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Top 10 Best WNBA Players of All Time

best WNBA players of all time

The best WNBA players of all time have graced the court since the league first started in 1997, when the LA Sparks tipped off against the New York Liberty at the Great Western Forum in front of 14,284 fans.

Who Is the Best WNBA Player?

Women’s sports is exploding worldwide. Take the FA Women’s Super League for example, which kicked off in 2011. The best FA Women’s Super League players of all time are all exceptional athletes. Not to be outdone are the superstars of the WNBA. So, who are the best WNBA players of all time? Let’s take a look at the top ten and find out who is the best WNBA player ever.  

10. Sue Bird

Sue Bird retired in 2022 at the age of 41 and is one of the best WNBA players of all time. She’s proven to be among the best point guards to ever play the game and played 19 seasons, all with the Seattle Storm. 

Bird won her first WNBA title in 2004 and her fourth in 2020. She’s a 13-time WNBA All-Star, the WNBA career leader in assists, seventh in points, fourth in steals, and second in 3-point field goals made. Bird finished her career with averages of 11.7 points, 5.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 39 percent from three-point range.

9. Sylvia Fowles

Sylvia Fowles is the WNBA’s all-time leader in double-doubles, and has averaged a double-double in seven WNBA seasons. She is a two-time champion, league MVP, two-times Finals MVP and is the career leader in rebounds, and field goal percentage. 

Fowles played with the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx, finishing off her career averaging 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 59.9 percent from the floor.

8. Sheryl Swoopes

Swoopes was the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double, and the first to win an NCAA title, WNBA title, and Olympic gold medal. Swoopes also won an unbelievable four consecutive titles to start off her WNBA career.

Among Swoope’s accolades are three MVP awards, three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, two scoring titles, and First Team All-WNBA honours five times, cementing herself as one of the best WNBA players of all time. 

Swoopes retired with averages of 15 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2 steals per game, and represented the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock. 

7. Candace Parker

Parker flourished from the time she stepped on the floor in the WNBA, winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season to place herself among the best WNBA players of all time.  

She has the ability to play in any position on the floor and remains one of the faces of the league. Parker has won league MVP twice, has two titles to her name, and is seventh all-time in rebounds and field goal percentage, winning the rebounding title three times. 

As of the end of the 2022 WNBA season, Parker’s career averages are 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per game. 

6. Maya Moore

Maya Moore was the WNBA’s number one pick in 2011. She instantly became the face of the league and would remain so throughout her eight seasons in the WNBA. She is one of the most complete players to ever set foot on the court and one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

Moore won the Rookie of the Year, four titles, league MVP in 2014, Finals MVP in 2013, and was named to the All-WNBA First Team five times. She left the WNBA on top of her game in 2019 to concentrate on a reform of the criminal justice system. 

A few more seasons in the league could have vaulted Moore higher up the list and possibly the best WNBA player of all time. She retired with averages of 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game after a WNBA career spent entirely with the Minnesota Lynx. 

5. Lisa Leslie

After being a member of the Dream Team that won the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Leslie began a career that includes four Olympic gold medals and a Hall of Fame WNBA career.  Playing with her hometown team in Los Angeles, Leslie was a dominant defender, a clutch scorer, and the best center the WNBA has ever seen.

She won two titles, three league MVPs, and is ninth all time in scoring, fifth in rebounds, and second in blocks. Leslie was the first player in league history to dunk in a game, another reason why she’s one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

Leslie earned All-WNBA Team honors eight times. and retired with averages of 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game after 12 seasons with the Sparks. 

4. Lauren Jackson

Jackson was arguably the best player in the WNBA from 2003-2010 during which she won two titles, three MVPs, seven first-team All-WNBA honors, and a Defensive Player of the Year Award. 

Her career efficiency rating is third all time. Jackson is 10th all-time in scoring, fifth in blocked shots, and she won the scoring title three times. 

She retired with averages of 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 46 percent shooting from the floor and played with the Seattle Storm for her entire 12-season WNBA career. 

3. Cynthia Cooper

Had the WNBA existed before Cooper’s first season at the age of 34, she would likely be the best WNBA player of all time. During four full seasons, she averaged over 22 points per game three times, and she won four straight championships. 

Cooper was league MVP twice, Finals MVP four times, and holds the league record for highest career scoring average. She brought the pick-and-roll to the WNBA and changed the way the women’s game is played.

She entered the game after years of playing overseas and was an unstoppable force during her time in the WNBA. She retired with averages of 21 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game after five seasons with the Houston Comets. 

2. Tamika Catchings

Catchings wasn’t the best offensive player or defensive player in league history, but was the most complete, and is arguably the best all-around player the league has ever seen. She is the second best WNBA player of all time.

She won league MVP in 2011, Finals MVP in 2012, and is the only player in WNBA history to rank in the top 10 in steals, points, rebounds, and assists. In fact, Catchings is the all-time leader in steals, third in points, and fourth in rebounds.

In addition, Catchings won Defensive Player of the Year five times, and was All-WNBA First Team seven times. Catchings retired with averages of 16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game after 15 seasons with the Indiana Fever.

1. Diana Taurasi

Diana Taurasi is the best WNBA player of all time which a fan vote also confirmed it. She hasn’t won the most league MVPs, nor the most titles, but she ranks number one because of her offensive greatness, durability, and longevity. She has been among the top performers year in and year out since earning All-WNBA honors as a rookie in 2004. Taurasi is the all-time leading scorer with 9,693 points at the end of her 18th season. 

Taurasi has spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury and has won three titles, league MVP in 2009, and two-time Finals MVP. A ten-time All-Star, Taurasi has career averages of 19.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game and is the greatest WNBA player of all time. 

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