With voting for the Top 15 Players in WNBA history open now, I thought it would be fun to take a look at where the Storm’s four candidates – Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson and Katie Smith - rank among the WNBA’s career leaders in a few key categories. Players that are not candidates for the Top 15 have an asterisk.
CAREER POINTS
Rk Player Pts
------------------------------------
1 Tina Thompson 6480
2 Lisa Leslie 6263
3 LAUREN JACKSON 5803
4 KATIE SMITH 5788
5 Diana Taurasi 4830
6 Tangela Smith 4826
7 Tamika Catchings 4745
8 Chamique Holdsclaw 4716
9 Becky Hammon 4651
10 Sheryl Swoopes 4642
Rk Player Pts
------------------------------------
11 DeLisha Milton-Jones 4536
12 Taj McWilliams-Franklin 4495
13 Vickie Johnson* 4243
14 Yolanda Griffith 4238
15 Katie Douglas 4207
16 Deanna Nolan 3971
17 Nykesha Sales 3955
18 Betty Lennox* 3839
19 Chasity Melvin* 3814
20 SUE BIRD 3688
21 SWIN CASH 3627
Because the four players ahead of them are not active, Bird and Cash have a chance to move up the rankings this season and get as high as 16th. Already, they are 17th and 18th among Top 15 Player candidates. After surpassing Smith in the season opener, Jackson has just two names ahead of her – both of them very impressive ones. Smith, of course, is the all-time leading professional scorer when her ABL points are considered.
CAREER REBOUNDS
Rk Player Reb
------------------------------------
1 Lisa Leslie 3307
2 Taj McWilliams-Franklin 2660
3 Tina Thompson 2637
4 Yolanda Griffith 2444
5 LAUREN JACKSON 2357
6 Tangela Smith 2246
7 Tamika Catchings 2185
8 Margo Dydek * 2143
9 Chamique Holdsclaw 2126
10 Chasity Melvin * 2118
Rk Player Reb
------------------------------------
11 DeLisha Milton-Jones 2096
12 Michelle Snow* 1975
13 Cheryl Ford 1907
14 Natalie Williams 1832
15 Tammy Sutton-Brown* 1832
16 Wendy Palmer* 1825
17 SWIN CASH 1678
37 KATIE SMITH 1161
-- SUE BIRD 795
Jackson is close to passing former Storm center Yolanda Griffith for fourth in career rebounds. Smith ranks 17th among the 30 Top 15 nominees in rebounding, while Bird is 23rd in what is obviously her weakest category statistically.
CAREER ASSISTS
Rk Player Ast
-----------------------------
1 Ticha Penicheiro 2417
2 Sue Bird 1641
3 Shannon Johnson 1424
4 Teresa Weatherspoon 1338
5 Dawn Staley 1337
6 Becky Hammon 1239
7 Vickie Johnson* 1205
8 Lindsay Whalen* 1187
9 KATIE SMITH 1061
23 SWIN CASH 787
-- LAUREN JACKSON 430
Naturally, Bird fares much better here. Smith, a part-time point guard, is also among the 11 players in league history with at least a thousand assists. Cash is moving up the list. This is Jackson’s weakest area as a post player; she ranks 25th of the 30 nominees.
CAREER MINUTES
Rk Player Min
-------------------------------------
1 Tina Thompson 13840
2 KATIE SMITH 13155
3 Vickie Johnson 12435
4 Tangela Smith 12033
5 Taj McWilliams-Franklin 11877
6 Ticha Penicheiro 11833
7 Lisa Leslie 11629
8 DeLisha Milton-Jones 11577
9 Chasity Melvin 10467
10 Shannon Johnson 10398
Rk Player Min
-------------------------------------
11 Becky Hammon 9860
12 Sheryl Swoopes 9841
13 SUE BIRD 9794
14 LAUREN JACKSON 9772
15 Katie Douglas 9686
16 Tamika Catchings 9479
17 Tamecka Dixon* 9454
18 Sheri Sam* 9270
19 Deanna Nolan 9174
20 Chamique Holdsclaw 9170
21 Yolanda Griffith 8958
22 Mwadi Mabika* 8933
23 SWIN CASH 8865
This is an interesting list that really speaks to longevity in the league.I was surprised, given her ABL experience, that Smith is second to only Tina Thompson in career minutes. Bird and Jackson are among several players closing in on 10,000 career minutes. Bird recently moved ahead of her teammate. Cash has a chance to make up a lot of ground as she nears 9,000 minutes; the six players ahead of her are all inactive.
Given how much time Bird, Cash and Jackson still have to add to their career totals, that they already rank this high is impressive indeed and a testament to the impact they’ve had on the WNBA over the last decade.
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