Essence Carson (born July 28, 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 ...

. She played college basketball for

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. After a successful college career there, Carson was drafted by the New York Liberty with the 7th overall pick 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 ...

Early life

Carson was born in Paterson, New Jersey and is one of three children. Carson started playing organized sports at age 11 and attended Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts, while competing athletically at Eastside High School in Paterson, where she was an all-state volleyball player and state champion in the 400 meters.

High school

Carson was a 2004 graduate of Rosa L. Parks School of Fine & Performing Arts and Eastside High School. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she was a starter and scored seven points. Carson was also a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

where she was also a starter and scored 5 points. Upon graduation, Carson accepted a basketball scholarship at

College

Carson attended and played college basketball at

for four seasons. During her college career, Carson played shooting guard and small forward for coach Vivian Stringer as the team entered the NCAA Tournament in each of her first three seasons. Carson was a key-member on the team when they won the Big East title in her first two seasons. In her freshman season, Carson was named a Big East Academic All-Star and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year in her sophomore season. Rutgers had finished second place during Carson's junior season and advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship Game after a 54–53 win over top-seeded

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

. They would end up losing to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in the final championship game. In her junior season, Carson won Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the second time, was named to the All-Big East First Team, the Big East All-Tournament Team, and to the Kodak All-American Regional Team. During her final season at Rutgers, Carson was the Big East Defensive Player of The Year for a third time making her only the second player in history to achieve such a feat. Following her senior season, Carson entered the

College statistics

Source

Basketball career

WNBA

Carson was drafted 7th overall 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 ...

by the New York Liberty. She helped the Liberty win the first round series of the 2008 playoffs, but the Liberty fell short in the eastern conference finals against Detroit Shock who won the championship that year. In the 2011 season, Carson was voted a WNBA All-Star for the first time in her career despite being a reserve on the Liberty's roster, she had averaged 11.3 points per game. In the

2011 WNBA All-Star Game The 2011 WNBA All-Star Game was played on July 23, 2011 (3:30pm EDT on ABC) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, home of the San Antonio Silver Stars. The game was the 10th WNBA All-Star Game, which has been held annually since 1999 except ...

, Carson scored 13 points for the eastern conference team. In 2012, Carson re-signed with the Liberty once her rookie contract expired. On June 9, 2013, during a regular season game against the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real e ...

, Carson tore the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

in her left knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season. Prior to the injury she was averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game through the first three games. After recovering from the injury, Carson had a smaller role on the team as her minutes were reduced and was downgraded back to a reserve on the Liberty's roster for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. On March 31, 2016, Carson signed with 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 ...

in free agency to fill a gap in their roster left by an injured Riquna Williams who would miss the entire 2016 season. During the 2016 season, Carson became the starting shooting guard for the Sparks after playing small forward during previous seasons with the Liberty. Carson along with

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Ang ...

Nneka Ogwumike Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike (; born July 2, 1990) is a Nigerian-American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft. S ...

and Kristi Toliver helped the Sparks to a 26–8 record and the number 2 seed in the league. Carson would eventually win her first WNBA Championship with the Sparks as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3–2 in the finals. Carson Moore Beard 20171004

In February 2017, Carson re-signed with the Sparks in free agency. During the 2017 season, Carson started during the first 10 games of the season but would then be permanently moved to the bench rotation, being replaced in the starting lineup by newly acquired combo-guard

Odyssey Sims Odyssey Celeste Sims (born July 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). An AP and WBCA All-American, Sims was born in Irving, Texas and graduated from ...

following an elbow injury. The Sparks once again finished with a 26–8 record and the number 2 seed in the league. The Sparks would once again advance all the way through to the Finals for the second season in a row, setting up a rematch with the Lynx. However, the Sparks would lose to the Lynx in 5 games, failing to win back-to-back championships. In 2018, Carson would have a slightly increased role on the team from last season. The Sparks however were unable to be a title contender in the league, as they finished 19–15 with the number 6 seed. In the first round elimination game, they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 75–68 to advance. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics. In 2019, Carson signed with the Phoenix Mercury. In the 2019 season, Carson missed 11 games while battling a calf injury. She started 13 of the 23 games played for the Mercury. The Mercury finished as the number 8 seed with a 15–19 record. The Mercury were eliminated in the first round elimination game by the Chicago Sky by a final score 105–76. The following season, Carson signed with the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

, making her debut for the team on the opening day of the season. On August 16, 2020, Carson was waived by the Mystics. On August 17, she was signed by the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established as the Orlando Miracle in ...

. The Sun finished as the number 7 seed with a 10–12 record. The season was shortened to 22 games in a bubble at

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. In the first round elimination game, the Sun defeated by the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

94–81. In the second round elimination, the Sun pulled off an upset by defeating the 3rd seeded Los Angeles Sparks by a final score of 73–59, advancing to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Sun fell short after losing to

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team play ...

in a hard-fought five-game series.

