Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper is widely regarded as one of the best players in WNBA history.
Cynthia Cooper is a retired WNBA player. She played for the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000, and was a four-time All-Star and two-time Finals MVP.
Cooper also won two Olympic gold medals with the United States women’s national basketball team.
After her playing career ended, Cooper became a coach and television analyst.
She was the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 2008 to 2009, and served as an assistant coach for the United States women’s national basketball team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Cooper has also worked as a television analyst for ESPN and NBA TV.
Cooper was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Swoopes is another player who helped put the WNBA on the map in its early years. She was a three-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Houston Comets in 1997 and 1998.
Swoopes was also named the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2000 and 2002, becoming the first player in league history to win the award multiple times.
In addition to her success in the WNBA, Swoopes was also a member of the United States women’s national team that won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi is one of the most decorated players in women’s basketball history.
A three-time Olympic gold medalist, she is also a two-time WNBA champion and was named the league’s MVP in 2009.
Taurasi has spent her entire professional career with the Phoenix Mercury, helping lead the team to nine playoff appearances, including three trips to the WNBA Finals.
She is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Mercury’s Ring of Honor in 2017.
Taurasi is also a two-time winner of the ESPY Award for Best WNBA Player and was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2009.
In addition to her decorated professional career, Taurasi is also one of the most successful players in college basketball history.
She helped lead the University of Connecticut to three straight national championships from 2002 to 2004 and was named the National Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
Taurasi currently ranks fourth in NCAA history in points scored and is the only player in Division I history (men’s or women’s) to score 3,000 points and win four national championships.
She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings is one of the best WNBA players ever – and is also one of the only a handful deaf people to have become professional athletes.
Tamika Catchings was born on July 21, 1979 in Stratford, Connecticut.
Catchings was born to Denise and Harvey Catchings.
She is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 2002 to 2016. catchings was a 10-time WNBA All-Star and won four Olympic gold medals with the United States national team. She is considered one of the greatest players in women’s basketball history.
She has two older brothers, Tauheed and Kaela, and a younger sister, Sydni.
Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and she was raised by her mother.
Catchings began playing basketball at an early age. She played on the boys’ team in elementary school because there was no girls’ team.
In middle school, she played on the junior varsity team.
In high school, Catchings excelled in basketball and track. She was named a Parade All-American and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1997.
Catchings accepted a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Tennessee.
Catchings played for the Lady Volunteers from 1997 to 2001.
She helped lead the team to four consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances.
As a senior, she was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and the espnW Player of the Year.
Catchings was selected by the Indiana Fever with the third overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Catchings quickly established herself as one of the best players in the league. She was named an All-Star in each of her first six seasons.
In 2009, Catchings was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player after averaging 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. She helped lead the Fever to their first ever WNBA Eastern Championship in 2012, but they lost in the Finals to Phoenix.
Catchings retired from the WNBA in 2016. She finished her career as the Fever’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. She was also a 10-time All -Star and a five-time All-WNBA First Team selection.
In 2011, Catchings was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2012, she was named one of the 20 Greatest Players in WNBA History by the league. In 2016, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Catchings is also known for her philanthropic work.
She founded the Catch the Stars Foundation, which helps children with dreams of playing sports.
She has also written a bestseller book Catch a Star: Shining through Adversity to Become a Champion detailing her road to success and overcoming her deafness to become a professional basketball player.
Maya Moore
Maya Moore is one of the most successful players in WNBA history.
She is a four-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2016.
Moore was also named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2014. In addition to her success in the WNBA, Moore is also a member of the United States women’s national team that won gold at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.
Candace Parker
Candace Parker is one of the most versatile players in WNBA history.
She is a six-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016 and 2017.
Parker was also named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2008.
In addition to her success in the WNBA, Parker is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning with the United States women’s national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Sue Bird
Bird is a four-time All-Star and a three-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Seattle Storm in 2010 and 2018. Bird was also named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2018.
She was drafted by the Storm first overall in 2002 and has helped lead the team to three WNBA championships.
A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Bird has also won two FIBA World Cups.
In high school, Bird was the Gatorade National Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American.
She played collegiately for the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team, where she helped lead them to an undefeated season in 2002.
After being drafted by the Storm, Bird went on to be named Rookie of the Year and has been selected to eleven All-Star teams. She is a three-time WNBA champion, winning titles in 2004, 2010, and 2018.
Bird is married to Megan Rapinoe, a professional soccer player for the United States women’s national soccer team. She is widely credited as being one of the most important players in helping the US women’s team win the World Cup in 2019.
Rapinoe is considered one of the best soccer players in US history. This makes them a royal couple of the women’s sports. The two met while Bird was rehabbing an injury in Seattle and they were married in 2019.
Bird is widely considered one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time. She has been praised for her exceptional shooting and playmaking abilities, as well as her leadership on and off the court.
In addition to her success in the WNBA, Bird is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning with the United States women’s national team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In 2020, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Britney Griner
.Britney Griner is a professional basketball player who has played for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2013. She is 6 feet 8 inches tall and plays center.
Griner was born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas.
She attended Nimitz High School in Houston, where she played basketball and volleyball.
Griner played college basketball at Baylor University. In her senior year, she was named the National Player of the Year and helped lead Baylor to a 40-0 record and the NCAA championship.
Griner was drafted first overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
She has been selected to four All-Star teams and was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Griner is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning with Team USA in 2012 and 2016.
In 2017, Griner announced that she had married her wife, Glory Johnson.
The couple had twins together but divorced a short while later.
Griner later married Cherelle Griner.
In 2022, Griner was arrested in Russia for allegedly carrying illegal drugs. However, it is wildly believed that she was arrested for political reasons due to war in Ukraine.
Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart is a professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
She was the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. In high school, she was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and USA Today High School Player of the Year.
Stewart played college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, where she helped lead the team to four consecutive NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championships.
She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in each of her four years in college.
After graduating from college, Stewart was selected first overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm
In her first season in the WNBA, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year. Stewart is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a three-time FIBA World Cup gold medalist.
She has also won two EuroLeague Women titles. Stewart has been named the WNBA MVP twice and the WNBA Finals MVP three times.
Cappie Pondexter
Cappie Pondexter is one of the most decorated players in WNBA history.
She is a seven-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Phoenix Mercury in 2007 and 2009.
Pondexter was also named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2009.
In addition to her success in the WNBA, Pondexter is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning with the United States women’s national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
These are just a few of the many great players who have graced the WNBA throughout its history.
These women have inspired millions around the world with their incredible skills on the court, and they will continue to do so for years to come.
