Teaira McCowan (born September 28, 1996; first name pronounced ) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...
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) and 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 ...
of the
Women's Basketball Super League
The Women's Basketball Super League ( tr, Kadınlar Basketbol Süper Ligi, KBSL), also known as the Herbalife Nutrition Women's Basketball Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top women's professional basketball division of the Turkish wom ...
. 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
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I.
Sports sp ...
.
College career
Following McCowan's junior season, she was named WBCA All-American, ESPNW First Team All-American and the Associated Press Third Team All-American. McCowan was also the inaugural winner of the
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
On January 10, 2019, McCowan was the projected first overall pick in the
2019 WNBA draft
The 2019 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2019 WNBA season. On March 19, the league announced the draft would be held on April 10 at Nike New York headquarters. The first round was televised on ESPN2, and the second and third rounds were ...
in an
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
mock draft. However, this particular mock draft included only college seniors and eligible international players. Later that month, ESPN compiled another mock draft, this time including draft-eligible juniors, the most notable of whom was
Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
. In this second mock draft, McCowan was projected as third, but with the caveat that "if Ionescu decides to stay and play her senior season at Oregon, the whole first round looks different." This qualification proved relevant as Ionescu announced that she would remain at Oregon for 2019–20.
On January 21, 2019, she was voted as the espnW national player of the week.
Mississippi State statistics
Source
Professional career
WNBA
McCowan was drafted by the
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
with the third pick of the
2019 WNBA Draft
The 2019 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2019 WNBA season. On March 19, the league announced the draft would be held on April 10 at Nike New York headquarters. The first round was televised on ESPN2, and the second and third rounds were ...
. In her first game for the Fever, she hit a buzzer-beating layup to deliver an 81–80 victory. Following the 2019 season in which she averaged 10 points, 9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, McCowan was named to the All-Rookie Team. She was second in the league in rebounding and scored a career-high 24 points in three games.
Overseas
On 1 August 2022, she signed with
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 ...
of the Turkish
Women's Basketball Super League
The Women's Basketball Super League ( tr, Kadınlar Basketbol Süper Ligi, KBSL), also known as the Herbalife Nutrition Women's Basketball Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top women's professional basketball division of the Turkish wom ...
(TKBL).
WNBA career statistics
Regular season
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2019
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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 , , 16 , , 22.1 , , .517 , , .000 , , .687 , , 9.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 10.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
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- ...
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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 ...
, 22 , , 10 , , 21.0 , , .536 , , .000 , , .750 , , 7.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 10.9
, -
, 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;",
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 ...
, 32 , , 23 , , 26.5 , , .537 , , .000 , , .644 , , 9.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , 11.3
, -
, 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 ...
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Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, 33 , , 15 , , 18.9 , , 60.2 , , N/A , , .600 , , 7.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 1.7 , , 11
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 4 years, 2 teams
, 121 , , 64 , , 22.2 , , 54.9 , , 0% , , 0.661 , , 8.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.6 , , 10.8
Playoffs
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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;",
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, 3 , , 1 , , 24.7 , , .480 , , .000 , , .533 , , 9.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 3.3 , , 10.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 1 year, 1 team
, 3 , , 1 , , 24.7 , , .480 , , .000 , , .533 , , 9.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 3.3 , , 10.7
Personal life
McCowan was born in
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of College ...
and grew up in
Brenham, Texas
Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County.
Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...
, where she graduated from
Brenham High School
Brenham High School is a public high school located in the city of Brenham, Texas, United States. It is classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Brenham Independent School District located in central Washington County. In 20 ...
. She is the daughter of Tracy Nunn and Dayronn McCowan.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccowan, Teaira
1996 births
Living people
All-American college women's basketball players
American women's basketball players
Basketball players from Texas
Centers (basketball)
Dallas Wings players
Indiana Fever draft picks
Indiana Fever players
Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
People from Brenham, Texas
Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players