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* '''Courtney Paris''': A center drafted #7 overall in 2009 after a statistically dominant collegiate career at Oklahoma (where she set the NCAA record for consecutive double-doubles for both genders), her original team in Sacramento dissolved after her rookie year. After two seasons in Atlanta, she settled in and began to reflect some of her collegiate form with the Tulsa Shock, leading the W in rebounds in 2014 and '15. She finished her career with the Storm, winning a title in 2018 before retiring the following year and entering coaching.
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* '''Penny Taylor''': A small forward out of Australia drafted #11 overall in 2001 by the Rockers, Taylor was taken by the Phoenix Mercury with the first overall pick in the 2004 dispersal draft when the Rockers dissolved and played in Arizona through 2016, helping them win three championships while also winning two silver Olympic medals for her home country. Right after retiring from play in 2016, Taylor married her longtime Mercury teammate and all-time WNBA great Diana Taurasi and has had two children with her. The three-time All-Star had her #13 retired by the Mercury.
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* '''Jordin Canada''': A point guard out of UCLA drafted #5 overall by the Seattle Storm in 2018, Canada quickly broke out, winning a title in her first season and leading the W in steals in the second. She signed with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022 and put up some of the best numbers of her career, earning another steals title in '23, and was traded to the Dream in '24.
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* '''Brittney Sykes''': A talented guard drafted #7 overall out of Syracuse by the Dream in 2017, Sykes was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2020 and established herself as a dominant defensive threat, leading the W in steals in '21 and '22 and winning Defensive Player of the Year in the latter year before signing with the Mystics.
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* '''Alana Beard''': A swingwoman out of Duke drafted #2 overall in 2004 by the Washington Mystics, she earned four All-Star nods with the team over the next six seasons while setting current franchise career records in points and steals. After sitting out two full years from separate injuries, she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks and hit an excellent second wind, shifting her game to focus on defense. She won a ring in 2016 and followed that up with back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year wins in '17 and '18. The nine-time All-Defensive Teamer called it a career after 2019.
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* '''Alana Beard''': A swingwoman wing out of Duke drafted #2 overall in 2004 by the Washington Mystics, she earned four All-Star nods with the team over the next six seasons while setting current franchise career records in points and steals. After sitting out two full years from separate injuries, she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks and hit an excellent second wind, shifting her game to focus on defense. She won a ring in 2016 and followed that up with back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year wins in '17 and '18. The nine-time All-Defensive Teamer called it a career after 2019.
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* '''Katie Douglas''': A swingwoman known for her two-way play, drafted #10 overall out of Purdue in 2001 by the Orlando Miracle a few years before they became the Connecticut Sun. Douglas set the Sun's standing record for career three-pointers before they traded her back to her hometown Indiana Fever in 2008, where the five-time All-Star contributed to the team's sole championship in 2012. She retired after spending 2014 back with the Sun.
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* '''Katie Douglas''': A swingwoman wing known for her two-way play, drafted #10 overall out of Purdue in 2001 by the Orlando Miracle a few years before they became the Connecticut Sun. Douglas set the Sun's standing record for career three-pointers before they traded her back to her hometown Indiana Fever in 2008, where the five-time All-Star contributed to the team's sole championship in 2012. She retired after spending 2014 back with the Sun.
* '''Alexis Hornbuckle''': A guard drafted #4 overall in 2008 coming off of back-to-back championships at Tennessee, she immediately performed well for the Detroit Shock, leading the W in steals in her rookie year while contributing to their title run. That year turned out to be her peak in the pros, though she won another ring with the Lynx in 2011 the year after being traded. She retired in 2013 after two years in Phoenix.
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* '''Katie Smith''': A Hall of Fame swingwoman, the Ohio State product was first allocated to the Minnesota Lynx in 1999 after winning both of the only two titles in the short-lived American Basketball League with the Columbus Quest. Despite winning a scoring title in '01 thanks to her exceptional shooting ability, the Lynx largely struggled during Smith's tenure. She was traded to the Detroit Shock in 2006 and once again experienced team success, winning titles in '06 and '08 and Finals MVP in the latter season. When the Shock left Detroit, so did Smith, bouncing around to Washington, Seattle, and New York. The seven-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist was the W's all-time scoring leader when she retired after 2013, moving straight into an assistant coaching role with the Liberty. She was eventually promoted to head coach, but Liberty fans would likely rather not talk about that era--after two abysmal seasons, Smith took an assistant job back with the Lynx.
