The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tina Thompson named one of WNBA's 20 greatest players of all-time
06.21.2016 | Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball assistant named to the WNBA's Top 20@20, announced on Tuesday.
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Texas assistant women's basketball coach Tina Thompson, the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Women's National Basketball Association, on Tuesday was named to the WNBA Top 20@20, recognizing the 20 greatest and most influential players in the league's 20-year history.
OFFICIAL WNBA RELEASE
The WNBA's Top 20@20 was announced during Tuesday's 10 a.m. ET SportsCenter program. Today's date of announcement was chosen to honor the anniversary of the league's inaugural regular-season game in 1997.
Thompson is entering her second season as an assistant coach with the Longhorns. She was the WNBA's first overall draft pick in 1997 and ended as the league's all-time leading scorer in 2013 with 7,488 points. She played in 496 games and averaged 15.1 points per game for her 17-year career.
Thompson was a four-time WNBA Champion with the Houston Comets (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), a member of the WNBA All-Decade Team, an eight-time All-WNBA Team selection, a nine-time WNBA All-Star and the WNBA All-Star MVP in 2000.
Thompson played 12 seasons in Houston before returning to her hometown team, the Los Angeles Sparks in 2009. She became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer on August 8, 2010, scoring her 6,264th point to pass former teammate Lisa Leslie. She concluded her professional career in 2013 with the Seattle Storm.
Thompson was chosen from one of 60 nominees, who were selected based on factors like on-court performance and ability, leadership and sportsmanship, as well as contributions to team success. In addition, all players must have been a member of a WNBA team for two seasons and met three of the following seven criteria: the winner of a major individual award; a selection to either the All-WNBA First Team or All-WNBA Second Team; a selection to either the WNBA All-Defensive First Team or WNBA All-Defensive Second Team; a selection to the WNBA All-Star Game; a member of a WNBA Championship team; a current ranking among the top 30 career leaders in at least one major statistical category; and a selection to either the WNBA's All-Decade Team (voted on in 2006) or the WNBA's Top 15 Players (voted on in 2011).
Voting was conducted by a 15-member committee composed of women's basketball pioneers Carol Blazejowski and Ann Meyers Drysdale; current and former WNBA head coaches Van Chancellor, Michael Cooper, Anne Donovan and Cheryl Reeve; and media members Doris Burke, Doug Feinberg, Mel Greenberg, Melanie Jackson, Howard Megdal, LaChina Robinson, Michelle Smith, Mechelle Voepel and Pam Ward.
WNBA Top 20@20
Seimone Augustus — Minnesota Lynx (2006-Current)
Sue Bird — Seattle Storm (2002-Current)
Swin Cash — Detroit Shock (2002-07), Seattle Storm (2008-11), Chicago Sky (2012-13), Atlanta Dream (2014), New York Liberty (2014-Current)
Tamika Catchings — Indiana Fever (2002-Current)
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke* — Houston Comets (1997-2000, 2003)
Yolanda Griffith* — Sacramento Monarchs (1999-2007), Seattle Storm (2008), Indiana Fever (2009)
Becky Hammon* — New York Liberty (1999-2006), San Antonio Stars (2007-2014)
Lauren Jackson* — Seattle Storm (2001-12)
Lisa Leslie* — Los Angeles Sparks (1997-2006, 2008-09)
Maya Moore — Minnesota Lynx (2011-Current)
Deanna Nolan* — Detroit Shock (2001-09)
Candace Parker — Los Angeles Sparks (2008-Current)
Ticha Penicheiro* — Sacramento Monarchs (1998-2009), Los Angeles Sparks (2010-11), Chicago Sky (2012)
Cappie Pondexter — Phoenix Mercury (2006-09), New York Liberty (2010-14), Chicago Sky (2015-Current)
Katie Smith* — Minnesota Lynx (1999-2005), Detroit Shock (2005-2009), Washington Mystics (2010), Seattle Storm (2011-12), New York Liberty (2013)
Sheryl Swoopes* — Houston Comets (1997-2000, 2002-2007), Seattle Storm (2008), Tulsa Shock (2011)
Diana Taurasi — Phoenix Mercury (2004-2014, Current)
Tina Thompson* — Houston Comets (1997-2008), Los Angeles Sparks (2009-11), Seattle Storm (2012-13)
Teresa Weatherspoon* — New York Liberty (1997-2003), Los Angeles Sparks (2004)
Lindsay Whalen — Connecticut Sun (2004-09), Minnesota Lynx (2010-Current)
*Former WNBA players