Ranking the 25 Greatest Players in WNBA History

Teams: New York Liberty, San Antonio Silver Stars

Becky Hammon is better known as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and one of Gregg Popovich’s prized assistants with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. It’s easy to forget that she also hooped. Undrafted during her rookie season, Hammon signed with the Liberty in 1999 and backed up Teresa Weatherspoon before becoming a full-time starter in 2004. During her 16-year WNBA career, Hammon was a six-time All-Star and two-time member of the All-WNBA first team. She led the league in assists in 2007 with San Antonio.

24. Angel McCoughtry

Teams: Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx

When the Atlanta Dream selected Angel McCoughtry with the first overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, they knew the Louisville standout was a certified bucket. In her debut season, McCoughtry averaged 12.8 points per game. In the following season, McCoughtry averaged 21.1 points per game and led the Dream to the WNBA Finals. In her career, McCoughtry was a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-WNBA first team, a four-time member of the All-WNBA second team and a two-time league scoring champion.

23. Lauren Jackson

Team: Seattle Storm

When you’re talking about some of the most dominant centers in league history, you must mention Lauren Jackson. The Australian phenom and 2001 No. 1 overall pick led the Seattle Storm to two WNBA titles, won three league MVPs, earned a Finals MVP in 2010 and captured three scoring titles. As impressive as Jackson was offensively, she was equally as dominant on defense. She was a Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time member of the All-Defensive first team and a three-time member of the All-Defensive second team.

22. Cappie Pondexter

Teams: Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana Fever

It didn’t take Cappie Pondexter long to make an impact when the Phoenix Mercury selected her second overall in 2006. In the following season, alongside Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, Pondexter was a key player in the Mercury’s championship run. She earned Finals MVP honors during that series. Two seasons later, the guard from Rutgers helped the Mercury win their second title in a three-year span.

21. Lindsay Whalen

Teams: Connecticut Sun, Minnesota Lynx

A Minnesota legend, it’s hard to believe that Lindsay Whalen was anything but a member of the Lynx. Connecticut drafted the scrappy guard with the fourth overall pick in 2004. Six years later, Whalen’s basketball journey finally came full circle when she joined the Lynx. Whalen became a key cornerstone of four Lynx championship runs. Whalen was a five-time All-Star who made the All-WNBA first team three times and the All-WNBA second team twice. She also led the league in assists in 2008, 2011 and 2012. 

20. Yolanda Griffith

Teams: Sacramento Monarchs, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever

The Sacramento Monarchs won the 2005 WNBA title due to the dominance of Yolanda Griffith. She was named Finals MVP — averaging 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. In addition to her Finals MVP, Griffith was league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, a two-time All-WNBA first team member, a three-time All-WNBA second team member, an eight-time All-Star, a two-time rebounding champion and a two-time steals leader.

19. Swin Cash

Teams: Detroit Shock, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty

The NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans couldn’t have picked a better vice president of basketball operations and team development than Swin Cash. Why? Cash knows what wins. She led the then-Detroit Shock to their first WNBA title in 2003 and followed that up with Olympic Gold in the 2004 games. She won two more WNBA titles, was a four-time All-Star and made the All-WNBA second team twice.

18. Tina Charles

Teams: Connecticut Sun, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream

The Boardwoman gets paid. Tina Charles reached the 1,000-rebound milestone faster than any other WNBA player in history, in her 89th career game, surpassing the record previously held by Yolanda Griffith. In her WNBA career, Charles was an eight-time All-Star, a five-time All-WNBA first team member, a four-time All-WNBA second team member, a four-time rebounding champion and a two-time scoring champ.

17. Elena Delle Donne

Teams: Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics

The first WNBA player to join the 50-40-90 club, Elena Delle Donne always kept the Chicago Sky relevant during her four years there. She led Chicago to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history during her rookie season. In her 2015 MVP season, Delle Donne averaged a career high in points (23.4) and ranked third in the league in rebounding. Two years after joining the Mystics in 2017, Delle Donne won a second league MVP award. She was also a four-time member of the All-WNBA first team, a one-time member of the All-WNBA second team and a seven-time All-Star.

16. Sylvia Fowles

Team: Chicago Sky, Minnesota Lynx

Sylvia Fowles turned down a contract extension offer with the Sky in 2014 and was traded to the Minnesota Lynx a year later, and it was a move she needed. Joining forces with Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen, the Lynx won their first of four championships in 2015. Fowles was the league MVP in 2017, a two-time Finals MVP, an eight-time All-Star, a three-time All-WNBA first team member, a five-time All-WNBA second team member and an 11-time All-Defensive selection.

15. Brittney Griner

Teams: Phoenix Mercury, Atlanta Dream

In her professional debut with the Phoenix Mercury, Brittney Griner became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in a game. But Griner is more than just a dunker. She was a defensive force for the Mercury. Griner was so dominant on both ends of the floor that then-Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA in 2013. Griner has led the league in blocks eight times. She has won the scoring title twice, is a three-time All-WNBA first team honoree and a three-time second team honoree. She also has made the All-Defensive team seven times.

14. Skylar Diggins

Teams: Tulsa Shock/Dallas Wings, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm

With Skylar Diggins’ tumultuous past few seasons, it’s easy to forget how good she is. The No. 3 overall draft pick by the Tulsa Shock out of Notre Dame in 2013, Diggins is a six-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA first team selection, and she just cracked the top 25 in career points.