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* '''Katie Smith''': A Hall of Fame swingwoman, wing, the Ohio State product was first allocated to the Minnesota Lynx in 1999 after winning both of the only two titles in the short-lived American Basketball League with the Columbus Quest. Despite winning a scoring title in '01 thanks to her exceptional shooting ability, the Lynx largely struggled during Smith's tenure. She was traded to the Detroit Shock in 2006 and once again experienced team success, winning titles in '06 and '08 and Finals MVP in the latter season. When the Shock left Detroit, so did Smith, bouncing around to Washington, Seattle, and New York. The seven-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist was the W's all-time scoring leader when she retired after 2013, moving straight into an assistant coaching role with the Liberty. She was eventually promoted to head coach, but Liberty fans would likely rather not talk about that era--after two abysmal seasons, Smith took an assistant job back with the Lynx.
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* '''Sheryl Swoopes''': One of the game's greats, the first player signed by the WNBA, and the first woman basketball player to sign a shoe deal with Nike. Originally assigned to the Houston Comets in '97 after her stellar career at Texas Tech (where she won a national title in '93), the swingwoman was a brilliant defensive player and incredible slasher in her prime; she was the first WNBA player ever to collect a triple-double (both in the regular and postseason), and still one of only four to have had more than one in the league. After winning championships in each of her first four seasons, Swoopes began to collect more individual accolades right before teammate Cynthia Cooper retired; she won her first MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 after leading the league in scoring and steals. She would win both awards twice more, MVP in '02 and '05 (leading the W in scoring again in the latter season) and [=DPotY=] in '02 and '03 (leading in steals again in the latter). Despite all this success and three Olympic gold medal wins, the six-time All-Star never managed to win another title after Cooper's retirement; she played one year in Seattle in '08 and attempted a comeback with the Tulsa Shock in 2011 at age 40 before retiring. Her marriage to her high school sweetheart and pregnancy with son Jordan was [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday heavily marketed by the league]] in its early years. She revealed in 2005 that she was gay and in a relationship with her former assistant coach Alisa Scott, becoming one of the first high-profile American athletes to come out publicly and paving the way for many W players after her; she has since remarried to another man. After retiring for good, the Hall of Famer went into coaching, serving as head coach at Loyola University Chicago before being fired during the 2016 offseason amid allegations of player mistreatment.
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* '''Sheryl Swoopes''': One of the game's greats, the first player signed by the WNBA, and the first woman basketball player to sign a shoe deal with Nike. Originally assigned to the Houston Comets in '97 after her stellar career at Texas Tech (where she won a national title in '93), the swingwoman wing was a brilliant defensive player and incredible slasher in her prime; she was the first WNBA player ever to collect a triple-double (both in the regular and postseason), and still one of only four to have had more than one in the league. After winning championships in each of her first four seasons, Swoopes began to collect more individual accolades right before teammate Cynthia Cooper retired; she won her first MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 after leading the league in scoring and steals. She would win both awards twice more, MVP in '02 and '05 (leading the W in scoring again in the latter season) and [=DPotY=] in '02 and '03 (leading in steals again in the latter). Despite all this success and three Olympic gold medal wins, the six-time All-Star never managed to win another title after Cooper's retirement; she played one year in Seattle in '08 and attempted a comeback with the Tulsa Shock in 2011 at age 40 before retiring. Her marriage to her high school sweetheart and pregnancy with son Jordan was [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday heavily marketed by the league]] in its early years. She revealed in 2005 that she was gay and in a relationship with her former assistant coach Alisa Scott, becoming one of the first high-profile American athletes to come out publicly and paving the way for many W players after her; she has since remarried to another man. After retiring for good, the Hall of Famer went into coaching, serving as head coach at Loyola University Chicago before being fired during the 2016 offseason amid allegations of player mistreatment.
* '''Michele Timms''': One of the most dominant players in Australian basketball, the point guard won five WNBL championships in the late '80s and early '90s and won Olympic bronze in 1996 before being assigned to the Phoenix Mercury in 1997. Timms was in her early 30s and past her prime by the time the WNBA was taking off but had an impressive first year, was named an All-Star, and won Olympic silver in 2000 before retiring from play in 2001. The Mercury retired her #7.
