Plenette Michelle Pierson (born August 31, 1981) is a retired 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 last played for the Minnesota Lynx 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). In the 2007 season, Pierson won the first ever Sixth Woman of the Year Award given in the WNBA. Pierson is currently an

assistant coach A sports coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''coach'' is that of a horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultimately from the Hun ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

College

Pierson 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

Texas Tech Red Raiders The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raider ...

women's basketball team. She graduated in 2003.

Texas Tech statistics

Source

Professional career

WNBA

Plenette Pierson at 2015 All-Star game cropped

Pierson was drafted fourth overall by the Phoenix Mercury in

2003 WNBA Draft The 2003 WNBA draft, both the dispersal draft and the regular WNBA draft, took place on April 24. The dispersal draft involved players from the rosters of the Portland Fire and Miami Sol teams which had both folded after the 2002 season. For tha ...

. Midway through the 2005 season, Pierson was traded to the Detroit Shock. In the 2006 season, the Shock were a championship contender as they finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 23–11 record. They would advance all the way to the finals and defeat the

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena. The Mona ...

in five games. The following season, Pierson would win the first ever

WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award The Women's National Basketball Association's Sixth Player of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 2007 WNBA season The 2007 WNBA Season was the Women's National Basketball Association's ...

given by the league for her scoring and rebounding efforts off the bench, averaging 11.9 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Coinciding with her efforts, the Shock were in the hunt to win back-to-back championships with the number one seed in the eastern conference and another trip to the Finals, but were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury in five-game series. The following season, the Shock made it to the Finals for the third year in a row, this time winning their second championship in three years, after sweeping the San Antonio Silver Stars in the Finals. However, the following season, Pierson would only play one game and missed the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. In 2010, the Detroit Shock franchise relocated to

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and were renamed the

Tulsa Shock The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; t ...

. In the 2010 season, Pierson would play 8 games for the Shock before being traded to the New York Liberty where she played for the rest of the season. In the 2011 season, Pierson averaged a career-high in scoring with 12.9 points per game in the Liberty's starting lineup. She would continue to play with Liberty until 2014. In 2015, Pierson returned to the Tulsa Shock in free agency. She played 30 games with 29 starts, averaged 12.8 points per game and was voted as an all-star for the first time in her career. In 2016, the Shock relocated to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

and were renamed the Dallas Wings. She played and started in 27 games and averaged 11.9 points per game. On February 1, 2017, Pierson signed with the Minnesota Lynx in free agency. On August 18, 2017, Pierson announced that she would retire at the end of the season. During the season, Pierson would contribute off the bench for the Lynx, averaging 5.2 points per game. The Lynx finished with the best record in the league with a 27–7 record, earning the number 1 seed and a double-bye to the WNBA semi-finals. The Lynx would eliminate 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 ...

in a 3-game sweep of the WNBA semi-finals and would advance to the 2017 WNBA Finals, making it Pierson's fourth career Finals appearance. The Lynx would defeat 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 5 games to avenge last season's Finals loss, as Pierson won her third WNBA championship.

Overseas

In the 2005-06 WNBA off-season, Pierson played in

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

for Coconuda Maddaloni. In the 2006-07 WNBA off-season, Pierson played in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for Elitzur Ramla. In the 2007-08 WNBA off-season, Pierson 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

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

. In the 2011-12 WNBA off-season, Pierson played in Israel for

Maccabi Bnot Ashdod Maccabi Bnot Ashdod ( he, מכבי בנות אשדוד) is a professional women's basketball team based in Ashdod, playing in the Ligat Ha'al in Israel since 2003. It is the women's basketball division of the Maccabi Ashdod sports club. During 20 ...

. From 2012 to 2014, Pierson played two off-seasons in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

for

Good Angels Košice Good Angels Košice, since 2018 playing as Young Angels Košice is a women's basketball team based in Košice that plays in Slovakia's domestic league and FIBA Europe’s EuroLeague Women. The team bears the name of a non-profit charitable organ ...

. In the 2014-15 WNBA off-season, Pierson played in Italy for Passalacqua Ragusa. In August 2016, Pierson signed with the

Cheongju KB Stars Cheongju KB Stars ( ko, 청주 KB 스타즈) is a professional basketball club in the Women's Korean Basketball League in South Korea. Honours Women's Korean Basketball League The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) (Hangul: 한국여자� ...

of the Korean League for the 2016-17 WNBA off-season.

