The WNBA celebrated its 25th anniversary ahead of the 2022 season, and to honor that milestone, the league unveiled its official “W25” list — the 25 greatest players in WNBA history. Building off the 2016 “Top 20@20” list, this updated roster of legends includes icons like the GOAT Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, and Candace Parker.  These women not only defined generations of basketball are the unquestioned best players in their franchise’s history, but also elevated the league’s global profile with their talent, leadership, and championship pedigree.

While the W25 offered an official snapshot of the league’s elite, the conversation around who belongs in the top 50 has only grown louder as new stars emerge and veterans build on already impressive legacies. With the rise of standout players like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier – each making major All-WNBA teams and leading playoff pushes – the case for expanding the list beyond 25 was inevitable. It’s not just about accolades; it’s about impact, consistency, and the way certain players have shifted the game itself. Whether through triple-doubles, game-winning shots, or redefining positions, today’s stars are building resumes worthy of legendary company.

Full List: Top 50 WNBA Players in WNBA History

That said, we didn’t stop there. If you’ve been keeping count, you’ll notice we’ve now listed 45 of the WNBA’s most elite players. We promised a Top 50, and while we’re still finalizing the full list, some recent stars have demanded inclusion. We’ve already added Alyssa Thomas—Connecticut Sun leader, multiple-time All-Star, and the league’s triple-double machine – as well as Collier and Jewell Loyd, aka the “Gold Mamba,” a two-time champion and perennial All-Star. Scroll down to see who else might join this prestigious club and how we plan to round out our definitive Top 50 WNBA players of all time. Take a look at the current list and scroll down to see how we plan on filling out the remaining players.

Yes, we placed Caitlin Clark into the list. There’s definitely legitimate arguments that she isn’t yet one of the 50 greatest WNBA players of all time simply because she’s barely into her second season and hasn’t built the long-term resume required. While Clark broke dozens of records and making a massive impact on the league’s visibility, sustained success and playoff accomplishments are key criteria for all-time status. That said, Clark is on a fast track—if she continues at this pace, she’s a lock for the top 50.

The other side of the argument is that, doesn’t she belong on the list over canidateslike Sophia Young-Malcolm who scored 4300 points in her career, earned three All-WNBA and three all-star appearances. Paired with Becky Hammon, she was a three time all-star, averaged between 12 and 19 points for her entire nine-year WNBA career. What about Shannon Johnson or  Nikki Teasley or Nikki McCray? Strong frontcourt players like Sancho Lyttle, Cheryl Ford and Natalie Williams? Here’s a list of the remaining candidates.

How Did We Get To the Top 50?

To build our WNBA Top 50 list, we started with the league’s two official milestone selections: the W25—released during the league’s 25th anniversary in 2021—and the 20@20, which honored the top 20 players through the WNBA’s first two decades. From there, we analyzed a range of accomplishments including MVP awards, Finals MVPs, All-WNBA selections, All-Star appearances, championships, statistical milestones, and overall impact on the game. Longevity, postseason excellence, and cultural influence were also key factors in determining who made the cut. By blending official recognition with continued performance and evolving legacies, we created a more complete, up-to-date list that reflects both past greatness and the game’s present stars.

First here’s the players that were listed in the W25

As far as ranking the W25, ESPN went ahead a ranked the top 10 this way:

1. Diana Taurasi
2. Tamika Catchings
3. Cynthia Cooper
4. Maya Moore
5. Lisa Leslie
6. Sheryl Swoopes
7. Lauren Jackson
8. Sue Bird
9. Candace Parker
10. Sylvia Fowles

Personally, I think ESPN gives significant weight to stats over winning. I think Maya Moore and Cooper should be higher than Catchings for the sole fact both players won four titles compared to Catchings’ one championship. Numbers should matter and Taurasi’s overwhelming lead in career points certainly elevates her above all other WNBA players.

They also left Cash and Penichiero off their list — to include Penny Taylor and Rebekkah Brunson. ESPN obviously put some work into their ranking and we certainly think that Taylor and Brunson deserve to be in the top 50 players of all-time. Considering their resumes, let’s use the W25 list and ESPN’s additions as a start of our Top 50 List.

Just so you know, Taylor was an efficient offensive player whose contributions to the teams she played on helped her to three WNBA titles. Brunson owns the most WNBA championships in the history of the W, ranks top five all-time in total rebounds and is a seven-time all-defensive selection. She wasn’t an offensive powerhouse or at any point the first or even the second best player on her team, but you still can’t argue Brunson’s placement too loudly.

Penicheiro was the WNBA’s answer to Jason Kidd in that she would struggle to reach 10 points — the most points Ticha ever averaged for the season was 8.6 points in her final season with Sacramento. However it was her passing and playmaking was all-world. In the list of WNBA games with the most assists, Ticha’s name is all over the record books.

That brings us to 27 players – a little over half where we need to be.

Let’s Bring in the W25 Snubs

After these type of lists, they hatch several articles that took the W’s and ESPNs list to task for snubbing players that they believe should have been included. Most of those articles agreed on those snubs, including our own opinion, that there were a handful of players that deserved to be in the conversation for the W25. That shortlist included seven snubs.

