WNBA announces 20 greatest and most influential players of all time
The WNBA announced their 20 greatest and most influential players in league history on Tuesday morning, on the 20th anniversary of the league's first-ever game.
“To be included among the top 20 players in this league's history is a huge honor,’ said Sue Bird, a nine-time WNBA All-Star selection and two-time WNBA champion. “Watching the level of competition rise over the years has been incredible and I am excited to see where the league goes in the next 20."
Below is a complete list of the honorees:
- Seimone Augustus
- Sue Bird
- Swin Cash
- Tamika Catchings
- Cynthia Cooper-Dyke
- Yolanda Griffith
- Becky Hammon
- Lauren Jackson
- Lisa Leslie
- Maya Moore
- Deanna Nolan
- Candace Parker
- Ticha Penicheiro
- Cappie Pondexter
- Katie Smith
- Sheryl Swoopes
- Diana Taurasi
- Tina Thompson
- Teresa Weatherspoon
- Lindsay Whalen
"I grew up watching the WNBA, and to be in a class of athletes of the caliber that this league has produced over the past 20 years is a huge honor,” said 2014 WNBA MVP and 2013 Finals MVP Maya Moore. “It’s definitely a dream come true. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to compete at the highest levels and develop my talent to the point that I was even in consideration for this honor.”
Voting was conducted by a 15-member committee comprised of Carol Blazejowski and Ann Meyers Drysdale (women’s basketball pioneers and members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Hall of fame); Michael Cooper and Cheryl Reeve (current WNBA head coaches); Van Chancellor and Anne Donovan (members of the Naismith HOF and WBHOF, and former WNBA head coaches); media members Doug Feinberg (Associated Press), Mel Greenberg (womhoops.blogspot.com; also a member of the WBHOF), and Howard Megdal (Excelle Sports editorial director); Doris Burke, LaChina Robinson, and Pam Ward (ESPN basketball broadcasters); Mechelle Voepel and Michelle Smith (espnW.com writers); and Melanie Jackson (espnW.com editor).
“It’s such a joy to be honored by the WNBA in this way,” said Cooper-Dyke, the University of Southern California women’s coach. “It means so much to be able to celebrate the 20th year of the WNBA alongside such outstanding women, and I’m really pleased to see the league going strong. I’m proud to be a product of the WNBA, and I’m so gratified to know I made an impact on this game that we love so much. Thank you for this great honor, and fight on!”