Coaching

Lynx

On March 14, 2019, The Minnesota Lynx announced the hiring of Pierson as an assistant coach.

Texas Tech

On June 6, 2022, Pierson was announced as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Texas Tech. She'd leave her post as an assistant with the Lynx and would join the team immediately.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2003 , 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 ...

, 33 , , 5 , , 18.2 , , .379 , , .000 , , .634 , , 2.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 1.2 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 25 , , 25.9 , , .443 , , .000 , , .606 , , 4.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005* , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 11 , , 26.5 , , .343 , , .000 , , .690 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 2.6 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005* , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 17 , , 15 , , 19.3 , , .494 , , 1.000 , , .476 , , 5.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 1.8 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;", Total , 23 , , 0 , , 19.3 , , .437 , , .500 , , .698 , , 2.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.8 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2006^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 0 , , 16.6 , , .456 , , .000 , , .700 , , 3.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 0 , , 25.2 , , .478 , , .000 , , .754 , , 5.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 2.3 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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;",

, 28 , , 0 , , 23.2 , , .457 , , .000 , , .752 , , 4.9 , , 2.3 , , 0.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010* , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 1 , , 15.8 , , .535 , , .429 , , .857 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010* , style="text-align:left;", New York , 25, , 0 , , 16.7 , , .458 , , .250 , , .817 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.8 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;", Total , 33 , , 1 , , 16.5 , , .479 , , .364 , , .827 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 1.8 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 33 , , 33 , , 28.6 , , .478 , , .200 , , .806 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 12.9 , - , 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 , 26 , , 24 , , 24.7 , , .466 , , . 278 , , .759 , , 5.4 , , 2.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 2.3 , , 12.0 , - , 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 , 32 , , 27 , , 27.6 , , .401 , , .000 , , .720 , , 5.8 , , 2.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 2.4 , , 11.6 , - , 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 , 33 , , 8 , , 17.4 , , .455 , , .000 , , .859 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.3 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, 30 , , 29 , , 28.1 , , .437 , , .362 , , .808 , , 4.1 , , 1.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 1.8 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

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

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 ...

, 27 , , 27 , , 26.6 , , .387 , , .337 , , .829 , , 4.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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;",

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

, 34 , , 4 , , 13.7 , , .427 , , .339 , , .792 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 15 years, 4 teams , 444 , , 194 , , 22.2 , , .439 , , .302 , , .744 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 1.7 , , 9.6

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .400 , , .000 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2006^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 0 , , 18.9 , , .426 , , .000 , , .706 , , 5.4 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.9 , , 1.4 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 1 , , 25.5 , , .422 , , .500 , , .732 , , 7.2 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 2.5 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .474 , , .000 , , .846 , , 3.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.8 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 5 , , 3 , , 20.0 , , .523 , , .333 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 2.0 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 3 , , 3 , , 29.0 , , .577 , , .000 , , .500 , , 4.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 2.6 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", New York , 2 , , 2 , , 30.5 , , .389 , , .000 , , .800 , , 5.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.5 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 26.8 , , .357 , , .333 , , .000 , , 5.5 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 5.4 , , .364 , , .500 , , .000 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 9 years, 4 teams , 49 , , 11 , , 19.2 , , .444 , , .364 , , .698 , , 4.2 , , 1.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 1.6 , , 8.0

Personal life

Pierson was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in nearby

Kingwood, Texas Kingwood is a 14,000 acre (57 km²) master-planned community located in northeast Houston, Texas, United States. The majority of the community is located in Harris County with a small portion in Montgomery County. Known as the "Livable F ...

. She is the daughter of Paulette Pierson and has a younger brother, Cleven and another brother Vontriel. She attended

Kingwood High School Kingwood High School is a Humble Independent School District secondary school located in the Kingwood community of Houston, Texas, United States and serves Portions of Kingwood and Atascocita. Ted Landry had been principal since May 29, 2011 unti ...

, from which she graduated in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierson, Plenette 1981 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American women's basketball coaches American women's basketball players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Houston Centers (basketball) Dallas Wings players Detroit Shock players Minnesota Lynx players New York Liberty players People from Kingwood, Texas Phoenix Mercury draft picks Phoenix Mercury players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Houston Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball players Tulsa Shock players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars