The best 25 WNBA players of all time

A knee injury currently has Augustus out indefinitely, but it appears she will suit up for the Minnesota Lynx at some point in 2019. When that happens, it will be her 14th WNBA season. Entering June, Augustus ranks 11th in league history with 5,836 points and is sixth with a 48.2 shooting percentage. Did we mention she's also an eight-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion?

Like Augustus, Bird is also sidelined at the moment because of a knee injury, but she, too, is slated to hit the court at some point this season. Though it's highly unlikely this would happen, but if Bird is never to play another minute of WNBA action, her legacy has already been etched with greatness. The point guard is an 11-time All-Star, three-time league champion with the Seattle Storm and the WNBA's all-time assist leader (2,831).

Catchings played all 15 seasons of her WNBA career with Indiana. She ranks in the top five all-time in scoring (7,380 points) and rebounding (3,316) and is the WNBA leader with 1,074 career steals. A 10-time All-Star, five-time Defensive Player of the Year and the league MVP in 2011, Catchings is considered in some circles to be the greatest player in WNBA history. 

While Cash was a four-time WNBA All-Star and the MVP of that game twice, perhaps her biggest asset came as a leader. In her 15-year career, Cash won three WNBA titles with two different teams. Two of those came with Detroit. Cash, who ranks in the top 20 in career scoring and rebounding, is the director of franchise development for the New York Liberty.

After playing professionally in Europe for years, Cooper's WNBA career began at age 34. She was an integral part of the Houston Comets winning the first four championships in WNBA history. Cooper was also the Finals MVP in each of those seasons and the league MVP in 1997 and '98. Cooper played just five seasons in the WNBA, but her 20.9 career average remains the best in league history. 

It's hard to find a better defensive post player in the history of the WNBA. The league's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 with Sacramento, Griffith averaged 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and one block per game during an 11-year career that featured eight All-Star selections and a championship with the Monarchs in 2005 — when she was also the Finals MVP.

Still going strong in her 12th season, Fowles is arguably the best post player in the game today. Entering this season, Fowles averaged 16.1 points and almost 10 rebounds for her career. She's currently the league's career leader in field-goal percentage at over 59 percent and rebounds per game at nearly 10. After failing to win a WNBA title with Chicago in her first seven seasons, Fowles has won two with the Minnesota Lynx.

Hammon certainly left her mark in the WNBA after 16 seasons. The six-time All-Star is the league's all-time leader with an 89.7 free-throw percentage. She also ranks among the top 10 all time in scoring (5,841), assists (1,708) and three-point percentage (37.8). Hammon then broke new ground with the NBA in 2014 when she was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as the first full-time female assistant coach.

The best women's basketball player to come from Australia, Jackson would be the most popular all-time member of the Seattle Storm if it wasn't for Sue Bird. Jackson played all 12 of her WNBA seasons with the Storm, helping them win two titles while earning MVP honors three times and leading the league in scoring on three occasions. She averaged 18.9 points for her career and was selected an All-Star seven times.

Looking for women's basketball royalty should start with Leslie. She was part of the inaugural WNBA season and played all 12 seasons close to home with the Los Angeles Sparks. Leslie won two league titles, was the MVP in 2001, '04 and '06 and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year pick. However, most basketball fans know Leslie for being the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. She finished her career with 6,263 points, 3,307 rebounds and 822 blocks.  

McWilliams-Franklin won WNBA titles with Detroit and Minnesota, but her pro career spanned parts of three decades. In the WNBA, she was named an All-Star six times and ranks among the league's career leaders with more than 3,000 rebounds and 440 blocked shots while playing for seven teams in 14 years.

Over a career that spanned a remarkable 17 seasons with five teams, Milton-Jones won back-to-back WNBA titles with Los Angeles in 2001 and '02 and was a three-time All-Star. As of the 2019 season, she was 12th all time on the league's points list with 5,571 and averaged a career-high 20.0 during the 2006 season with the Sparks.

