Samantha Allison Whitcomb (born July 20, 1988) is an American-Australian professional

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 primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Perth Lynx The Perth Lynx are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at Bendat Basketball Centre. For sponsorship reasons, t ...

of the

Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...

(WNBL) and the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). She played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac- ...

before making a name for herself in Australia with the

Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...

in the

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

(SBL) and the Perth Lynx in the WNBL. She made her debut in the WNBA in 2017 and won championships with the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

in 2018 and 2020. She became an Australian citizen in 2018 and made her debut for the

Australian Opals The Australian women's national basketball team is nicknamed the Opals, after the brightly coloured Opal, gemstone common to the country. From 1994 onwards, the Opals have been consistently competitive and successful having won nine medals at ...

Early life

Born and raised in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

, Whitcomb played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

as a child before taking up basketball at age 12. Her parents divorced when she was young, and through basketball she was able to keep a close relationship with her father despite spending less time together.

High school career

Whitcomb attended Ventura's Buena High School, where she was a four-year letterwinner and one-year team captain for the basketball team. She won numerous awards during her time at Buena, including the 2004–05 Co-County Player of the Year from the league coaches and the Ventura County Star's 2005–06 Girls' Basketball Player of the Year. She also helped her team win three Channel League titles as a sophomore, junior and senior. As a senior in 2005–06, she averaged 17.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game. Whitcomb was also a two-time letterwinner in track and field during her sophomore and junior years. In 2005, she placed second in the league in shot put and first in the county for seeded throwers.

College career

As a freshman at

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 on ...

in 2006–07, Whitcomb appeared in 21 games and received four starting assignments. She missed eight games mid-season after suffering a broken right hand during practice. She led the team with an 81.0 free-throw shooting percentage (17-for-21), was fourth on the squad with 15 three-pointers made, and averaged 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. As a sophomore in 2007–08, Whitcomb's role on the team increased dramatically as she appeared in all 31 games and received 30 starting assignments. Her production subsequently increased and she was rewarded for her efforts with a Pac-10 All-Defensive honorable mention team selection. She also earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention honors. Her 11.2 points per game were ranked second on the team, while her 62 steals was a team high and her 74 assists were also second. On January 4, 2008, she recorded a near triple-double with nine points, nine steals and seven rebounds against

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. Her nine steals were two away from matching the UW school record. Six days later, she recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. She was later named Pac-10 Player of the Week for her 24-point scoring output against

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

on March 2. As a junior in 2008–09, Whitcomb appeared in all 30 games while starting 29 of them. She earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors and was named to the Pac-10 All-Defensive honorable mention team for a second-straight season. She also earned Pac-10 All-Academic second team honors. She led the Huskies in scoring (12.8 ppg), steals (2.3 spg), three-pointers made (54) and free-throws made (71), while she was second in rebounding (3.9 rpg) and third in assists (1.2 apg). On January 31, 2009, she scored a then career-high 29 points against

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. As a senior in 2009–10, Whitcomb started all 31 games and earned All-Pac-10 selection and Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention honors. She averaged a career-best 13.0 points per game, set a personal high with 175 rebounds, and was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on December 28, 2009. She went on to score a career-high 32 points against Washington State on January 29, 2010. In her four-year career at Washington, Whitcomb scored 1,205 points, a mark that ranks 15th all-time in the program's history. She graduated from Washington in the spring of 2010 with a degree in history. She began as a coaching intern while playing her final season and after a quick WNBA training camp stint, Whitcomb opted to take the open position of the Huskies' video coordinator for the 2010–11 season.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 21 , , 4 , , 13.7 , , .377 , , .278 , , .810 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .8 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 31 , , 30 , , 27.9 , , .375 , , .335 , , .676 , , 4.1 , , 2.4 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 30 , , 29 , , 29.7 , , .368 , , .329 , , .772 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 31.7 , , .397 , , .359 , , .858 , , 5.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 113 , , 94 , , 26.8 , , .389 , , .333 , , .766 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 10.6 , -

Professional career

WNBA

After going undrafted in the

2010 WNBA draft The 2010 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 8, 2010. The first round was shown on ESPN2 ( HD), while the second and ...

, Whitcomb signed a training camp contract with 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 20 ...

on April 25, 2010. She was waived by the Sky on May 9 after appearing in three preseason games. On February 8, 2017, Whitcomb signed with the

ahead of the

2017 WNBA season The 2017 WNBA season was the 21st season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 13 with three games, highlighted by the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Seattle Storm. It conclu ...

