics. She achieved legendary status among UConn fans, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. The seven-time All-Star pick ranks sixth in career points and third in shooting percentage, making nearly 50% of her career field goals. Sheryl Swoopes is one of the greatest basketball players to grace the court. She has also twice been named league MVP. Cambage’s averages of 16.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game puts her among the best players ever, even if her attitude toward the WNBA hasn’t been exemplary. International medals: Olympics (gold, 2012, 2008, 2004); World Championships (gold, 2010, 2002; bronze, 2006). While with the Minnesota Lynx, Whalen won an incredible four WNBA championships and was a five-time All-WNBA selection at the point guard position. For her remarkable rookie season in 1999, where she averaged a double double of 18.8 points and 11.3 rebounds, Griffith was named league MVP. Like her longtime teammate, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus was an instrumental part in bringing four championships to the Minnesota Lynx. She was the first high school player to make a national team, first woman to receive a UCLA basketball scholarship, first four-time All-American and first NCAA Division I player to record a quadruple-double. Case against: She's not the all-around player that others are. Some are women who played professionally when there were no women… Arguably the best guard in WNBA history, she’s a three-time champion who has averaged 19.6 points per game in a career that has lasted 15 seasons so far. The two-time champion with the Phoenix Mercury was named WNBA Finals MVP in 2007, in just her second season as a pro. In her 11 seasons in the league, Holdsclaw averaged 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game but she unfortunately never won a title. Cynthia Cooper. She also ranks seventh in career rebounds. She’s the second leading rebounder in WNBA history, the best in terms of rebounds per game (9.8) and has the best shooting percentage in league history, making an insane 59.3% of all her shots so far. Born: July 7, 1972, Gardena, Calif. (age 42). Towering over most opponents at 6 feet 6 inches, Sylvia Fowles has also proven to be head and shoulders above them in terms of raw skill. After being drafted first overall in 2009 by the Atlanta Dream, Angel McCoughtry has more than lived up to the massive expectations of her. She ranks near the top of virtually every offensive stat category in league history, including 15th in career points, eighth in career shooting percentage and third in career assists, where she’s one of only three players with at least 2,000 of them. Those figures rank her in the top 20 in WNBA history for per-game scoring and assist averages. She averaged 35.4 points a game in the tournament and was college Player of the Year. She was a first-team all-league selection a record eight times. While she doesn’t rank as highly in overall career totals as others on this list, Griffith is a monster in advanced analytics, where she ranks in the all-time top 10 for win shares and player efficiency rating. While in high school, Catchings had the only verified quintuple-double in basketball history: 25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals, 10 blocks in a 1997 game. After all, the former league MVP was named to an incredible 12 All-WNBA and All-Defensive squads in her 15-season career. She was 34 years old when the league launched in 1997 but she dominated it and players a decade younger than her for the five years she played before retirement. She nearly averaged a double double for her career, with 10.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and is one of only 13 players in WNBA history to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game. She was a pro in Italy and came out of retirement at age 37 to play two WNBA seasons. International medals: Olympics (gold, 2012, 2008, 2004); World Championship (gold, 2010; bronze, 2006). The 2011 WNBA Finals MVP ranks 11th in history for career points, thanks to her average of 15.9 points per game over the span of 14 seasons so far. She was MVP in 1997 and 1998. She was a four-time All-American and is the all-time college leader with 3,649 points. A champion with the Detroit Shock and Minnesota Lynx, Taj McWilliams-Franklin was one of the league’s great glass cleaners. She ranks in the top five of many important all-time career stats, including points, playoff points, rebounds, minutes and player efficiency rating. In that short span, she’s made three All-Star teams and set the league’s single-game scoring record when she poured in 53 points in a 2018 contest while playing with the Dallas Wings. Miller helped USC to NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984. While there's no scientific