Ranking the top 25 women's basketball players of the 21st century
When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2000, UConn had just one national championship.
Kim Mulkey had never been a head coach. Dawn Staley had never coached. The WNBA was just three years old and had only one champion, the Houston Comets. Diana Taurasi was in high school. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark had yet to be born.
As the year 2000 wore on, UConn would win the second of what is now 11 NCAA titles. Baylor hired Mulkey and Temple hired Staley. (Mulkey, now at LSU, has won four national championships while Staley, now at South Carolina, has won three.) The Comets won a fourth consecutive title. Taurasi graduated and headed to UConn (she is now in her 20th WNBA season). Reese and Clark? They wouldn’t arrive until 2002.
As we look back on nearly a quarter-century of amazing growth in women’s basketball, who have been the best players from 2000 until now?
We ranked the WNBA’s all-time top 25 in 2021, but this list is different. One big name is missing: Cynthia Cooper. That’s because for this list — part of ESPN’s ranking of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000 — we only considered achievements since 2000, which was her last season in the WNBA. Three of her WNBA championships, her two MVP awards, her two Olympic appearances and her college career at USC all occurred before 2000.
Two of Cooper’s Comets’ teammates, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, made the list, as both played well into the new millennium.
Two players have made leaps into the top 10 since the 2021 ranking: the Las Vegas Aces‘ A’ja Wilson and the New York Liberty‘s Breanna Stewart. As for Clark and Reese, both had outstanding college careers and are off to strong starts as WNBA rookies. They might be on a list like this in the future. But for now, here are the top 25 since 2000.
Key accomplishments: Three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, five-time Olympic gold medalist, 2009 WNBA MVP, 10-time All-WNBA first team, 2004 Rookie of the Year, WNBA’s leading career scorer and 3-point shooter, three-time NCAA champion, two-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 2003 Wade Trophy winner
Taurasi was born in 1982, when the NCAA tournament began for women. Twenty years later, she won the first of three consecutive NCAA titles with UConn. Now, 22 years after that, she’s still going at 42 as the oldest active player in the WNBA. The only player in the league to hit 10,000 points, Taurasi has spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury and has led the WNBA in scoring five times. Playing in her sixth Olympics this summer, she is revered for her longtime leadership of Team USA as well as the Mercury, and for her unwavering swagger.
Key accomplishments: 2012 WNBA champion and Finals MVP, four-time Olympic gold medalist, 2011 WNBA MVP, five-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 10-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, seven-time All-WNBA first team, WNBA career steals leader, 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Basketball Hall of Famer.
Skilled as Catchings was, she is likely remembered for her motor more than any other great women’s basketball player. That’s evident in her constant presence on WNBA All-Defensive teams. Catchings was the No. 3 draft pick in 2001 because she was coming off a knee injury that cut short her senior season at Tennessee. She sat out that WNBA season but rewarded the Indiana Fever for their patience by becoming the face of the franchise. Nothing shows Catchings’ impact more than this: The Fever missed the playoffs just twice in her 15-season career but haven’t been back to the postseason since she retired in 2016.
Key accomplishments: Four-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2014 WNBA MVP, 2013 Finals MVP, five-time All-WNBA first team, 2011 WNBA Rookie of the Year, two-time NCAA champion, 2010 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time Wade Trophy winner.
Moore was part of a 90-game winning streak and two perfect seasons at UConn. Then as the WNBA’s No. 1 pick in 2011, she helped the Minnesota Lynx become a dynasty. Moore was known for her smooth shot, her clutch play and the fact that winning followed wherever she went. In six of her eight WNBA seasons, the Lynx reached the Finals. But Moore’s career ended before expected as she stopped playing at age 29 following the 2018 season to focus on social justice issues. She worked tirelessly to help free her future husband, Jonathan Irons, whose prison conviction was reversed in 2020. Moore officially retired in January 2023.
Key accomplishments: Three-time WNBA champion, 2016 Finals MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, seven-time All-WNBA first team, 2008 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time NCAA champion, two-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 2007 Wade Trophy winner.
Parker was known for being able to play any position, but at 6-foot-4 she was lethal as a post player with a diverse skill set. In college, Parker led Tennessee to coach Pat Summitt’s last two NCAA titles, in 2007 and 2008. The No. 1 WNBA draft pick by the Sparks in 2008, Parker had an epic first pro season: She was MVP and Rookie of the Year (no other player has done that) and won Olympic gold. She spent 13 of her 16 WNBA seasons with the Sparks, but won WNBA titles with Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas.
5. Lisa Leslie
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, three-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time WNBA MVP, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time All-WNBA first team, Basketball Hall of Famer.