There was a lot of thought and debate that went into identifying the biggest WNBA snubs. Candice Dupree may have never quite reached superstar status, but her incredible consistency and longevity speak volumes—she currently is the league’s fourth all-time leading scorer. DeWanna Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion and four-time All-Star, continues to climb that list, proving her impact over time. Retired forward DeLisha Milton-Jones, another two-time champ, ranks 17th in career points with 5,571 and was a three-time All-Star known for her defensive tenacity and reliability in big moments.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin—one of the most underrated players of her era—earned six All-Star selections and was a staple of playoff basketball for years. A’ja Wilson, one of only two league MVPs left off the W25, is already building a Hall of Fame résumé with two MVP awards, multiple deep playoff runs, and no signs of slowing down. Courtney Vandersloot is also a clear top-50 lock: a WNBA champion, assist leader six times, and owner of two of the  league’s dozen or so triple doubles.

With the addition of Wilson, Dupree, Bonner, Milton-Jones, McWilliams-Franklin, Vandersloot, and Deanna Nolan to our original 27 selections, our list now stands at 34 of the top 50 players in WNBA history. According to my quick math, that means we have 16 spots remaining with approximately 50 candidates.

WNBA All-Stars, Defensive Selections, Longevity

So with 34 spots taken, how should we be breaking down which players deserve the next 16 spots? Based on the above selections’ accomplishments we can establish specific individual thresholds, team success and combinations there-of.

This should be fun. Using our knowledge of the W, access to advanced stats from Across the Timeline, cross referencing Basketball Reference, leveraging WNBA.com, we came up with the following factors to help us figure out the remaining spots.

• Inclusion on the WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006)
• Inclusion on the WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011)
• Inclusion on the WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016)
• In the Top 25 of the All-Time Leading Scorer List
• # of All-WNBA Teams
• # of All-Star Game Appearances
• Led League in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks
• All-Defensive Selections, DPOY

Teresa Weatherspoon never won a championship, but T-Spoon’s affect was more on the defensive end; leading the league in steals twice, was the unquestioned leader of the early New York Liberty teams and most-importantly for this list; was named to the league’s 15th Anniversary Team and WNBA 20th Anniversary Team.

Seeing that Dawn Staley was apart of the league’s 10th Anniversary  Team and the 15th Anniversary Team – she’s an easy pick. Though Staley wasn’t included in the 20th anniversary team or the W25, her five all-star appearances and those inclusions early on makes her an easy pick for the top 50 WNBA players of all-time.

If we’re talking about All-WNBA appearances, Skylar Diggins-Smith has the most selections left among players that haven’t been chosen. Let’s put an end to that. Skylar is still going strong, along with her five WNBA all-star appearances makes her an easy pick at this point.

Right behind Diggins-Smith is Katie Douglas. She’s an WNBA champion, a 4x All-WNBA selection and and 5x all-star. A multiple all-defensive team selection. Again another easy call. Now that we’ve typed all this out, Douglas probably should have been mentioned way earlier.

From Basketball Reference’s list of the WNBA’s Career Leaders for Points, the only player not to make our list yet is Tangela Smith. Not only is Tangela one of the league’s top scorers and rebounders of all-time, but she contributed to two WNBA Title runs with the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury.

As far as WNBA All-Star Appearances are concerned, of all the players that have already earned their place on our prospective list, the only players that have six or more WNBA all-star appearances not on the list are Nykesha Sales (7) and Chamique Holdsclaw (6). By that measure, those two should also be on the list.

The late Margo Dydek didn’t make an overwhelming amount of all-star games (2) nor was she named to an All-WNBA Team in her career, but the 7-2 Polish center’s impact in terms of defensive intimidation can’t be denied; having led the WNBA in blocks eight times and is the WNBA’s all-time leader in that category. We’re not sure where the tallest WNBA player of all-time actually lands on the list if we were to rank the players but Margo certainly deserves to be in the top fifty.

Outside of A’ja Wilson, the 28-year old Jonquel Jones is the other WNBA MVP not to make the W25. Jones is a three-time All-WNBA selection, a three-time all-star, led the league in rebounds three times, once in blocks and is a two-time all-defensive team. In other words, Jonquel is a lock.

Chelsea Gray entered the chat when she wrapped up the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP after an amazing (and efficient) playoff run. This along with two WNBA championships and four all-star appearances makes her an easy choice even though she’s still an active player in the midst of her career.

Alana Beard makes this list not because of her WNBA title, her four all-star appearances or one all-WNBA selections, but her being a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, the 9x All-Defensive Team selections, and her being third all-time in steals. Beard is certainly one of the league’s greatest on the defensive end, and she makes this list with ease in our opinion.

 

 

 

As of this post, we’re deciding between Cheryl Ford, Jennifer Gillom, Liz Cambage, Sancho Lyttle, Shannon Johnson, and Sophia Young-Malcolm No but really, we’re really asking and open to feedback. We need your help. Let us know who you think should be on the list, who we left off, who we shouldn’t have included, and any other opinions (and why) you have in the comments below.