formula, wins, statistics and impact on the sport all came into play. A three-time WNBA MVP, two-time champion and 12-time All-WNBA selection, Leslie was a phenomenon and an incredible player all around. Elena Delle Donne7. International medals: Olympics (gold, 1984); World Championships (gold, 1990; silver, 1983); Pan American Games (gold, 1983; bronze, 1991); World University Games (gold, 1979). Although no formal poll was conducted, the list was assembled with the help of Krauskopf, TV analyst Debbie Antonelli and ESPN.com columnist Mechelle Voepel. "That's the way it should be.". The Women's National Basketball Association was founded in 1996 and began play in 1997 as a counterpart to the NBA. In 12 seasons, Jackson was an eight-time All-WNBA pick, a seven-time All-Star and a five-time All-Defensive selection, giving her as many accolades as anyone who’s ever suited up. Basketball affiliation, principally NBA has an astounding pattern taking after as we as a whole know. The forward has proven herself to be one of the best shooters in WNBA history, no matter where she’s pulling up from. The 2012 WNBA champion also easily tops the all-time list for win shares, showing how valuable she was to her Fever teams. Kara Wolters (1993-97) — The AP Player of the Year, Big East Player of the Year and a WBCA All-American in 1997, she was also a two-time Big East Tournament MOP and a … You can't say there's one player because that's how good the game is, and that's how much it's evolved over the years," said Kelly Krauskopf, president and general manager of the Indiana Fever. While Kareem put up a whopping 38,387 points during his playing days, I can’t look past the fact that he spent a good chunk of his career receiving passes from Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, the two greatest point guards of all time. International medals: Olympics (gold, 2008, 2004, 2000, 1996); World Championships (gold, 2002, 1998); World University Games (gold, 1991). 20 and to Val Whiting at No. A first-ballot Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, Yolanda Griffith was as gifted a center as the league has ever had. Following is a list of 10 players, including a case for and against each as being the best ever. When you talk about women that could dominate a basketball game on their own, Chamique Holdsclaw has to come up. Taurasi led UConn to three NCAA championships and a four-year record of 139-8. An athletic freak who lived to make defenders sweat, Sheryl Swoopes was one of the first breakout stars of the WNBA in its early days. She was the WNBA's Most Valuable Player in 2011 and led the Fever to their only league championship in 2012. Swoopes was often called the “female Michael Jordan” on the court. Diana Taurasi Catchings is also the greatest thief in WNBA history by far, being the only player to ever record at least 1,000 steals and forcing 300 more of them than number two. From 2011-2017, she led the Minnesota Lynx to four championships and was named league MVP in 2014. The 2012 league MVP has been named to the All-WNBA squad in eight of her 10 seasons so far and has quickly vaulted up the league record books by averaging 18.1 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. She was the first player to ever record a triple-double in the WNBA and is still the only one to ever have a triple-double in the playoffs. Her averages of 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and an all-time best 3.0 blocks per game make her one of the great centers in history. Since its inception, the WNBA has proved to be a valuable part of the American sports landscape and home to the greatest women's basketball players … She’s been able to live up to the hype so far, making her way onto four All-Star teams and three All-WNBA teams in her six seasons as a pro. She won four league titles as a member of the Comets. Case against: She wasn't the best player on Comets' championship teams. Considered one of the greatest women's basketball players of all-time, Miller first gained attention when she scored 105 points in one game. In eight seasons so far, she’s racked up more accolades than many players do in entire careers, being a six-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA pick and five-time All-Defensive pick. In 12 seasons so far, she’s been named an All-WNBA pick eight times and her teams have only missed the playoffs twice. International medals: Olympics (gold, 1984); World Championships (gold, 1986; silver, 1983); Goodwill Games (gold, 1986); Pan American Games (gold, 1983). She was twice the college Player of the Year. She helped lead the franchise to nine playoff appearances and two WNBA title wins in that span. "Blaze would be a modern-day (Diana) Taurasi, in terms of being able to shoot from anywhere on the floor," Krauskopf said. Women have been playing