MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today four-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen as one of 13 honorees in the Class of 2022. The class announcement was made in New Orleans, La., the site of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four, and televised live on ESPN2.
Whalen, a first-time nominee, will become the first Lynx player in franchise history to be elected into the Naismith Hall of Fame on their first year of eligibility and third to be elected all-time (Katie Smith 2018, Teresa Edwards 2011). The Hutchinson, Minn. native completed 15 years in the WNBA earning four WNBA Championships with Minnesota (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017), five All-Star nods (2006, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) and five All-WNBA selections (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
Whalen, the WNBA’s all-time winningest player, racked up 323 career victories and tallied 54 postseason wins, which ranks second all-time behind Rebekkah Brunson (57). She ranks third all-time in assists (2,348) and led the league in assists per game on three occasions (2008, 2011, 2012). She appeared in 480 career regular season games, averaging 11.5 points on 46.1% shooting, 3.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Whalen also played in a league-best 82 career postseason contests, recording averages of 11.6 points on 43.0% shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Acquired by Minnesota in a trade with Connecticut on Jan. 12, 2010, Whalen spent nine seasons with the Lynx where she appeared in 283 games, winning 201 of those, a .701 winning percentage. Whalen ranks atop the Lynx franchise leaderboard in assists (1,394), while ranking second in games played (283) and fourth in scoring (3,233). She holds the single-season franchise record for assists (199, 2011) and a share of the franchise mark with Noelle Quinn for most assists in a single game (14 vs. Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2013).
Selected fourth overall in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun from the University of Minnesota, Whalen played six seasons with the Sun before returning to her home state. She captured gold with the United States Women’s National Basketball team during the Olympics in 2012 and 2016. She was named to the WNBA Top20@20 in 2016 and the W25 in 2021, both lists created to celebrate the league’s top players of all time. Whalen currently serves as the head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team.
To be elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, North American and Women’s Committee finalists must receive 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee. The Class of 2022 will be enshrined on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Springfield, Mass.