Leslie was a high school phenom in Inglewood, California, who played collegiately at USC and professionally for the Los Angeles Sparks. But she made a global impact on the game, winning four Olympic gold medals (three since 2000) and was the national team’s mainstay in the post her entire USA Basketball career. Leslie led the Sparks to the 2001 and 2002 WNBA titles and the 2003 Finals. Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson are the WNBA’s only three-time MVPs. She is the modern model for her position; fittingly, the Hall of Fame/WBCA honor for women’s college centers was named the Lisa Leslie Award in 2018.
6. Sheryl Swoopes
Key accomplishments: Four-time WNBA champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time WNBA MVP, three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, five-time All-WNBA first team, Basketball Hall of Famer.
Swoopes, a key part of the Houston Comets’ dynasty, won the last of her four WNBA titles in 2000 and was the league’s MVP in 2000, 2002 and 2005. Known for three-level scoring, she was also one of the best disrupters of passing lanes in women’s hoops history, which helped lead to her being honored as the WNBA’s best defensive player in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Two of her three Olympic golds came in 2000 and 2004, and she played in the WNBA until age 40.
7. Lauren Jackson
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, 2010 Finals MVP, three-time Olympic silver and one-time bronze medalist, three-time WNBA MVP, 2007 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time All-WNBA first team, two-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, Basketball Hall of Famer.
Jackson is the best women’s basketball player from Australia, and one of the best from anywhere. Drafted No. 1 by the Seattle Storm at age 19 in 2001, she is one of three players to be a three-time WNBA MVP. She led the Storm to the 2004 and 2010 league titles, and her 2007 and 2006 seasons are the top two in player efficiency rating in WNBA history. Jackson was known for her powerful inside presence offensively and defensively. Her WNBA career ended after the 2012 season because of injury issues, but she later resumed her career in Australia and has made her fifth Olympic team this year at age 43.
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, 2023 Finals MVP, 2020 Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year, three-time All-WNBA first team, two-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, 2017 NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 2018 Wade Trophy winner.
Wilson helped lead her hometown South Carolina Gamecocks to their first Final Four in 2015 and first NCAA title in 2017. The No. 1 pick in 2018, she was drafted by the newly relocated Las Vegas Aces and has been a perfect fit there. She recently became the franchise’s leading career scorer and will participate in her second Olympics. She is favored to win a third WNBA MVP award and is on track to have the best player efficiency rating in league history. She turns 28 in August but already has a statue outside her college arena.
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion and two-time Finals MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year, five-time All-WNBA first team, two-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, four-time NCAA champion and four-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player
Stewart stated her goal when she chose UConn: win four national championships. She did it, two of them in perfect seasons. The No. 1 pick by Seattle in 2016, she teamed with fellow former UConn star Sue Bird to help the Storm win the 2018 and 2020 league titles. Stewart is known for her offensive versatility at 6-foot-4 and her effective length on defense. She made the biggest free agent move in WNBA history, leaving the Storm after six seasons in 2023 to return to her home state and try to lead New York to its first WNBA championship. The Liberty made the WNBA Finals last year as Stewart won her second MVP.
10. Sue Bird
Key accomplishments: Four-time WNBA champion, five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time All-WNBA first team, WNBA career leader in assists, games and minutes played, two-time NCAA champion, 2002 Wade Trophy winner
Bird’s fame was on both coasts. First, as a UConn superstar who won NCAA titles in 2000 and 2002, the latter while playing on what many consider the best women’s college basketball team ever. Then, drafted No. 1 by Seattle in 2002, she spent her 19-season WNBA career with the Storm and was the only player on all of their title teams: in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020. Bird also spent two decades as the point guard of the U.S. national team, winning four FIBA World Cup golds along with her Olympic success. Off the court, she has been involved in the players’ union and multimedia efforts to highlight women’s sports.
11. Sylvia Fowles
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, four-time Olympic gold medalist, 2017 WNBA MVP, three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, three-time All-WNBA first team, eight-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, WNBA career leader in rebounds and field goal percentage, four Final Four appearances
Fowles, a huge part of the resurgence of LSU basketball, was the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft by Chicago, which she helped lead to the 2014 WNBA Finals. After seven seasons, she wanted a different experience and requested a trade to Minnesota. She thrived with the Lynx, winning championships in 2015 and 2017. The 6-6 Fowles was a traditional center who owned the low block offensively and defensively. She also was known as a great caretaker for her teammates, making her one of the league’s most popular players among her peers as well as fans.
