Erlana La'Nay Larkins (born April 2, 1986) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

High school

Larkins played for The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored four points. She is the school's all-time leading scorer with over 3,000 career points.

USA basketball

Larkins was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Larkins helped the team win the gold medal, scoring 9.0 points per game and recording eleven steals during the event. She continued on as the U18 team became the USA Women's U19 team which competed in the 2005 U19 World Championships in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. The USA team won all eight games, winning the gold medal. Larkins hit eight out of nine field goals attempts in the opening round game against South Korea. In the gold medal game, she was a perfect nine for nine, scoring 20 points. Larkins played for the USA team in the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team won all five games, earning the gold medal for the event.

College career

Larkins played college basketball at the University of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

for the Tar Heels. She made the all-ACC first team in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and was the ACC Tournament MVP in 2008. She was an AP All-American in 2007 (third team) and 2008 (second team), in addition to being named to the State Farm and USBWA All-American teams in 2008. She played in two Final Fours while playing for the Tar Heels, where she was selected to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team in 2006.

North Carolina statistics

Source

Professional career

WNBA

Larkins was drafted 14th overall by the New York Liberty in the

2008 WNBA Draft The WNBA draft is the league's annual process for determining which Women's National Basketball Association teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The 2008 draft was held on April 9. A lottery was held on Octobe ...

. In her rookie season, she averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.7 rpg off the bench. In 2010, Larkins was waived by the Liberty. During her three-year absence from the WNBA she played overseas in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi. In 2011, Larkins had signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury but was waived before the start of the season. In 2012, Larkins signed with the Indiana Fever. In her first season with the Fever, she averaged 4.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a reserve. The Fever finished second place in the Eastern Conference with a 22–12 record. During the playoffs, Larkins was put in the starting lineup at the four spot and was effective for the Fever with her scoring and rebounding, nearly averaging a double-double (9.9 ppg and 10.9 rpg). The Fever would eventually end up winning the 2012 WNBA Championship after they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3–1 in the Finals. During the series, Larkins had tied the second-most total for rebounds in a WNBA Finals game when she grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 1. The following season, Larkins became the starting power forward for the Fever and averaged 7.9 ppg as well as 7.8 rpg. In 2014, Larkins re-signed with the Fever. During the 2014 season, Larkins put up career-best averages of 9.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg (ranked fourth in the league). She had also led the league in field goal percentage, shooting 59%. In the 2015 season, Larkins missed several games due to a knee injury and played 21 games with only 3 starts, but was able to start again for the Fever during the playoffs. The Fever had advanced all the way to the Finals for a rematch with the Lynx but lost the series 3–2. In the 2016 season, Larkins was healthy again after undergoing surgery on her knee. She started in 33 games, averaging 8.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg. She also achieved a career-high in field goal percentage, shooting 63% which was ranked second in the league. The Fever made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round elimination game by the Phoenix Mercury. In 2017, Larkins re-signed with the Fever once again in free agency. During the 2017 season, Larkins started in 17 of the 34 games played, with her role reduced from the starting center and her minutes cut. The Fever finished with a disappointing 9–25 record and 11th place in the league. On May 17, 2018, Larkins was waived by the Fever before the

2018 WNBA season The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Minnesota Lynx are the defending champions. The regular season began on May 18, with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Dallas Wings. The season ended ...

. On July 12, 2018, Larkins signed a 7-day contract with the Minnesota Lynx. On July 19, 2018, Larkins signed a second 7-day contract with the Lynx. On July 30, 2018, Larkins signed with the Lynx for the rest of the season. The Lynx finished 18–16 with the number 7 seed in the league, but Larkins would receive no playing time in the postseason. The Lynx lost the first round elimination game to the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

75–68. On February 28, 2019, Larkins re-signed with the Lynx in free agency. On May 22, 2019, Larkins was waived by the Lynx.

Overseas

In the 2008–09 WNBA off-season, Larkins played in

for

Samsun B.K. Samsun B.K. is a women's basketball club based in Samsun, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula ...

From 2009 to 2013, Larkins played four off-seasons for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi. In the first portion of the 2013–14 WNBA off-season, Larkins played in China for the Jiangsu Phoenix and played the rest of the off-season in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

for Famila Schio. In the 2014–15 WNBA off-season, Larkins played in Turkey for Adana ASKİ SK.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:left;", New York , 27 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .511 , , .000 , , .589 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 1.3 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 18 , , 0 , , 7.6 , , .424 , , .000 , , .696 , , 1.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.8 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

^† , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 34 , , 2 , , 15.5 , , .509 , , .000 , , .861 , , 4.4 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.1 , , .545 , , .000 , , .708 , , 7.8 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 31.6 , , .599 , , .000 , , .716 , , 9.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.9 , , 0.8 , , 2.2 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 3 , , 16.8 , , .407 , , .000 , , .684 , , 4.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.7 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 26.7 , , .639 , , .000 , , .884 , , 7.4 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 17 , , 18.8 , , .581 , , .000 , , .912 , , 4.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 13 , , 0 , , 12.9 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.6 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 9 years, 3 teams , 247 , , 122 , , 20.7 , , .554 , , .000 , , .749 , , 5.4 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , , 5.9

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", New York , 6 , , 0 , , 14.5 , , .458 , , .000 , , .400 , , 4.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 1.3 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 9 , , 32.0 , , .542 , , .000 , , .778 , , 10.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 1.8 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 33.5 , , .567 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 10.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 35.3 , , .531 , , .000 , , .733 , , 10.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 10 , , 28.3 , , .569 , , .000 , , .813 , , 7.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.8 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 1 , , 27.9 , , .545 , , .000 , , .000 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 2 teams , 37 , , 29 , , 28.6 , , .542 , , .000 , , .753 , , 8.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 1.8 , , 8.2

Notes

External links

WNBA Player Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkins, Erlana 1986 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Basketball players from Florida Indiana Fever players Jiangsu Phoenix players Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi women's basketball players Minnesota Lynx players New York Liberty draft picks New York Liberty players North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball players Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from West Palm Beach, Florida Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games United States women's national basketball team players