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* '''[=DeWanna=] Bonner''': Entered the W as the #5 overall pick in 2009, going to the Phoenix Mercury out of Auburn. The swingwoman won Sixth Woman[[note]]now Sixth ''Player''[[/note]] of the Year in each of her first three seasons in the W, developed into a regular All-Star, and won two championships with the team. During that time, she also formed one of the W's most prominent power couples with teammate and seven-time All-Star '''Candice Dupree'''; they married in 2014, and Bonner missed the 2017 season to give birth to twins. Dupree left Phoenix for Indiana that same season, and Bonner was traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2020 for three first round picks. The couple divorced sometime during that separation, and Bonner is now [[BattleCouple engaged to another teammate]], superstar Alyssa Thomas (see below).
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* '''[=DeWanna=] Bonner''': Entered the W as the #5 overall pick in 2009, going to the Phoenix Mercury out of Auburn. The swingwoman wing won Sixth Woman[[note]]now Sixth ''Player''[[/note]] of the Year in each of her first three seasons in the W, developed into a regular All-Star, and won two championships with the team. During that time, she also formed one of the W's most prominent power couples with teammate and seven-time All-Star '''Candice Dupree'''; they married in 2014, and Bonner missed the 2017 season to give birth to twins. Dupree left Phoenix for Indiana that same season, and Bonner was traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2020 for three first round picks. The couple divorced sometime during that separation, and Bonner is now [[BattleCouple engaged to another teammate]], superstar Alyssa Thomas (see below).
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* '''Kahleah Copper''': Drafted by the Mystics #7 overall in 2016, the wing from Rutgers was moved to the Chicago Sky a year later as part of the Elena Delle Donne trade. Over the next few years, Copper developed into an All-Star, leading the Sky to their first title in 2021 and winning Finals MVP. She was traded to the Mercury in 2024.
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* '''Jackie Young''': The #1 overall pick in 2019 by the Las Vegas Aces after winning a national title at Notre Dame, the guard developed quickly as a key piece of the Aces' early 2020s run of dominance, winning Most Improved Player in 2022 while helping the team win back-to-back titles.
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* '''Debbie Black''': One of the shortest players ever in the WNBA at just 5'2", the point guard graduated St. Joseph's in Philly in the late '80s and played in several pro leagues for a decade before being drafted in the second round in 1999 by the Utah Starzz (who paired her with tallest-ever player, Margo Dydek). The next season, Black moved to the Miami Sol, where she won Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 after leading the league in steals at 35 years old. She retired in 2004 after two years with the Sun and went into coaching.
* '''Vickie Johnson''': The New York Liberty's career leader in minutes played, the shooting guard was drafted in the second round in the 1997 "elite draft" for players with prior professional experience not already allocated to other teams (she was just one year out of Louisiana Tech). She played for New York until 2005, wrapping up her career with another four seasons with the San Antonio Silver Stars before transitioning into coaching, putting up short and generally unimpressive stints as the HC of the Stars and Wings.
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* '''Vickie Johnson''': The New York Liberty's career leader in minutes played, the shooting guard was drafted in the second round in the 1997 "elite draft" for players with prior professional experience not already allocated to other teams (she was just one year out of Louisiana Tech). She played for New York until 2005, wrapping up her career with another four seasons with the San Antonio Silver Stars before transitioning into coaching, putting up short and generally unimpressive stints as the HC of the Stars and Wings.
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* '''Vickie Johnson''': The New York Liberty's career leader in minutes played, the shooting guard '''Betty Lennox''': Nicknamed "Betty Basketball", "Betty Big Baskets", or simply "B-Money" by fans, Lennox was drafted #6 overall in the second round in the 1997 "elite draft" for players with prior professional experience not already allocated to other teams (she was just one year 2000 out of Louisiana Tech). She played for New York until 2005, wrapping Tech by the Minnesota Lynx and immediately showed great promise, winning Rookie of the Year and making what turned out to be her only All-Star selection. In her second season, she suffered what many believed would be a CareerEndingInjury to her hip and bounced around to the Sol and Rockers in the next two seasons, both of which ended with her team dissolving. The discarded shooting guard subsequently signed with the Seattle Storm and experienced a remarkable comeback, winning Finals MVP while taking the team to their first title. Lennox was picked up by the Dream in the 2008 Expansion Draft and put up the best numbers of her career with another four seasons in her sole season in Atlanta; she subsequently signed with the San Antonio Silver Stars before transitioning into coaching, putting up short Sparks, but a knee injury derailed her trajectory, and generally unimpressive stints as she retired after spending 2011 with the HC of the Stars and Wings.Shock.
