WNBA unveils top 20 greatest and most influential players list

As part of the league's celebration of its 20th season, the WNBA unveiled on Tuesday its top 20 greatest and most influential players in history.

The list includes nine current players and 11 retired WNBA players. Fourteen of the 20 players were also part of the Top 15 list announced five years ago. Dawn Staley was the only player from the Top 15 list which did not make it to the Top 20.

The WNBA's 20 @ 20 are:

Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore, Deanna Nolan, Candace Parker, Ticha Penicheiro, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Smith, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson, Teresa Weatherspoon, Lindsay Whalen.

Quick reactions

Dawn Staley should have been part of the list. It's surprising that Staley, who was part of the All-Decade Team 10 years ago and the Top 15 team five years ago, was left out.

It might be too early for Maya Moore to be part of this list. Sure, she's a three-time champion already and the league MVP back in 2014, but she has been in the league for just five years. She'd eventually make the Top 25 or Top 30 list in the future, but perhaps the panel should have considered players like Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Sylvia Fowles, and Chamique Holdsclaw. Moore, along with Elena Delle Donne, Nneka Ogwumike, and other young stars, will definitely be considered in the future all-time lists.

Seimone Augustus deserves to be in this list. She was the face of the Minnesota Lynx before Moore's arrival, and was the main reason for the Lynx's first ever WNBA title back in 2011.

My picks: If I had to select my Top 20, I will include all 15 from the Top 15 list five years ago (Bird, Catchings, Cooper-Dyke, Griffith, Hammon, Jackson, Leslie, Penicheiro, Pondexter, Smith, Staley, Swoopes, Taurasi, Thompson, and Weatherspoon) then add Augustus, Parker, McCoughtry, Holdsclaw, and Cash.


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