UConn players in the WNBA: Stewart, Collier, Bird, more
After leading the U.S. women's basketball team to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart are in search of another piece of hardware.
Collier, the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, looks to lead the Minnesota Lynx to their record fifth WNBA championship. Standing in her way is Stewart, a two-time WNBA champion and two-time league MVP, and the New York Liberty, who are seeking their first title in franchise history.
While Collier and Stewart are on opposite sides of the 2024 WNBA Finals, they will always be two of the most notable alumnae ofConnecticut women's basketball.
Collier and Stewart won the national championship together at UConn in 2016 and are both members of the program's exclusive 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds club, joining other all-time UConn and WNBA greats Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Rebecca Lobo.
Here's a look at the most notable players who left an indelible mark on women's basketball both at UConn and in the WNBA:
Sue Bird
- Two-time national champion
- 2002 women's college basketball player of the year
- No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA draft (Seattle Storm)
- 13-time WNBA All-Star (record)
- Four-time WNBA champion
- All-time assists leader in WNBA history
Swin Cash
- Two-time national champion
- 2002 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
- No. 32 retired at Connecticut
- No. 2 pick in the 2002 WNBA draft (Detroit Shock)
- Four-time WNBA All-Star
- Three-time WNBA champion
Tina Charles
- Two-time national champion
- 2010 women's college basketball player of the year
- No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA draft (Connecticut Sun)
- 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year
- 2012 WNBA MVP
- All-time leading rebounder in WNBA history
Napheesa Collier
- 2016 national champion
- Two-time first-team All-American
- No. 6 pick in the 2019 WNBA draft (Minnesota Lynx)
- 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year
- 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Four-time WNBA All-Star
Rebecca Lobo
- 1995 national champion
- 1995 first-team All-American
- 1995 women's college basketball player of the year
- No. 50 retired at Connecticut
- 1997 second-team All-WNBA
- 1999 WNBA All-Star
Maya Moore
- Two-time national champion
- Two-time women's college basketball player of the year
- No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA draft (Minnesota Lynx)
- 2014 WNBA MVP
- Four-time WNBA champion
- No. 23 retired by Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart
- Four-time national champion
- Four-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
- No. 1 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft (Seattle Storm)
- Two-time WNBA MVP
- Two-time WNBA champion
- Two-time WNBA Finals MVP
- Three-time national champion
- Two-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
- No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA draft (Phoenix Mercury)
- 2009 WNBA MVP
- Three-time WNBA champion
- All-time leading scorer in WNBA history
Check out the ESPN women's college basketball hub page and the ESPN WNBA hub page for more women's basketball coverage.