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* '''Kristi Toliver''': Drafted #3 overall in 2009 after critically contributing to Maryland's national title run as a freshman, Toliver was traded by the Sky to the Los Angeles Sparks after just a year and soon emerged as a potent threat, winning Most Improved Player in 2012 and helping them win a title in 2016 while setting the franchise record for career three-pointers. Toliver was subsequently traded to the Washington Mystics, which she likewise helped win a title in 2019 right before returning to the Sparks. She signed back with the Mystics in 2023 and has not officially retired, but it might be difficult for her to keep playing due to other factors: Toliver is also notable as the first ever active WNBA player to simultaneously coach in the NBA, serving stints as an assistant with the Wizards and Mavericks, and she is now associate head coach of the Mercury, presenting a substantial conflict of interest for playing elsewhere in the W.
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* '''Ariel Atkins''': Drafted #7 overall by the Washington Mystics in 2018, this Texas shooting guard quickly proved to be both a dominant defender and excellent scorer, setting the franchise record for three-pointers while helping the Mystics win a title in her second season.
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* '''Seimone Augustus''': Hall of Fame forward who spent all but the last of her 16 WNBA seasons with the Minnesota Lynx. She was featured on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' for women in high school, promoting her as the possible female Michael Jordan. Her success continued during her college years at LSU where she won many national awards and led her team to three Final Four appearances; LSU put a statue of her up in front of its arena in 2023. Augustus was drafted #1 overall by the Lynx in 2006, where she quickly made her presence known by winning Rookie of the Year. In 2011, when another promising rookie named Maya Moore joined the team, she led the Lynx to their first WNBA title and won Finals MVP; she would contribute to three more titles in Minnesota over the following decade. She initially planned to retire after 2019 but lost most of that season to injury and ultimately left for the Sparks as a free agent, spending the 2020 season in the "Wubble" in Bradenton before entering coaching. The Lynx retired her #33; she is the franchise leader in minutes and points.
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* '''Seimone Augustus''': Hall of Fame forward who spent all but the last of her 16 WNBA seasons with the Minnesota Lynx.Lynx, where she holds franchise records in points and minutes. She was featured on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' for women in high school, promoting her as the possible female Michael Jordan. Her success continued during her college years at LSU where she won many national awards and led her team to three Final Four appearances; LSU put a statue of her up in front of its arena in 2023. Augustus was drafted #1 overall by the Lynx in 2006, where she quickly made her presence known by winning Rookie of the Year. In 2011, when another promising rookie named Maya Moore joined the team, she led the Lynx to their first WNBA title and won Finals MVP; she would contribute the eight-time All-Star contributed to three more titles in Minnesota over the following decade. She initially planned to retire after 2019 but lost most of that season to injury and ultimately left for the Sparks as a free agent, spending the 2020 season in the "Wubble" in Bradenton before entering coaching. The Lynx retired her #33; she is the franchise leader in minutes and points.#33.
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* '''Tamika Catchings''': A Hall of Fame forward who spent her entire 15-season career with the Indiana Fever, Catchings was drafted #3 overall in 2001 out of Tennessee after winning a national title and numerous awards (and that coming after a high school career where she became the first known player to manage a ''quintuple''-double). The daughter of NBA journeyman Harvey Catchings, she's one of the league's most decorated players--Rookie of the Year in 2002 (she missed '01 with a torn ACL), MVP in '11, ten All-Star appearances, five-time Defensive Player of the Year (easily the most of any WNBA player), and Finals MVP in 2012 after helping win the Fever's only championship. Despite only going all the way on one playoff run, Catchings also holds career playoff records in points, rebounds, and steals. Catchings ended her career in 2016 holding ''every'' major statistical record in Fever history and as the league's all-time leader in rebounds and steals (the rebound record has since fallen twice, with Sylvia Fowles as the current leader) and #2 scorer. Her steals record might just be locked up for the foreseeable future; she led the WNBA in the category in ''eight'' seasons and is over 250 ahead of the nearest runner-up. She was widely beloved and respected by her peers, thrice winning the league's Sportsmanship award and serving as the president of the players' union late in her career. The Fever retired her #24, and she later briefly served as the team's GM.