. In her WNBA debut on May 13, she recorded three points and three rebounds in just under seven minutes off the bench in a 78–68 loss 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 ...

. On May 26, she scored a career-high 22 points and hit six three-pointers in 15 minutes off the bench in an 87–81 win over the

. Her six second-half three-pointers tied the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a half. In 34 games in 2017, she averaged 4.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 12.2 minutes per game. On February 1, 2018, Whitcomb re-signed with the Storm on a multi-year deal. She averaged 2.9 points and 8.5 minutes in 31 games during the regular season, before averaging 6.2 points and 12.5 minutes in six games throughout the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, helping the Storm win the

WNBA championship The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

with a 3–0 sweep over 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. The team was founded pri ...

in the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. With the Storm in

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 ...

, Whitcomb averaged 7.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 35 games. 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 identif ...

, the

2020 WNBA season The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics were the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games f ...

was reduced to a 22-game regular season 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 ...

, without fans present. Whitcomb appeared in all 22 games for the Storm. On August 12, 2020, she tied her career high for 3-pointers in a game with six to finish with a season-high 20 points in a 100–63 win over 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 ...

. After appearing in all three games of the Storm's 3–0 semifinal series sweep over the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

, she left the WNBA bubble in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

, and returned to Perth, Australia, to be with her wife Kate for the birth of their first child. The Storm went on to defeat the

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

3–0 in the

to garner Whitcomb her second WNBA championship. For the season, Whitcomb led Seattle's reserves with a career-high 8.1 points per game alongside 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 16.5 minutes. On February 10, 2021, Whitcomb was acquired by the

via sign-and-trade in exchange for the rights to

Stephanie Talbot Stephanie Talbot (born 15 June 1994) is an Australian professional basketball player. Talbot was a member of the Australian Women's basketball team (Opals) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Opals were eliminated after losing to the USA in the qua ...

. On June 26, 2021, she scored a career-high 30 points in a 101–78 win over the Atlanta Dream. She made 7 of 12 from 3-point range and tied her career high with 22 points in the first half. She appeared in 30 games during the

2021 WNBA season The 2021 WNBA season was the 25th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Seattle Storm were the defending champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams played a 32-game season (rather than the 36 games agreed to in the ...

, including a career-high 28 starts, averaging career highs of 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. After serving as one of the Liberty's captains in 2021, Whitcomb became the team's sole captain in 2022. On July 12, 2022, she scored 15 of her season-high 17 points in the third quarter of the Liberty's 107–101 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. She became the first Liberty player in the quarters era to make five-plus 3-pointers in a single quarter, tying the WNBA record for most threes in a third quarter in the process.

Europe

Whitcomb considered signing in Switzerland for the 2010–11 season but the perceived lack of strong competition to prepare her to break into the WNBA ultimately led her to initially end her playing career. In June 2011, Whitcomb launched her pro basketball career by signing with ChemCats Chemnitz of the

Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga The Damen-Basketball-Bundesligen GmbH (DBBL) is a company founded in June 2001, which manages the first and the two second federal leagues of women's basketball in Germany. The shareholders of the GmbH are AG 1. DBBL, AG 2. DBBL and DBB. DBBL is ...

(DBBL) in Germany. In 22 games during the 2011–12 season, she averaged 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Whitcomb returned to Germany for the 2012–13 season, signing with the

Wolfenbüttel Wildcats Wolfenbüttel Wildcats Baskets was a German women's basketball club from Wolfenbüttel playing in the Bundesliga. It made four appearances in the Ronchetti Cup in the 1990s, and in 2012 it won the national championship for the first time. In June ...

of the DBBL in July 2012. Wolfenbüttel made the finals in 2012–13 but went bankrupt and couldn't play out the season. In 20 games, she averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. In the

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Souther ...

of 2013, Whitcomb played in Slovakia for ŠKBD Rücon Spišská Nová Ves. She averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.9 steals in 15

MEL Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

games. Whitcomb was set to return to Germany to play for TSV 1880 Wasserburg in the 2014–15 season, but later asked for the termination of her contract citing the need for a break from playing. For the 2018–19 season, Whitcomb played for French team

Basket Lattes A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

. In December 2018, she scored a season-high 40 points, which included 10 three-pointers. The team finished runners-up in both the French Basketball League and

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. Whitcomb returned to Basket Lattes for the 2019–20 season. She scored a season-high 30 points. Due to the

, the season was cut short. In March 2021, Whitcomb played in Turkey for

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

. She appeared in six KBSL games and two EuroLeague games. Whitcomb initially signed with French team

ESB Villeneuve-d'Ascq ESB Villeneuve-d'Ascq is a French women's basketball club from Villeneuve-d'Ascq playing in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball since 2000. Honours * Ligue Féminine ** Winners (1): 2017 * French Cup ** Runner-up (3): 2003, 2008, 2014 * EuroCu ...

for the 2021–22 season, but changes in family circumstance saw her return to Perth instead.