13. Nneka Ogwumike

Teams: Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm

The Sparks knew they needed a dynamic wing to pair with Candace Parker. When they drafted Ogwumike with the No. 1 pick in 2012, her impact was immediate. She ran away with Rookie of the Year honors, and four years later, she was league MVP with a championship ring. Ogwumike is a nine-time All-Star, a one-time All-WNBA first team honoree, a six-time member of the All-WNBA second team, and a seven-time member of the All-Defensive team.

12. Tamika Catchings

Team: Indiana Fever

Tamika Catchings missed her rookie season in 2001 due to an ACL injury sustained during her senior season at Tennessee, but she more than made up for it in 2002 and beyond. At the time of her retirement in 2016, Catchings ranked first in career playoff scoring and career playoff rebounds. Over the course of her career, Catchings won Finals MVP (2012) and a regular-season MVP (2011). She was also a 10-time All-Star, a 12-time All-Defensive selection and a seven-time All-WNBA first team honoree.

11. Tina Thompson

Teams: Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm

Tina Thompson made history out of the gate when the Houston Comets made her the first pick in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997. She, along with Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper created a dynasty as Houston won the first four WNBA titles. During her career, Thompson was a nine-time All-Star, a three-time member of the All-WNBA first team and a five-time selection on the All-WNBA second team.

10. Seimone Augustus

Teams: Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks

Seimone Augustus cruised to the Rookie of the Year award in 2006, averaging 21.9 points per game. After battling injuries in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Augustus was playing at full strength the following season and became a cornerstone of the Lynx dynasty. Augustus won Finals MVP in 2011 and was an eight-time All-Star. She also was named to the All-WNBA first team in 2012 and earned All-WNBA second team honors five times.

9. Breanna Stewart

Teams: Seattle Storm, New York Liberty

Playing along an all-time great such as Sue Bird can be intimidating to just about anyone; but Breanna Stewart held her own alongside the Seattle star. Her best season was in 2018, when she won league MVP and Finals MVP, becoming the sixth player in league history to win both in the same season. Stewart is a two-time MVP and also was named Finals MVP twice. She boasts six All-WNBA first team selections, six All-Defensive nods, six All-Star appearances and a scoring title on her résumé.

8. A’ja Wilson

Team: Las Vegas Aces

In her eighth season in the league, A’ja Wilson is already on an all-time great trajectory. She’s already got two championship rings, three MVP awards and a Finals MVP. She’s been named to the All-WNBA first team four times, and she notched the highest scoring average in league history with 26.9 points per game last season.

7. Lisa Leslie

Team: Los Angeles Sparks

Lisa Leslie led the Sparks to back-to-back championships in 2001 and ’02 and was the first player in league history to dunk. Her résumé is impeccable. In addition to her two championships, Leslie was an eight-time All-Star who also was named to the All-WNBA first team eight times. She also boasts four All-WNBA second team selections, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and two Finals MVPs. She led the league in rebounding three times and blocks twice.

6. Candace Parker

Teams: Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces

Anyone who wins the Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season must be included in the GOAT conversation. Parker’s WNBA career spanned 16 seasons as she redefined the role of power forward in the league. She won two MVP awards (2008, ’13), Finals MVP in 2016 and seven All-WNBA first team selections. She was a seven-time All-Star, and she won Defensive Player of the Year Honors in 2020.

5. Sue Bird

Team: Seattle Storm

It's fitting that Sue Bird is a part-owner of the Seattle Storm. She’s had her fingerprints all over the franchise since they selected her first overall in 2002. Bird won four WNBA championships in the Emerald City. She ranks first in WNBA history in minutes played and career assists and among the top 10 in 3-pointers, steals, field goals made and points. Bird was a 13-time All-Star and a five-time All-WNBA first team selection.

4. Maya Moore

Team: Minnesota Lynx

All Maya Moore knows is winning. In eight seasons with the Lynx, she never missed the playoffs. Minnesota won four championships in six trips to the WNBA Finals during that span. In her illustrious eight-year career, Moore was named to the All-WNBA first team five times and made six All-Star appearances. She was scoring champion and MVP in 2014, a year after winning Finals MVP.

3. Sheryl Swoopes

Teams: Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Tulsa Shock

Say what you want about Swoopes’ current opinions about the league, but you can’t deny her greatness. Swoopes’ scoring acumen and defensive prowess produced three league MVPs and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. She was also the first player in league history to record a triple-double in the regular season and the playoffs. Swoopes was named All-WNBA first team five times. She made six All-Star appearances and won four WNBA titles.

2. Cynthia Cooper

Team: Houston Comets

Cynthia Cooper was 34 years old by the time the WNBA debuted. Nevertheless, after spending the first decade of her professional career hooping internationally, she dominated when the W tipped off in 1997. Cooper was named Finals MVP in each of the league’s first four seasons as the Comets built the league’s first dynasty. She won three of the first four WNBA scoring titles, and she was a back-to-back MVP in 1997 and ’98.

1. Diana Taurasi

Team: Phoenix Mercury

After a brilliant 20-year career, the White Mamba is the WNBA’s all-time leader in points, 3-pointers, field goals and free throws made. She also ranks fourth in career assists and 18th in steals. Arguably the most decorated player in league history, Taurasi won three championships, two Finals MVPs and a league MVP. Taurasi is a five-time scoring champ who made 11 All-Star appearances and was named All-WNBA first team 10 times.