Stefanie Dolson (born January 8, 1992) 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 for the New York Liberty 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 was drafted sixth overall in the

2014 WNBA draft The 2014 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 14, 2014 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut at 8:00 pm ...

. Dolson played

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

for the UConn women's basketball team and won back-to-back national championships in

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 ...

and 2014. She won a gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

High school career

Dolson played volleyball and basketball at

Minisink Valley High School Minisink Valley High School is a secondary school located in Slate Hill, New York. It contains an enrollment of over 1100 students. The school, part of the Minisink Valley Central School District, was established in 1958 as a secondary school fo ...

in Slate Hill, New York and was a member of the National Honor Society. During her junior year she averaged 18.9 points, 16.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 6.2 blocks. As a senior, she averaged 22.8 points, 17.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.2 blocks. Dolson led Minisink Valley High School to four straight New York State Public High School Athletic Association Section 9 championship game appearances and finished her career at Minisink Valley with 1,951 points and 1,607 rebounds. She was a McDonald's High School All-American and participated in the All-Star game where she had 12 points and eight rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game.

College career

Freshman year

Following the graduation of All-American center Tina Charles, Dolson earned a starting spot during her freshman year at UConn. She tied her career high of 24 points in the 2011 Big East championship game vs Notre Dame. Dolson was subsequently named to the Big East Rookie Team alongside teammate

Bria Hartley Bria Nicole Hartley (born September 30, 1992) is a French-American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted seventh overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2014 WNBA ...

Sophomore year

In her sophomore year she led the Huskies in rebounding pulling down 6.0 grabs per game and was the leader in blocks with 57. Dolson tallied 20 double-figure performances, including four 20-plus games. Dolson opened up the season with a bang going 6-for-6 from the floor for 12 points and added seven rebounds against Holy Cross on 11/13. Recorded a team-high 20 points as she went 10-for-16 in the Final Four on April 1 against Notre Dame.

Junior year

Dolson played and started in 38 of UConn's 39 games and was third on the team with 13.6 points while leading the squad with 7.1 rebounds per game. She was third on the team at 26.8 minutes per game and led the squad with a solid .598 field goal percentage, which was the second-highest total nationally. One of three Huskies to dish at least 100 assists, Dolson was third with 117 helpers. She posted four double-double performances after entering the year with only two to her credit. Dolson had career-high 25 points twice, the first time in UConn's 87–62 win over Syracuse on January 19 and then again in the 85–51 victory over USF on March 2. She made her third-straight All-BIG EAST Tournament team with an 18-point, 14-rebound effort in the 61–59 loss to Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship Final on March 4. Dolson helped her team win the 2013 National Championship.

Senior year

Dolson played and started in all 40 of UConn's game, averaging 12.5 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds per contest, while she shot 56.4 percent from the floor and was fourth on the team at 3.4 assists per game. She became only the second Husky all-time to register a triple-double with a 24-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist effort against Oregon on November 20 and she posted career highs in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals during the 2013-14 campaign. Dolson hauled in 371 rebounds, which was one shy of tying UConn's single-season rebound record held by Tina Charles. She blocked 93 shots, which was the third-highest total by a Husky senior. Dolson was named the inaugural 2013-2014 American Athletic Conference and WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and 2013-2014 Lowe's Senior Class Award. Dolson helped lead her team to an undefeated 40–0 season and the 2014 National Championship, and was named to the 2014 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team, and was later inducted into the Huskies of Honor on senior night. Dolson led UConn to a 144–11 record over her four-year career, which included four Final Four appearances and back to back National Championships. One of only three Huskies triple-doubles in school history. One of only five Huskies, along with Tina Charles, Rebecca Lobo,

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...

and Jamelle Elliott, with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Dolson finished her career 12th on UConn's all-time scoring list at 1,797 career points, fourth with 1,101 career rebounds and fourth in both blocks (254) and field goal percentage (58.8 percent). A member of the All-Conference Tournament Team in all four years at UConn, Dolson also earned a spot on the All-NCAA Tournament Team in 2014.

College statistics

Professional career

WNBA

Washington Mystics (2014–17)

Stefanie Dolson at the 2015 All-Star game

Dolson was drafted sixth overall in the

2014 WNBA Draft The 2014 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 14, 2014 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut at 8:00 pm ...

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 ...

. UConn teammate

was drafted right after her by the Seattle Storm and thereafter traded to the Mystics. On June 1, 2014, in a triple-overtime victory against 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 ...

, the

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from ...

duo of Dolson and Hartley combined for 34 points coming off the bench and Dolson recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. In her first career start on August 14, 2014, Dolson had her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a regular season loss to 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 ...

. The Mystics finished third place in the Eastern Conference but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Fever. In the 2015 WNBA season opener against 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 ...

, Dolson had a stand out dominating performance scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds in a winning effort. Later on in the season, she was selected into the

2015 WNBA All-Star Game The 2015 WNBA All-Star Game is an exhibition basketball game. It was played on July 25, 2015. The Connecticut Sun hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the fourth time. The Sun previously hosted the game in 2005, 2009, and 2013. Starters for the gam ...

as a reserve. Throughout the season, Dolson averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding. The Mystics would once again reach the playoffs, with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, but were yet again a first round exit, losing to the New York Liberty in three games. In the 2016 season, Dolson continued to flourish as a player in the Mystics' starting lineup. In a win against the New York Liberty, she scored a career-high 23 points. During that game, she had also achieved career-highs in field goals made and three-pointers made However, the Mystics would miss the playoffs with a disappointing 13–21 record.