Australia

SBL

Following the 2012–13 season in Germany, Whitcomb began travelling through Europe hoping another team would sign her when she received a call to come to Australia to play for the

in the

(SBL). In the 2013 season, Whitcomb was crowned the league's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

and earned All-Star Five honors. In 24 games, she averaged 22.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Whitcomb re-joined the Flames for the 2014 season and once again earned league MVP and All-Star Five honors. She also guided the Flames through to the SBL Grand Final, where she scored 32 points in an 80–75 win over the

Lakeside Lightning Lakeside Lightning is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is owned and managed by Lakeside Baptist Church. The Lightning play their home games at Lakeside R ...

to win her first

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

and garner grand final MVP honors. In 27 games, she averaged 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Whitcomb returned to the Flames in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and helped guide them back to the SBL Grand Final. Her 41 points in the 68–63 win over the

Willetton Tigers Willetton Tigers is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Willetton Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organi ...

earned her back-to-back grand final MVPs as the Flames claimed their second consecutive championship. For the season, Whitcomb was crowned league MVP and earned All-Star Five honors for the third straight year. In 26 games, she averaged 25.3 points per game. In her fourth and final season with the Flames in

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 trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, Whitcomb once again earned All-Star Five honors and averaged 24.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals in 25 games. In

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 United ...

, Whitcomb had a three-week stint with the Willetton Tigers and subsequently won three straight Player of the Week awards.

WNBL

In May 2015, Whitcomb signed with the

for the

2015–16 WNBL season The 2015–16 WNBL season is the 36th season of competition since its establishment in 1981. A total of 9 teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2015 and February 2016, followed by a post-season involving the top ...

. She earned eight Team of the Week recognitions, was named Player of the Week for Round 3, and helped the Lynx reach their first WNBL Grand Final since

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

. In the grand final series, the Lynx were defeated 2–0 by the

Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional female basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). They are the only female professional sporting team of any discipline in the northern half of Australia. The t ...

despite Whitcomb's 20 points in game one and 15 points in game two. For the season, Whitcomb earned

WNBL All-Star Five The All-WNBL Team is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) honour bestowed on the best performing players in the league following every WNBL season. From 1988 to 2018–19, the honour was known as the All-Star Five. As of 2020, it is ...

honors and finished third in league MVP voting. She appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2015–16, averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. She was subsequently named Lynx Club MVP. Whitcomb re-joined the Lynx for the 2016–17 season and earned Player of the Week honors for Round 3, Player of the Month honors for October, and had 13 Team of the Week recognitions. Her 23.6 points and 2.8 steals per game were first in the WNBL for the regular season, while her 91 three-pointers set a WNBL single-season record. Her 567 total points was also the second best mark ever set in the WNBL regular season—

Penny Taylor Penelope Jane Taylor (born 24 May 1981) is an Australian retired professional basketball player and assistant coach. During her 19-year career, Taylor spent the most time with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she won three championships. ...

had 570 in 2002. In the semi-finals, Whitcomb scored a career-high 41 points. She was named to the WNBL All-Star Five for the second consecutive season, after delivering the greatest scoring season in league history. She tallied 652 points throughout her 27 games, the highest single season points total in the WNBL's 36-year history. She finished the season with averages of 24.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, while knocking down 105 three-pointers throughout the year, besting her own WNBL record for most three-pointers made in a season. Whitcomb returned to the Lynx for a third season in 2017–18 and was named co-captain. She helped the Lynx record their first 10-game win streak since 1993, with the streak finally ending after 14 straight wins culminating in claiming the minor premiership with a first-place finish and a 15–6 record. For the season, she earned one Player of the Week award, five Team of the Week selections, and All-Star Five honors for the third consecutive season. She appeared in all 23 games for the Lynx in 2017–18, averaging 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game. She parted ways with the Lynx following the season. Whitcomb made a return to the Lynx in June 2020, initially signing for the 2020–21 home-and-away season. However, on November 4, 2020, she opted out of joining the Lynx for the WNBL Hub season in Queensland in order to be alongside her wife in Perth for the birth of their first child. On December 25, 2021, Whitcomb re-signed with the Lynx for the

2021–22 WNBL season The 2021–22 WNBL season is the 42nd season of the competition since its establishment in 1981. The Southside Flyers were the defending champions, however they failed to qualify for finals. The Melbourne Boomers won their second championship, de ...