12. Elena Delle Donne
Key accomplishments: 2019 WNBA champion, 2016 Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year, four-time All-WNBA first team, scored more than 3,000 points in college
Delle Donne’s path was different from her peers’. For family reasons — her sister has dealt with lifelong serious health issues — Delle Donne left a scholarship at UConn to play close to home at Delaware. Even being outside a Power 5 conference, she was the No. 2 draft pick in 2013 by Chicago. After four seasons with the Sky, she requested a trade to Washington to be closer to home, then led the Mystics to their only WNBA championship in 2019. Despite the effects of Lyme disease and debilitating back issues throughout her pro career, Delle Donne is one of the most talented players in league history.
13. Seimone Augustus
Key accomplishments: Four-time WNBA champion, 2011 Finals MVP, three-time Olympic gold medalist, 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2012 All-WNBA first team, three Final Four appearances, two-time Wade Trophy winner, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Augustus’ decision to stay in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transformed LSU and led to the program making five consecutive Final Four appearances, starting in 2004. The top draft pick in 2006 by Minnesota, Augustus anchored the franchise for five seasons before there was enough talent around her to start a dynasty. She was a key figure in Minnesota’s six trips to the Finals between 2011 and 2017. Augustus’ signature on offense was her textbook pull-up jump shot; she was in the top 10 of the WNBA in scoring for eight seasons.
14. Yolanda Griffith
Key accomplishments: 2005 WNBA champion and Finals MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2005 All-WNBA first team, 2005 WNBA All-Defensive first team, top 10 in rebounding for six seasons, Naismith Hall of Fame
Griffith’s path to the WNBA came through the short-lived ABL and her time spent playing in Europe. She made her WNBA debut in 1999 at age 29 — and won the MVP award. For the next nine seasons, she continued to be one of the best defenders and rebounders in the WNBA, a rim protector who made opponents think twice about coming into the lane. Her pinnacle came in 2005, when she led the Sacramento Monarchs to their only championship. They came close to repeating in 2006 but fell in the WNBA Finals in five games to Detroit. Griffith’s two Olympic golds came in 2000 and 2004.
15. Tina Thompson
Key accomplishments: 2000 WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2004 All-WNBA first team, No. 2 on WNBA career scoring list, Naismith Hall of Fame
Thompson won three of her four WNBA championships prior to 2000 for the Comets, for whom she played 12 of her 17 seasons in the league. Thompson was a great player on her own but was particularly effective as part of the Comets’ ensemble and as a member of the U.S. national team. She averaged double-figure scoring for all but two of her WNBA seasons. Thompson remained effective right up until retiring at age 38 after the 2013 season, making a career-high 60 3-pointers in her final year in the WNBA.
16. Angel McCoughtry
Key accomplishments: Two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2009 WNBA Rookie of the Year, two-time All-WNBA first team, six-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, two-time WNBA scoring champion, led Louisville to its first women’s Final Four
McCoughtry is one of three players on our top 25 list who haven’t won a WNBA title. But she played in the WNBA Finals four times: three with Atlanta and one with Las Vegas. The No. 1 draft pick in 2009, she was one of the league’s most dynamic scorers despite not being a high-percentage 3-point shooter. She was also consistently one of the WNBA’s best and most versatile defenders, a trait that helped her find a valued role with the U.S. national team for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Key accomplishments: 2014 WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, three-time All-WNBA first team, three-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, 2012 NCAA champion, two-time Wade Trophy winner
Griner led Baylor to a perfect season in 2012, then was the No. 1 pick by Phoenix in 2013. A true center at 6-9, she bonded with Mercury veteran guard Diana Taurasi, who helped Griner adjust both to the WNBA and playing overseas. In her 11th WNBA season, Griner ranks third in career blocks. Griner missed the 2022 season after being imprisoned while traveling to play in Russia, which galvanized the WNBA in support of her. She had a strong season back in the league last year and has continued that into 2024 as she will play in the Olympics for the third time.
Key accomplishments: 2016 WNBA champion, 2016 WNBA MVP, 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2015 All-WNBA first team, four-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, top 10 in WNBA career field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, four Final Four appearances
Ogwumike and her sister, Chiney, helped propel Stanford to five Final Four appearances between them and are the only siblings to both be picked No. 1 in the WNBA draft. Nneka was the top selection by Los Angeles in 2012 and stayed with the franchise for 12 seasons before going as a free agent in 2024 to Seattle. She has been one of the league’s most consistent post players her entire career. And as longtime president of the executive committee of the players’ union, she has also been instrumental in the WNBA’s labor negotiations and improvements for players.