basketball almost as long as men have, though professional women's basketball is a more recent success. Career recap: "Blaze" embodied "Showtime" a few years before Magic Johnson. Today we discuss the legend of Cheryl Miller, the greatest female basketball player of all time. 3 to Sabrina Ionescu at No. https://www.thedelite.com/best-womens-basketball-players-wnba-history-ranked International medals: World Championships (gold, 1979); Pan American Games (silver, 1979); World University Games (gold, 1979 and 1977). Vote for your favorite to the top of the list and see who's truly the best of the best! An Achilles injury forced her to miss the 2019 season but if she comes back in full force, she has the ability to top this list some day. Her averages of 12.1 points and 5.6 assists per game may not be as eye-popping as others on this list but she’s been playing the long game and is the league’s all-time assists leader, while also ranking among the top 10 for points and steals. Leslie was the first player to ever dunk in a WNBA game, forever changing how many casual fans viewed women’s basketball and she had maybe the single most dominant game in league history in 2004, when she finished the night with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks. Case for: Besides being a scorer, she has been a winner. Before being traded this year, DeWanna Bonner spent 10 very productive seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She played at USC and in the Olympics and has coached in the WNBA. Those years included 11 All-Star selections, eight All-WNBA selections and three championships, all with the Seattle Storm. "She does every single thing.". At USC, she was college Player of the Year in 1994. Breanna Stewart has only been in the WNBA for three seasons so far but she’s already done enough to rank among the all-time greats. Hooks knew coming in she had the potential to be a program-defining player. It’s one of the most popular sports played around the world. She was a three-time college Player of the Year and had a career scoring average of 23.6. We’ve chosen the best players in WNBA history based purely on what they’ve accomplished on the league’s courts. What? With Diana Taurasi setting the WNBA's all-time scoring record Sunday night, we ask where you think the UConn and Phoenix Mercury legend ranks among the game's greatest ever. International medals: Olympics (gold, 1988; bronze, 1992); World Championships (gold, 1990, 1986); Pan American Games (gold, 1987); Goodwill Games (gold, 1986). In seven seasons so far, Griner has been named an All-Star and All-Defensive pick six times and an All-WNBA pick five times. Not bad for a 34-year-old rookie! In seven seasons so far, Delle Donne has been a six-time All-Star and two-time league MVP, and she led the Washington Mystics to their first championship in 2019. Three players early in their careers weren't considered for the top 10 but could end up becoming No. 52, we rank the best all-time women's players by jersey number. Bonner’s scoring output has ranked her in the top 25 for career scoring, which is a list she will undoubtedly continue to climb. She’s one of only three players in WNBA history to record multiple 20-point, 20-rebound games, doing so in 2002 and 2003 while playing with the Washington Mystics. 1. She’s averaged 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in the course of 14 years in the league so far, placing her prominently on several all-time statistical lists. She still ranks in the top five for career rebounds and blocks and seventh in career points, despite being out of the game for more than a decade. Case against: Her career was so short that if a grade were awarded, it would be "Incomplete.". Throw in the fact that he’s arguably the best college basketball player in history and you’ve got probably the best full career any baller has ever had. It's easy to ignite discussion in a bar or chat room on who's the greatest male basketball player of all time. The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the 10th-best player ever? In that time, Cooper led the Comets to four consecutive championships and was named WNBA Finals MVP all four times. The seven-time All-Star ranks fourth in career points, thanks to her stellar scoring average of 16.4 points per game. The 13-time All-WNBA selection has an offensive style that simply can’t be stopped, giving her by far the best scoring average of any player that’s played anywhere near her number of games, which stands above 430 at this point. Wilt or Russell? Renowned as a great scorer and defender, Katie Douglas earned spots on three All-WNBA and five All-Defensive squads in her long career. The result is a list of women who have elevated their sport to a new level. She was the first Black player to sign to the WNBA, she won three Olympic gold medals, and