. On January 29, 2022, she scored a season-high 23 points in a 90–82 win over the

Bendigo Spirit Bendigo Spirit is one of three Victorian basketball teams in the Australian Women's National Basketball League. The team, based in the regional city of Bendigo, Victoria, joined the competition from the 2007/08 season. History The Bendigo Spiri ...

. On March 16, she tied her season high with 23 points in an 84–72 win over the

Sydney Uni Flames The Sydney Flames are an Australian professional basketball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Flames compete in the Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional wo ...

. The Lynx finished the regular season in second place with an 11–5 record. In game one of the semi-finals against the

University of Canberra Capitals The University of Canberra Capitals are an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The team is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. In 2014 the University of Canbe ...

, Whitcomb scored a game-high 20 points with 11 rebounds in a 91–77 win. The Lynx reached the grand final, where they lost the series 2–1 to the

Melbourne Boomers The Melbourne Boomers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Boomers compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play the majority of their home games at Melbourne Sports Centre – Pa ...

despite winning game one in Melbourne. In game three, Whitcomb scored all 14 of her points in the first half. For the season, she averaged 14 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. On June 11, 2022, Whitcomb re-signed with the Lynx for the 2022–23 WNBL season. In the season opener on November 2, she scored 30 points in a 104–88 loss to the Melbourne Boomers. On January 13, 2023, she scored 33 points in a 94–86 win over the

Southside Flyers The Southside Flyers are a professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, however before the ...

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

, - , 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 ser ...

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

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 33 , , 0 , , 12.2 , , .361 , , .333 , , .810 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style='text-align:left;',

, 31 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .349 , , .362 , , 1.000 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 0.5 , , 2.9 , - , style='text-align:left;',

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

, 33 , , 13 , , 20.4 , , .366 , , .342 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 1.6 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 0 , , 16.5 , , .443 , , .381 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 8.1 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 30 , , 28 , , 28.1 , , .473 , , .425 , , .818 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 2.1 , , 11.7 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

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

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Playoffs

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National team career

In May 2017, Whitcomb applied for Australian citizenship. She qualified after meeting the criteria of living in Australia for at least four years and being a permanent resident for at least 12 months. But the process had stalled by June because of the challenges associated with applying from overseas. In December 2017, she was added to the

squad ahead of the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

, with her Australian citizenship application approval imminent. On February 1, 2018, Whitcomb was naturalized at a ceremony in Perth before flying to Italy the next day for the Opals' training camp. She ultimately missed out on making the final squad. In September 2018, Whitcomb debuted with the Opals at the

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

after she replaced the injured

Leilani Mitchell Leilani Seamah Mitchell (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United St ...

. She won a World Cup silver medal. In June 2019, she was selected to the Opals' Asia Cup training squad. In September and October 2021, Whitcomb captained the Opals at the

FIBA Asia Cup The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the tourn ...

. She helped the Opals reach the bronze medal match, where they defeated

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

88–58 behind Whitcomb's 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. In February 2022, Whitcomb captained the Opals at the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Serbia. She was named in the All-Star Five for the tournament.

Personal life

Whitcomb is the daughter of Jan and Sander, and has an older brother, Jason. Her great uncle, Roy Schmidt, played in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

with the Falcons, Packers and Redskins in the 1960s and 1970s. Whitcomb married her long-time partner Kate in the U.S. in 2017. The couple then had their marriage recognised in Australia when same-sex marriage laws changed. The couple had their first child in November 2020.

References

External links

WNBA player profileWashington Huskies bio2021 FIBA Asia Cup profileSBL stats"Perth Lynx star Sami Whitcomb chases WNBA dream amid stellar WNBL season"
at perthnow.com.au
"Former UW standout Sami Whitcomb seeks to make Storm roster"
at seattletimes.com
"After Unlikely Path to WNBA, Sami Whitcomb Lands in Perfect Spot With Seattle Storm"
at wnba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcomb, Sami 1988 births Living people American emigrants to Australia American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Slovakia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American women's basketball players Australian women's basketball players Basketball players from California Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players Lesbian sportswomen LGBT basketball players Australian LGBT sportspeople American LGBT sportspeople LGBT people from California Naturalised citizens of Australia New York Liberty players People from Ventura, California Perth Lynx players Seattle Storm players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Ventura County, California Washington Huskies women's basketball players Undrafted Women's National Basketball Association players