Minnesota Lynx All-25 Team: Part III

Mar 21, 2023 - 3:30 PM

Los Angeles Sparks v Minnesota Lynx — Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

With the 2023 season marking the 25th anniversary of the inception of the Minnesota Lynx, the organization is honoring that milestone by recognizing the top 25 players throughout franchise history during the month of March.

Each week, Minnesota is highlighting five players as part of the All-25 Team, followed by a social media campaign noting their contributions to the Lynx franchise on the court and off.

To be qualified for the Lynx All-25 Team, the honor is strictly statistical and award-based, with the list being comprised of players who have scored more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, started over 50 games, were members of two or more WNBA Championship teams, represented Minnesota in the WNBA All-Star Game or were end-of-season WNBA award winners while playing for the Lynx.

Last week, in the announcement of the second five All-25 players, Damiris Dantas, Tonya Edwards, Kayla McBride, Janel McCarville and Renee Montgomery joined the initial list of five players to bring the total to 10 Lynx.

This week, the Lynx announced the third set of players on the All-25 Team. Here’s a look at who made this week’s list.

our third group of five.

✋ » https://t.co/yiShNiNTpz pic.twitter.com/tiiLyl3Sbq
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) March 20, 2023

Betty Lennox

The first player to crack the third wave of top 25 players is guard Betty Lennox, who played in Minnesota from 2000-02 and spent a total of 12 seasons in the WNBA until retiring in 2011. Lennox entered the league in 2000 when she was selected by the Lynx with the sixth overall pick out of Louisiana Tech.

Lennox made an impact right away as a rookie in Minnesota, posting her best season in a Lynx uniform in 2000 en route to the lone All-Star appearance of her career. In 2000, the guard averaged 16.9 points, a career-best 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals over 32 games en route to earning Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA Second Team honors. In two-plus years with Minnesota, Lennox averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals over 43 games.

Lennox’s time with the Lynx came to an end in 2002 when she was traded with a first-round pick to the Miami Sol for Tamara Moore and a 2003 second-round pick. Lennox rounded out her career playing for Miami, the Cleveland Rockers, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks and Tulsa Shock, averaging 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 320 career games and winning a title in 2004 with Seattle.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin

Next up on the list of All-25 Lynx players is two-time WNBA Champion and six-time WNBA All-Star center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who played for the Lynx in the twilight of her career in 2011-12. McWilliams-Franklin entered the league in 1999 after being selected by the Orlando Miracle in the third round of the draft.

Before arriving in Minnesota, McWilliams-Franklin spent the previous 12 years of her career with Orlando, the Connecticut Sun, Las Angeles Sparks, Detroit Shock and New York Liberty. Over that span, the center earned six All-Star nods and claimed her first WNBA title with Detroit in 2008.

In 2011, McWilliams-Franklin arrived in Minnesota and helped the Lynx to their first title in franchise history. After the 2012 season, she called it a career, ending up averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and one block in 67 games over two seasons. In 440 career games, McWilliams-Franklin tallied 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, two assists, 1.3 steals and one block in 14 seasons.

Tamika Williams

The third player in the third wave of top 25 players in franchise history is forward Tamika Williams, who spent all but one season in Minnesota during her career, wearing a Lynx uniform from 2002-07. Williams broke into the WNBA in 2002 when she was selected by Minnesota with the sixth overall pick out of UConn.

Williams’ best season as a Lynx came during her rookie campaign in 2002 when she averaged career-high marks of 10.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assist and 1.4 steals over 31 minutes. Over the course of her career with Minnesota, Williams averaged 6.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 assist and 0.9 steals in 185 games over six seasons.

Williams saw her tenure with the Lynx end in 2008 when she was traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Kristen Rasmussen. In 219 career games over seven seasons, Williams finished with averages of 6.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, one assist sand 0.8 steals.

Monica Wright

Two-time WNBA Champion guard Monica Wright is next on the All-25 Team, having spent the first six years of her career with the Lynx from 2010-15. Wright entered the WNBA in 2010 when she was selected by Minnesota with the second overall pick out of Virginia.

Wright made an immediate impact with the Lynx as a rookie, averaging career-high marks of 11.1 points and 2.9 rebounds along with 1.5 assist and one steal over 34 games en route to earning All-Rookie Team honors. Over the six years in Minnesota, Wright averaged 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assist and 0.9 steals over 161 games. She was also part of the first two WNBA titles in franchise history in 2011 and 2013.

In 2015, Wright saw her time in Minnesota conclude when she was traded to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Renee Montgomery and a second-round draft pick. Wright played one season with the Storm before retiring in 2016, finishing her career with 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 177 games.

Teresa Edwards

Rounding out the third round of All-25 Team members is Hall of Fame guard Teresa Edwards, who played the 2003 and 2004 seasons in Minnesota after a successful career in the ABL.

Edwards was selected in the second round by Minnesota in the 2003 WNBA Draft at the age of 38, starting in every game over two seasons. Edward tallied a career-best 5.7 points per game in 2004 to go along with 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assist and 1.4 steals in 34 games while also earning the league’s Sportsmanship Award.

After a two-year career in the WNBA where she averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 58 games, Edwards retired as a player and joined the Lynx coaching staff as an assistant in 2006. Along with her careers in the ABL and WNBA, Edwards is one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history, appearing in five Olympic games with four gold medals to her name.