Moore is taking the 2019 season off to devote more time to her family and ministry work. Like Minnesota teammate Seimone Augustus, Moore has won four WNBA titles. A career 18.4 points-per-game scorer in eight seasons, Moore was the league MVP in 2014 and the WNBA Finals MVP in 2013. Her success was evident from the beginning with her Rookie of the Year Award in 2011.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Nolan was instrumental in helping her home-state Detroit Shock win three WNBA titles (2003, '06 and '08). The versatile and athletic Nolan was the Finals MVP in 2006. The five-time All-Star is widely considered the best player in the history of a franchise that is currently located in Dallas as the Wings. 

A hamstring injury has Parker out of action to begin her 12th WNBA season with Los Angeles. Still one of the best players in the game, Parker has scored more than 5,100 points and pulled down better than 2,500 boards. Not to be overlooked is Parker's overall ability to run the floor and pass the basketball, in addition to her stellar post skills. Parker finally won her elusive WNBA title in 2016.

The 2019 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Penicheiro ranks second in WNBA history with 2,599 assists and 764 steals. The four-time All-Star guard played 15 years in the league, most of which came with the Sacramento Monarchs. She helped that club win a championship in 2005 and was the WNBA's assist leader in her first six seasons (1998-2003).

One of the most exciting players and best ball-handlers in the history of the WNBA, Pondexter was a seven-time All-Star. She also earned WNBA Finals MVP honors in 2007 when she won her first of two titles with the Phoenix Mercury. With 13 seasons under her belt, Pondexter is fourth on the career points list with 6,811 and sixth in assists with 1,578. 

A recent Hall of Fame inductee and current coach of the New York Liberty, Smith entered the 2019 WNBA season ranked fifth all time on the points list with 6,452 and fourth in free-throw percentage (85.9). The seven-time All-Star won two titles in the ABL and then another two in the WNBA during her 14-year career spent mostly with Minnesota and Detroit. 

One of the best point guards in the history of women's basketball, Staley has parlayed a great playing career into a stellar one as a coach. She was a six-time WNBA All-Star and ranks among the top 15 all time in assists. However, it was Staley's strength as a leader on and off the court that made her valuable with both Charlotte and Houston over eight seasons in the league.

This might be a bit premature, considering Stewart has played just three WNBA seasons and will miss the 2019 campaign with an Achilles injury. But if the start to Stewart's pro career is any indication, she has a rightful spot on this list. The league's Rookie of the Year in 2016, Seattle's Stewart is averaging 20.0 points and shooting 48.9 percent for her career. She was the 2018 regular-season and WNBA Finals MVP.

Another one of the greatest players in women's basketball history at any level, Swoopes also might be the most complete player in league history. In addition to being a six-time All-Star, Swoopes won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2000, '02 and '03. A career 15-point scorer, the Hall of Famer helped Houston win the league's first four championships. 

Like Sue Bird and Seimone Augustus, Taurasi is currently out with injury. But does she really need to prove anything more? Taurasi is on the Mount Rushmore of WNBA players as the league's all-time leading scorer (8,549), a nine-time All-Star and three-time league champion with the Phoenix Mercury. She continues to be a tremendous ambassador, not just for the WNBA and women's basketball but for women's athletics in general. 

It will be hard for just about any other women's basketball player to top the legacy Thompson built. The first-ever collegiate draft pick of the WNBA, Thompson played parts of three decades in the league. She's second all time in scoring (7,488) and fifth in rebounds (3,070) while playing almost 500 games. A four-time WNBA champion with the now-defunct Comets, the Hall of Famer also was selected to nine All-Star teams.

A five-time All-Star, "T-Spoon" is among the league's career leaders in assists (1,338). She also happened to be one of the best defensive players in the history of the women's game. In both 1997 and '98, Weatherspoon was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She spent all but one of her eight seasons in the league playing for the New York Liberty.

Currently the head women's basketball coach at the University of Minnesota, Whalen remains a fixture in the game. As a member of the WNBA, Whalen was a five-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion — all with the Minnesota Lynx. She's third on the league's career assist list (2,345) and is considered one of the best ball-handlers in the history of the WNBA.