Chicago Sky (2017–2022)

After three seasons with the Mystics, Dolson was traded to the

along with teammate

Kahleah Copper Kahleah Copper (born August 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2016, and was traded to the Chicago Sky th ...

, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft, for

Elena Delle Donne Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 200 ...

. On May 14, 2017, in her debut with the Sky, Dolson scored 9 points along with 2 rebounds in a 70–61 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. On May 21, 2017, Dolson tied her career-high of 23 points along with 8 rebounds and a new career-high of 5 blocks in a 75–71 victory 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 e ...

. Two months later, on July 28, 2017, Dolson scored a new career-high of 29 points in an 86–80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. By the end of the season, Dolson averaged new career-highs in scoring and rebounding with 14.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg, but the Sky finished 12-22 and were eliminated from playoff contention. In February 2018, Dolson re-signed with the Sky to a multi-year deal in free agency. In 2018, the Sky missed out on the playoffs as they finished with a 13–21 record.

Overseas

In the 2014-15 WNBA off-season, Dolson played in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

for WBC Spartak Moscow Region. In the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Dolson played 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 the 2016-17 WNBA off-season, Dolson briefly played in China for the Sichuan Whale. In 2017, Dolson signed with Dike Napoli of the Italian League for the 2017-18 WNBA off-season. In October 2018, Dolson signed with the Henan Phoenix of the Chinese League for the 2018-19 off-season.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

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, 34 , , 31 , , 22.5 , , .482 , , .300 , , .843 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.1 , , 9.3 , - , 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 ...

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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 ...

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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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

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Playoffs

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USA Basketball

Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U18 team. The USA team was one of eight teams from North, South and Central America, along with the Caribbean, invited to participate in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 2010 USA Basketball U18 National Team that compiled a perfect 5–0, earned the 2010 FIBA Americas Championship gold medal and qualified the US for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship. Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U19 team. The 2011 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team that posted an 8–1 record and captured the gold medal in Valdivia, Chile. In 2021, Dolson was part of the USA team that won the first Olympic gold medal in

3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...

. They defeated the Russian Olympic Committee in the gold medal game.

Personal life

Dolson is a descendant of the 17th century Minisink, NY-area settler and beaver-pelt trader James Dolson, for whom a major commercial roadway is now named; he had five sons, one of whom died in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. The daughter of Steve and Kristal Dolson. Dolson has two older sisters Ashley and Courtney and one younger brother Jake. In 2016, Dolson publicly

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as a member of the

LGBTQ community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...

. She spoke out on her sexuality in an interview with ''ESPN Magazine'' by saying: "Not everyone in the WNBA needs to be out, but I feel called to lead an authentic life in the open. I know who I am and I don't care if people judge me. I am 6-5, and I dye my hair purple and experiment a lot with fashion. My motto is: If they're going to stare, they might as well stare at something fun. There are a lot of girls who struggle being who they are. We need people who are out so that those girls know it's OK to be themselves, regardless of stereotypes. By being open, I give them someone to look up to, and however they identify, I can inspire them to support equality and LGBT issues." In 2019, Dolson played on the "Away" roster during the

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is an annual exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association that takes place during the NBA All-Star Weekend and features retired NBA players, WNBA players, actors, musicians and athletes ...

at the

Bojangles' Coliseum Bojangles Coliseum (originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena) is an 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which als ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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 ...

Awards and honors

* Two-Time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week * 2010–11 BIG EAST All–Rookie Team * 2010–11 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team * 2011–12 Wooden Award Preseason Top–30 * 2011–12 Preseason Wade Watch List * 2011–12 Preseason All–BIG EAST Honorable Mention * 2011–12 Preseason Naismith Award Watch List * 2011–12 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team * 2011–12 All–BIG EAST Honorable Mention * 2011–12 NCAA All–Kingston Regional Team * 2012–13 Wooden Award Preseason Top–30 * 2012–13 Naismith Award Preseason Watch List * 2012–13 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team * 2012–13 All–BIG EAST First Team * 2012–13 Associated Press All–America Third Team * 2012–13 USBWA All–America Team * 2012–13 WBCA/State Farm All–America Team * 2013–14 Senior Class Award * 2013–14 AAC Defensive Player of the Year * 2013-14 WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year

References

External links

USA Basketball's Stefanie Dolson Fact Checks Her Wikipedia
at

NBC New York WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolson, Stefanie 1992 births Living people 3x3 basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American women's basketball players American women's 3x3 basketball players Basketball players from New York (state) Centers (basketball) Chicago Sky players Henan Phoenix players LGBT basketball players LGBT people from New York (state) Lesbian sportswomen McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics New York Liberty players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in 3x3 basketball Olympic 3x3 basketball players of the United States Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) UConn Huskies women's basketball players Washington Mystics draft picks Washington Mystics players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars