WNBA Top 20@20

WNBA Top 20@20 are the Women's National Basketball Association's Top 20 Players of All Time, chosen in 2016 on the occasion of the twentieth season of the WNBA from amongst 60 nominees compiled by the league. The group was to comprise the 20 best and most influential players of the first twenty years of the WNBA, with consideration also accorded to sportsmanship, community service, leadership, and contribution to the growth of women's basketball; only players to have competed in the WNBA for at least two seasons, and fit at least three of seven criteria (WNBA championship, major individual award, a selection to either the All-WNBA Team, WNBA All-Defensive Team, or WNBA All-Star Game; a current ranking among the top 30 statistical career leaders; and a selection to either the WNBA's All-Decade Team or the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time) were considered.

The Top 20 players were announced on June 21, 2016 at ESPN's ''SportsCenter''. Dawn Staley was the only member of both the WNBA's All-Decade Team (2006) and the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time (2011) absent from the Top 20 list.

Players selected

*''Note: all information only pertains to the first twenty years of the league's existence.''

*The inaugural WNBA All-Star Game took place during the 1999 season, and the game has been contested in most years since. The 2004 edition was supplanted by a game between WNBA players from both conferences and the 2004 United States Olympic team, and the 2010 edition was a game between WNBA players from both conferences and the USA National Team. For the purposes of this article, appearances in the 2004 and 2010 games for both participating teams are considered All-Star appearances. This differs from the WNBA's practice, which does not count Team USA players in 2004 and 2010 as All-Stars, even though all members of Team USA except for Maya Moore in 2010 were WNBA players at the time of the two games. From 2008 through 2020, no All-Star Game was held in any Summer Olympic year. With the 2020 Summer Olympics being delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19, the league held an exhibition shortly before it took a break for the Olympics, with a WNBA all-star team taking on the USA national team. Unlike the analogous 2004 event, the 2021 game was officially treated as an All-Star Game.
*Players who were voted to start in all-star games but were unable to play due to injury are nevertheless considered to have been starters; players voted as reserves who started in place of other injured players are nevertheless considered to have been reserves.

Other finalists

* Janeth Arcain⁵
* Alana Beard¹
* Ruthie Bolton³
* DeWanna Bonner¹
* Rebekkah Brunson¹
* Tina Charles¹
* Elena Delle Donne¹
* Érika de Souza¹
* Skylar Diggins¹
* Tamecka Dixon⁵
* Katie Douglas⁶
* Candice Dupree¹
*Margo Dydek⁷
* Cheryl Ford⁶
* Sylvia Fowles¹
* Jennifer Gillom⁵
*Brittney Griner¹
* Chamique Holdsclaw³
* Shannon Johnson⁴
* Vickie Johnson⁵
* Crystal Langhorne¹
* Kara Lawson
* Betty Lennox
* Mwadi Mabika⁵
* Angel McCoughtry¹
* Taj McWilliams-Franklin⁴
* DeLisha Milton-Jones⁴
*Nneka Ogwumike¹
* Wendy Palmer
* Plenette Pierson¹
* Nicole Powell
*Ruth Riley
* Danielle Robinson¹
* Nykesha Sales⁴
* Tangela Smith⁶
* Dawn Staley²
* Nikki Teasley
* Penny Taylor^{1, 6}
* Natalie Williams⁴
* Sophia Young

¹ Still active at time of Top 20 Team announcement.

² Was in both the All-Decade and Top 15 teams.

³All-Decade honorable mention, Top 15 nominee.

⁴Nominated for both All-Decade and Top 15 teams.

⁵All-Decade nominee.

⁶Top 15 nominee.

⁷Deceased.

References

External links

Official announcement
on WNBA.com

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Lists of Women's National Basketball Association players
2016 WNBA season