The WNBA is home to some of the greatest women's basketball players in the world, and has enjoyed a real surge in popularity in recent seasons. Whether it's Sabrina Ionescu battling Steph Curry in a three-point contest, Angel Reese finding herself as the cover athlete of NBA 2K26, or Caitlin Clark coming into the league and proving herself to be a superstar, the league is in a good place right now in terms of drawing eyes.
As Clark continues to take the WNBA by storm and capture the imagination of fans around the world, only time will tell where she might land up in the history of women's basketball. Despite only being 23, she is already a two-time WNBA All-Star, while her rookie season saw her win Rookie of the Year and also be named to the All-WNBA First Team.
The Indiana Fever star will be hoping to get her hands on an MVP award and championship title very soon, and that could already catapult herself into the conversation of the all-time greats. But as of right now, who can be considered among the 10 greatest WNBA players in history? Well, find out below.
Ranking Factors
Individual awards and achievements like MVPs, All-Star appearances and All-WNBA selections
Titles won
Legacy and impact on the league
10 Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart
The star of the New York Liberty now, Breanna Stewart made a name for herself after being drafted with the first overall pick of the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. Having been named the Rookie of the Year, the power forward would make a significant step-up just a couple of years later, being named the MVP of the league in 2018 and then again in 2023.
Stewart is also a seven-time All-Star who has won the WNBA championship three times, with her being named the Finals MVP on the first two occasions. A defensive monster too, Stewart could quickly climb up these ranks given that she remains only 31, and is arguably in the best position possible to do so, seeing as she stars for the reigning champions Liberty.
9 Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Most recently seen on TV for TNT's basketball broadcasts, Candace Parker has forged an impressive post-career since her retirement from the WNBA. Her playing career saw her win three titles with three different teams, winning with the Los Angeles Sparks (with whom she was drafted first overall), then the Chicago Sky and finally with the Las Vegas Aces in her final season in the game.
A two-time MVP of the league, Parker also goes down as one of the WNBA's greatest ever power forwards, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020, as well as leading the league in assists, rebounds and blocks at different points in her career.
8 A'ja Wilson
A'Ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces reacts to a play during a WNBA game.
Another current star to make the list already, A'ja Wilson has established herself as one of the all-time greats despite only being in the league for a matter of seven years. The 6 foot 4 center was selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Las Vegas Aces, and she has helped turn the franchise into a serial contender year-in and year-out.
Already a three-time MVP, Wilson won back-to-back titles with the Aces in 2022 and 2023. Indeed, her 2022 season is widely regarded as one of the best individual campaigns in WNBA history. Not only did she win the MVP award that year, but she was also named to the All-Star team, made the All-WNBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, won the Defensive Player of the Year award, led the league in blocks, and won her first title.
7 Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Swoopes
One of the original GOATs of the WNBA, Sheryl Swoopes was a dominant force in the league in the early 2000s while playing with the Houston Comets. A dynamic two-guard who could play at three too, Swoopes would win four titles in a row starting from 1997, while she took home the regular-season MVP award on three occasions.
A two-time scoring champ, Swoopes was also elite defensively, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards as well as leading the league in steals twice. Named to the 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th WNBA Anniversary Teams, Swoopes' legacy in the league is very much secure.
6 Maya Moore
Maya Moore
Earlier this year, it was announced that Maya Moore was set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and it's no surprise to see why. Having become the first female basketball player to sign with Air Jordan, Moore won the WNBA title four times while with the Minnesota Lynx, winning the MVP award in 2014 too.
The power forward would lead the league in scoring that year, as well as being named to the All-Star team and All-WNBA First Team. All in all, Moore finished her playing career as a six-time All-Star, while she made the All-WNBA First Team for five years in a row too. As a stalwart of the Lynx, her no.23 jersey was retired.
5 Sue Bird
Sue Bird-1
The only player in WNBA history to win the title in three different decades, Sue Bird's credentials are second-to-none - particularly in terms of her longevity. A remarkable 20-year spell with the Seattle Storm saw her named to the WNBA All-Star team a whopping 13 times, as well as being named to the All-WNBA First Team five times.
One of the best point guards the game has seen, Bird would lead the league in assists three times, and holds a number of records to this day. Not only is she first for seasons played, games played and assists, Bird also ranks third all-time for steals and eighth for total points.
4 Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, Lisa Leslie spent her entire playing career in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks. Selected with the seventh-overall pick in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997, Leslie would win back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, as well as winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions.
The center would also win the regular-season MVP award three times over the course of her career, while her defensive prowess was shown by her two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Twice the WNBA leader in blocks, and a three-time rebounding champ - including in her rookie and second year - Leslie was a dominant center who was a force on both ends of the floor.
3 Cynthia Cooper-Dyke
Cynthia Cooper
Perhaps nobody in WNBA history has enjoyed a greater period of dominance than what Cynthia Cooper-Dyke managed at the turn of the century. The winner of four straight titles from 1997 to 2000 while with the Houston Comets, the combo guard would win the Finals MVP award every single time. That's not to mention her back-to-back MVPs in 1997 and 1998, while she led the league in scoring for three years in a row from 1997.
Cooper would finish her WNBA career averaging well over 20 points per game, while she was named to all four of the anniversary teams.
2 Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings coming in at second place on this list is a testament to her longevity and consistency in her 15-year career with the Indiana Fever. Despite only winning one title and one MVP award, Catchings was a phenomenal player, particularly from a defensive point of view. A five-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, Catchings unsurprisingly made the All-Defensive First Team ten times, while she led the league in steals a remarkable eight times.
Catchings' one title victory came in 2012, while she would secure the Finals MVP award in the process too.
1 Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Ranked as the greatest WNBA player of all-time, Diana Taurasi's achievements are nothing short of incredible. Spending her entire 20 seasons in the league with the Phoenix Mercury, Taurasi finished her career as the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, often reserving her best performances for the play-offs.
In the three titles she won, she was named the Finals MVP twice, while her 2009 season saw her named to the All-Star team, make the All-WNBA First Team and be voted the league's MVP. Taurasi would lead the league in scoring five times over the course of her career, while she is a 11-time All-Star and 10-time member of the All-WNBA First Team too.