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WNBA Top 20@20

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WNBA Top 20@20 refers to the Women's National Basketball Association's Top 20 Players of All Time, chosen in 2016 on the occasion of the twentieth season of the WNBA from amongst 60 nominees compiled by the league. The group was to comprise the 20 best and most influential players of the first fifteen years of the WNBA, with consideration also accorded to sportsmanship, community service, leadership, and contribution to the growth of women's basketball; only players to have competed in the WNBA for at least two seasons, and fit at least three of seven criteria (WNBA championship, major individual award, a selection to either the All-WNBA Team, WNBA All-Defensive Team, or WNBA All-Star Game; a current ranking among the top 30 statistical career leaders; and a selection to either the WNBA's All-Decade Team or the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time) were considered.

Contents

The Top 15 players were announced on June 21, 2016 at ESPN's SportsCenter. Dawn Staley was the only member of both the WNBA's All-Decade Team (2006) and the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time (2011) absent from the Top 20 list.

Players selected

  • Note: all information only pertains to the first twenty years of the league's existence.
  • The inaugural WNBA All-Star Game took place during the 1999 season, and the game has been contested yearly since, although the 2004 edition was supplanted by a game between WNBA players from both conferences and the 2004 United States Olympic team and the 2010 edition was a game between WNBA players from both conferences and the USA National Team. For the purposes of this article, appearances in the 2004 and 2010 games for both participating teams are considered All-Star appearances. This differs from the WNBA's practice, which does not count Team USA players in 2004 and 2010 as All-Stars, even though all members of Team USA except for Maya Moore in 2010 were WNBA players at the time of the two games. Starting in 2008, no Olympic year holds an All-Star Game.
  • Players who were voted to start in all-star games but were unable to play due to injury are nevertheless considered to have been starters; players voted as reserves who started in place of other injured players are nevertheless considered to have been reserves.

    • Other finalists

    1 Still active at time of Top 20 Team announcement.
    2 Was in both the All-Decade and Top 15 teams.
    3All-Decade honorable mention, Top 15 nominee.
    4Nominated for both All-Decade and Top 15 teams.
    5All-Decade nominee.
    6Top 15 nominee.
    7Deceased.

    References

    WNBA Top 20@20 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA