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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Ohio State great Katie Smith named to WNBA top-20 list




Katie Smith led the WNBA in scoring in 2001, when she averaged 23.1 points a game

June 21, 2016

Logan native and Ohio State product Katie Smith was one of 11 former players named to the WNBA’s 20 “greatest and most influential players,” a list generated as part of the women’s basketball league’s 20th anniversary season.

The 5-foot-11 Smith, a shooting guard, played 14 years in the WNBA after a two-year stint with the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League in which she led the Quest to championships in each of the league’s two seasons.

Smith joined the Minnesota Lynx in 1999 and played seven seasons with the team, three times leading the WNBA in minutes played and leading the league in scoring in 2001, when she averaged 23.1 points per game.

Smith was traded to Detroit in 2005 and helped the Shock to two league titles, in 2006 and 2008. She also played for the Washington Mystics (2010), Seattle Storm (2011-12) and New York Liberty (2013) and finished her career as the leading scorer in women’s professional basketball history.

Now an assistant coach with New York, Smith played at Ohio State from 1992-96 and also won three Olympic gold medals for the United States, in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She was a seven-time all-star in the WNBA.


Also included on the WNBA’s 20-year anniversary team were current stars Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen.

The former players named to the team with Smith were Cynthia Cooper, Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Deanna Nolan, Ticha Penicheiro, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Teresa Weatherspoon.

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