she is a 3 times WNBA MVP. Case for: She dominated early years of the WNBA after becoming a star in Europe. She is 11th in blocked shots. © 2021 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. They made the playoffs in all eight seasons she’s played so far and Moore was named to the All-WNBA squad in seven of them. The 18-year-old WNBA will showcase its best in Saturday's All-Star Game at Phoenix. Her rebounding average is the second best in league history. She was Jordan-esque in her final college game, scoring 47 points to lead Texas Tech over Ohio State in the 1993 NCAA championship game — a record for men or women in the title game. Fever forward Tamika Catchings was elected a starter for the Eastern Conference, as she has in every year in which there has been the game. The two-time Hall of Famer also ranks sixth in career rebounds, fifth in win shares and second in minutes played. The 2016 league MVP also led the Los Angeles Sparks to a championship that year, while averaging nearly 20 points and 9.1 rebounds per night. David Woods writes for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett affiliate. Career recap: Woodard is one of the most athletic players in history but suffered from lack of exposure. McCoughtry has averaged 19.1 points per game so far, putting her in the top 20 for career scoring despite playing fewer than 300 games at this point. Swoopes became the WNBA's first three-time MVP (2000, 2002, 2005) and first three-time Defensive Player of the Year. She is the only player ever to finish a season in the top 10 of all five categories, and she has done so twice. She was the 1978 college Player of the Year, leading UCLA to an AIAW national championship. Case against: Her elite career was also short, and she wasn't necessarily the top player on national teams. The Phoenix Mercury have never missed the playoffs since they drafted her first overall in 2013 and Griner helped them win a title in 2014. She’s averaged a remarkable 20 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for her short career thus far and currently has the eighth best player efficiency rating in history. while averaging nearly 20 points and 9.1 rebounds per night, set the league’s record for career double-doubles, first WNBA player to ever join the vaunted 50/40/90 club, greatest winner in women’s basketball history, focus on issues like criminal justice reform, Life-changing Products That Cost Less Than $10, All The Ways You Can Use Windex Beyond Window Cleaning. She was also a two-time league MVP, earning that honor in each of the WNBA’s first two seasons. On March 6, 1978, she set a Madison Square Garden record by scoring 52 points in Montclair State's 102-91 victory over Queens College (before there was a 3-point line). 1: Breanna Stewart, 19, University of Connecticut; Maya Moore, 25, Minnesota Lynx, and Candace Parker, 28, Los Angeles Sparks. A former teammate of DeWanna Bonner’s, Candice Dupree has earned her reputation as one of the best power forwards in WNBA history. Liz Cambage has had an up and down relationship with the WNBA so far, but is nevertheless one of the great international players in its history. Career recap: The sister of the NBA great Reggie Miller was labeled by Sports Illustrated as the best player in college basketball, male or female. Career recap: Catchings is the only player in WNBA history to rank in the all-time top 10 in points (fourth), rebounds (fourth), assists (eighth) and steals (first). That might be a more difficult conversation. She played nearly 10 years in Italy and was that league's top scorer eight times. Her scoring average of 21.0 points per game is still the best in history and no player has ever matched her average of 35.2 minutes per game. Her average of 1.5 steals per game is one of the best in history and led her to rank inside the top 10 for career steals. Parker led the Sparks to a championship in 2016, where she was also named WNBA Finals MVP. The nine-time All-Star and eight-time All-WNBA selection is the second leading scorer in league history and is one of only three players to have scored at least 7,000 points. Wearing No. The three-time All-Star has averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game so far and had arguably the best year of her career in 2019. Career recap: The 6-5 Australian is almost certainly the most well-rounded post player of all time. The Australian has only played four seasons since being drafted in 2011 by the Tulsa Shock, a franchise she made no secret about not caring for. In her 16-season career and defender, Katie Douglas earned spots on three All-WNBA All-Defensive! And could add a second MVP award to the Minnesota Lynx, Whalen won an player..., Calif. ( age 41 ) and five All-Defensive squads in her 15-season.... 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