In advance of last weekend’s all-star game, the WNBA released its list of the 15 greatest players to ever play in the league. The official list runs as follows:
• Sue Bird, Seattle Storm
• Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
• Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets
• Yolanda Griffith, Indiana Fever/Sacramento Monarchs/Seattle Storm
• Becky Hammon, San Antonio Silver Stars/New York Liberty
• Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
• Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
• Ticha Penicheiro, Los Angeles Sparks/Sacramento Monarchs
• Cappie Pondexter, New York Liberty/Phoenix Mercury
• Katie Smith, Seattle Storm/Minnesota Lynx/Detroit Shock/Washington Mystics
• Dawn Staley, Houston Comets/Charlotte Sting
• Sheryl Swoopes, Tulsa Shock/Houston Comets/Seattle Storm
• Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
• Tina Thompson, Los Angeles Sparks/Houston Comets
• Teresa Weatherspoon, Los Angeles Sparks/New York Liberty
However, given the fact that some 13 of these ladies have contributed outside of the WNBA (including one or two who haven’t played for Spartak Moscow) combined with the Eurocentric attitude of this blog, BallinEurope prefers to think of the list this way:
• Sue Bird, Dynamo Moscow/Spartak Moscow region
• Tamika Catchings, Spartak Moscow/Lotos Gdynia/Galatasaray
• Cynthia Cooper, Samoa Bétera/Parma/Alcamo
• Yolanda Griffith, DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg/Lavezzini Basket Parma/UMMC Ekaterinburg
• Becky Hammon, Trentino Rovereto Basket/Rivas Ecópolis/CSKA Moscow/Ros Casares Valencia/Orenburg/Spartak Moscow
• Lauren Jackson, Spartak Moscow
• Lisa Leslie
• Ticha Penicheiro, Team Portugal/Spartak Moscow
• Cappie Pondexter, Fenerbahçe Istanbul/UMMC Ekaterinburg
• Katie Smith, Lotos Gdynia/Fenerbahçe Istanbul
• Dawn Staley
• Sheryl Swoopes,VBM-SGAU Samara/Taranto Cras Basket/Esperides Kallithea
• Diana Taurasi, Spartak Moscow/Fenerbahçe Istanbul/Galatasaray
• Tina Thompson, Rovereto Basket/Spartak Moscow/Municipal MCM Târgovişte
• Teresa Weatherspoon, Busto Arsizio/Magenta/Como/CSKA Moscow
Such a list brings to mind a question: Where is the Euroleague Women equivalent to the WNBA roster? With the association having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1959 and the modern era set to mark its 20th in 2012, how about forming at least a “Top 20”for the longest-running international women’s league?
Disappointingly, it seems no such honor has even been advanced by FIBA, even despite a campaign launched in 2007 announcing the “Year of Women’s Basketball,” during which creation of an all-time team would seem to be a natural.
Therefore, BallinEurope will take it upon himself to formulate the all-time Euroleague Women roster. The process for nominating is now open … so who do you think deserves to be among the greatest ever, BiE readers…? Post opinions in the comments section of this post and look for more in August!