Key accomplishments: Three-time Olympic gold medalist, 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2012 WNBA MVP, five-time All-WNBA first team, 2017 WNBA All-Defensive first team, top five in WNBA career points, field goals and rebounds, two-time NCAA champion
Part of two undefeated teams at UConn with teammate Maya Moore, Charles was the No. 1 draft pick by Connecticut in 2010. She spent four seasons with the Sun, then six with her hometown New York Liberty. During that time, she was also one of the staples of the U.S. national team. Charles led the WNBA in scoring in 2021 with Washington, and subsequently has played for Phoenix, Seattle and Atlanta. She also has had considerable success playing overseas in Turkey, Poland and China. She’s a future Hall of Famer regardless of whether she wins a WNBA title.
20. Lindsay Whalen
Key accomplishments: Four-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time All-WNBA first team, top four in WNBA career assists, Naismith Hall of Fame
After leading Minnesota to its only women’s Final Four in 2004, Whalen was drafted No. 4 by Connecticut. She played six seasons there, reaching the Finals twice. But it seemed only a matter of time before she came back to her home state. She did so via trade before the 2010 season, and then helped Minnesota become a dynasty with six Finals appearances in seven years. Whalen was a true point guard with exceptional court vision. She never made more than 27 3-pointers in a WNBA season but had a relentless ability to get to the rim.
21. Penny Taylor
Key accomplishments: Three-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic silver medalist, 2007 All-WNBA first team, top 10 in player efficiency rating for eight of her 13 seasons
Taylor and fellow Australian Lauren Jackson, born 13 days apart in 1981, were selected in what turned out to be an exceptional 2001 draft. Eleven of the first-round picks played at least nine years in the WNBA. Taylor was the No. 11 pick by Cleveland, then went to Phoenix in the 2004 dispersal draft. She was a perfect fit with the Mercury, helping them win the 2007, 2009 and 2014 WNBA titles. Also one of the stars of the Australian national team, she and Jackson led the Opals to the 2006 FIBA World Cup gold medal, with Taylor the MVP of the tournament.
22. Cappie Pondexter
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, 2007 Finals MVP, 2008 Olympic gold medalist, three-time All-WNBA first team, 2010 WNBA All-Defensive first team, top 10 in WNBA career field goals and free throws made
Pondexter was Big East Player of the Year at Rutgers in 2006 and drafted No. 2 by Phoenix, where she helped the Mercury win the 2007 and 2009 WNBA titles. Known for her quick-release jump shot and electric ability to get to the rim, Pondexter finished in the top 10 in scoring in the league eight of her 13 seasons. She also was considered an elite perimeter defender, a tribute to her time playing collegiately for coach C. Vivian Stringer. Pondexter spent most of her WNBA career with Phoenix, New York and Chicago.
23. Katie Smith
Key accomplishments: Two-time WNBA champion, 2008 Finals MVP, three-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time All-WNBA first team, top 10 in WNBA career points and 3-pointers, Naismith Hall of Fame
An Ohio native, she starred for Ohio State in the 1990s and began her pro career with two championships in the short-lived ABL with the Columbus Quest. She moved to the WNBA in 1999 with Minnesota, but her greatest heights in the league came after she was traded to Detroit during the 2005 season. Mostly known as a scorer with the Lynx, she became a point guard and defensive stopper for the Shock, a pivotal part of their 2006 and 2008 championships. Smith spent the end of her playing career in Washington, Seattle and New York, then later became the Liberty’s head coach. She’s now an assistant for the Lynx.
Key accomplishments: Two WNBA Finals appearances, two-time WNBA All-Defensive first team, 2023 All-WNBA first team, WNBA career leader in triple-doubles, ranked top 10 in WNBA rebounding six times, top 10 in steals seven times, 2014 Final Four
Thomas is the rare player more celebrated and appreciated in her early 30s than she was in her mid-20s, including making her first Olympic team at 32. That’s because she transformed her game to become a triple-double threat and an MVP candidate. The Maryland grad has played several years with shoulder injuries she opted to not have surgically repaired. Thus, she has an odd-looking shot and almost never shoots 3-pointers. But she has developed her own unique ways to score and added elite playmaking, averaging over 6.0 assists per game in each of the past three seasons.
25. Swin Cash
Key accomplishments: Three-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion, 2002 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Naismith Hall of Fame
Cash won NCAA titles with UConn in 2000 and 2002, and then was the No. 2 draft pick by Detroit in 2002 behind Huskies teammate Sue Bird. Cash won her first two WNBA titles with the Shock, and her third as Bird’s teammate in Seattle. Cash finished her playing career with Chicago, Atlanta and New York. Cash wasn’t always a huge stat-compiler, but she had one of the top motors in the league and ability to be at her best in the biggest games. She is currently vice president of basketball operations and team development for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