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* '''Tamika Catchings''': A Hall of Fame forward who spent her entire 15-season career with the Indiana Fever, Catchings was drafted #3 overall in 2001 out of Tennessee after winning a national title and numerous awards (and that coming after a high school career where she became the first known player to manage a ''quintuple''-double). The daughter of NBA journeyman Harvey Catchings, she's one of the league's most decorated players--Rookie of the Year in 2002 (she missed '01 with a torn ACL), MVP in '11, ten All-Star appearances, five-time Defensive Player of the Year (easily the most of any WNBA player), and Finals MVP in 2012 after helping win the Fever's only championship. Despite only going all the way on one playoff run, Catchings also holds career playoff records in points, rebounds, and steals. Catchings ended her career in 2016 holding ''every'' major statistical record in Fever history and as the league's all-time leader in rebounds and steals (the rebound record has since fallen twice, with Sylvia Fowles as the current leader) and #2 scorer. Her steals record might just be locked up for the foreseeable future; she led the WNBA in the category in ''eight'' seasons and is over 250 ahead of the nearest runner-up. She was widely beloved and respected by her peers, thrice winning the league's Sportsmanship award and serving as the president of the players' union late in her career. The Fever retired her #24, #24 (the only jersey retired by the franchise), and she later briefly served as the team's GM.
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* '''Katie Douglas''': A swingwoman known for her two-way play, drafted #10 overall out of Purdue in 2001 by the Orlando Miracle a few years before they became the Connecticut Sun. Douglas set the Sun's standing record for career three-pointers before they traded her back to her hometown Indiana Fever in 2008, where the five-time All-Star contributed to the team's sole championship in 2012. She retired after spending 2014 back with the Sun.
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* '''Kim Perrot''': A PintSizedPowerhouse point guard who managed to sign with the Houston Comets in 1997 despite going undrafted and standing at just 5'5", Perrot played ferociously, was adept at stealing the ball, and helped win the first two WNBA championships. The EnsembleDarkhorse was beloved by fans and players alike well before she tragically fell ill with lung cancer in her third season, which quickly metastatized into her brain; she died in the middle of what would have been her third season, with the Comets dedicating their championship win to her. Perrot's #10 became the first jersey retired by a WNBA franchise, and she became the namesake for the league's Sportmanship Award.
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* '''Liz Cambage''': A highly skilled center out of Australia and one of the more enigmatic players in WNBA history. Cambage was drafted #2 overall in 2011 by the Tulsa Shock after winning WNBL MVP at just 19 years old. While she went to the States that year and was named an All-Star as a rookie, Cambage made very clear that she had no interest in playing in Tulsa; she didn't play in the U.S. the following year while she competed in the Olympics (winning bronze), played one more season in the WNBA, and didn't play outside the Eastern Hemisphere for five years. When she did eventually return to the U.S. in 2018, the Shock had become the Dallas Wings; she made a huge splash, leading the W in scoring and setting the record for most points scored in a single game (53), but the Wings as a whole struggled. Cambage pushed for a trade to the Las Vegas Aces the following year and remained an All-Star despite missing 2020 due to COVID, but trouble on and off the court (including a bizarre incident in an Olympic training scrim that forced her to step down from the national team) led to her being cut after 2021, right before the Aces dynasty took off. She briefly played for the Sparks before announcing her intention to step away from the WNBA, though she has continued to play internationally.
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* '''Emma Meesseman''': A dominant forward out of Belgium, drafted in the second round in 2013 by the Washington Mystics and serving as an excellent contributor, setting the franchise record for blocks and becoming the first European player to win Finals MVP in 2019. She signed with the Sky in 2022 but has not played in the W since, seemingly shifting her focus solely to [=EuroLeague=] play, which makes sense: Meesseman has won six titles in Europe and was named MVP in her first two seasons since she stopped playing in the United States.
* '''Murriel Page''': The longest-tenured player in Washington Mystics history in terms of total minutes, the Florida forward was drafted #3 overall in 1998 and played for the team through 2005, rounding out her pro career with three more years in L.A. before retiring and entering coaching.
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* '''Chelsea Gray''': Drafted #11 overall in 2014 by the Sun, the point guard out of Duke sat out her rookie year while recovering from injury, underwhelmed in year two, and was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She won a championship as a bench player in her first year in L.A. but soon earned the nickname "Point Gawd" as a regular starter and All-Star. Gray signed with the Las Vegas Aces in 2021 and has been a major contributor to their superteam dynasty, winning back-to-back championships in '22-'23 and earning Finals MVP in the first title run.
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* '''Chelsea Gray''': Drafted #11 overall in 2014 by the Sun, the point guard out of Duke sat out her rookie year while recovering from injury, underwhelmed in year two, and was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She won a championship as a bench player in her first year in L.A. but soon earned the nickname "Point Gawd" as a regular starter and All-Star. Gray signed with the Las Vegas Aces in 2021 and has been a major contributor to their superteam dynasty, winning back-to-back championships in '22-'23 and earning Finals MVP in the first title run. She also won Olympic gold in 2020.