Overseas

In the 2008-09 off-season, Carson played in Italy for Venezia. In the 2009-10 off-season, Carson played in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for

CJM Bourges Basket Tango Bourges Basket (formerly ''Cercle Jean-Macé Bourges Basket'') is a French women's basketball club from Bourges. Bourges was the first France, French team to win a FIBA women's competition, the 1995 Ronchetti Cup. So began the club's most ...

. In the 2010-11 off-season, Carson played in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

for CM Cargo UNI Gyor. In the 2011-12 off-season, Carson returned to France to play once again for CJM Bourges Basket. In the 2012-13 off-season, Carson played the first portion of the off-season in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

for Rivas Ecopolis and spent the second portion of the off-season playing 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 Istanbul University. In the 2015-16 off-season, Carson played in Turkey once again for Samsun Canik Belediyesi. As of November 2016, Carson had signed with Yakin Dogu for the 2016-17 off-season and won a championship with the team.

Team USA

Carson 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. Carson helped the team win the gold medal, scoring 8.7 points per game. Carson continued with the team as it became the U19 team, and 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. Carson scored 5.6 points per game. Carson went on to compete with USA for the

FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship for Women The FIBA Americas Under-20 Women's Championship was the Americas basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the ...

where they won gold in 2006. In 2007, Moscow, Russia she competed with USA once again for the FIBA Under-21 World Championship For Women where she was once again a starter and won a gold medal.

Philanthropy

In 2012, Carson partnered with ''Health Equity Initiative'', a non-profit organization to launch an educational campaign to raise awareness of health disparities, as well as encourage community action and partnerships for health equity.

Music

Other than professional basketball, Carson is also a hip-hop artist and producer under the name Pr3pE (pronounced "Preppy"). On November 12, 2013, she independently released her first album called ''Broken Diary''. Carson, had also produced 70% of the album. She had released music videos for two singles off the album called "Hater" and "Love Letter". Carson had also noted that her musical influences are Stevie Wonder,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, Jay-Z,

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

, Missy Elliott and J. Cole. In January 2016, Carson hinted on social media that she's working on a second album. On March 25, 2016, Carson released a mixtape called ''No Subz'' which she self-produced and wrote.

Personal life

Carson has a younger brother named Shaquille Thomas, who played basketball for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Carson graduated with a degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and a minor in Music from

in 2008. Carson also plays the piano, saxophone, electric bass guitar, and drums. In 2018, Carson enrolled in the

ARTium Recordings Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having releas ...

internship program. She now works for Universal/Capitol Music Group as Manager of Priority Records.

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 , 34 , , 30 , , 19.0 , , .376 , , .276 , , .674 , , 2.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 34 , , 34 , , 25.3 , , .408 , , .333 , , .917 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.5 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 34 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .407 , , .160 , , .688 , , 1.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 32 , , 5 , , 22.7 , , .437 , , .387 , , .738 , , 2.8 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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;", New York , 34 , , 23 , , 27.3 , , .400 , , .343 , , .778 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.7 , , 11.6 , - , 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;", New York , 4 , , 4 , , 29.5 , , .550 , , .333 , , .857 , , 5.5 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 2.5 , , 14.3 , - , 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;", New York , 26 , , 11 , , 14.0 , , .354 , , .292 , , .833 , , 1.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 33 , , 12 , , 19.5 , , .380 , , .245 , , .773 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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 ...

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, 34 , , 34 , , 23.3 , , .449 , , .359 , , .891 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 8.1 , - , 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;",

, 24 , , 14 , , 19.3 , , .404 , , .250 , , .875 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 4.8 , - , 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;",

, 34 , , 15 , , 23.1 , , .435 , , .361 , , .938 , , 2.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 23 , , 13 , , 18.5 , , .352 , , .341 , , .784 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .288 , , .261 , , .500 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, 11 , , 2 , , 11.2 , , .325 , , .286 , , .750 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.5 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Total , 21 , , 2 , , 13.8 , , .303 , , .273 , , .600 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.8 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 13 years, 5 teams , 367 , , 197 , , 20.1 , , .404 , , .322 , , .792 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 1.1 , , 7.2

Postseason

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

, style="text-align:left;", New York , 6 , , 6 , , 16.8 , , .485 , , .167 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 5 , , 0 , , 25.0 , , .536 , , .444 , , .800 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 1.8 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 3 , , 0 , , 22.0 , , .357 , , .200 , , .667 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 2.0 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", New York , 2 , , 2 , , 28.5 , , .250 , , .167 , , .000 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 6 , , 0 , , 14.1 , , .423 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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, 9 , , 9 , , 25.2 , , .333 , , .258 , , .500 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 8 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , .714 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 2 , , 0 , , 17.9 , , .231 , , .143 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 1 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .667 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 5 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .462 , , .200 , , .000 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 10 years, 4 teams , 47 , , 17 , , 18.1 , , .402 , , .235 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.9 , , 5.9

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Essence 1986 births Living people American women's basketball players Basketball players from Paterson, New Jersey Connecticut Sun players Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey) alumni Los Angeles Sparks players McDonald's High School All-Americans New York Liberty draft picks New York Liberty players Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Phoenix Mercury players Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players Shooting guards Small forwards Washington Mystics players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars