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Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart won Olympic gold with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but Stewart was the one who got to add another piece of hardware to her trophy case. Stewart and the New York Liberty defeated Collier and the Minnesota Lynx for the 2024 WNBA championship. Though Collier and Stewart were on opposite sides of the 2024 WNBA Finals, they will always be two of the most notable alumnae of Connecticut women's basketball. Collier and Stewart won the national championship together at UConn in 2016 and are both members of the program's exclusive 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds club, joining other all-time UConn and WNBA greats Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Rebecca Lobo. Here's a look at the most notable players who left an indelible mark on women's basketball both at UConn and in the WNBA: Sue Bird Two-time national champion 2002 women's college basketball player of the year No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA draft (Seattle Storm) 13-time WNBA All-Star (record) Four-time WNBA champion All-time assists leader in WNBA history
Swin Cash Two-time national champion 2002 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player No. 32 retired at Connecticut No. 2 pick in the 2002 WNBA draft (Detroit Shock) Four-time WNBA All-Star Three-time WNBA champion
Tina Charles Two-time national champion 2010 women's college basketball player of the year No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA draft (Connecticut Sun) 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year 2012 WNBA MVP All-time leading rebounder in WNBA history
Napheesa Collier 2016 national champion Two-time first-team All-American No. 6 pick in the 2019 WNBA draft (Minnesota Lynx) 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Four-time WNBA All-Star
Rebecca Lobo 1995 national champion 1995 first-team All-American 1995 women's college basketball player of the year No. 50 retired at Connecticut 1997 second-team All-WNBA 1999 WNBA All-Star
Maya Moore Two-time national champion Two-time women's college basketball player of the year No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA draft (Minnesota Lynx) 2014 WNBA MVP Four-time WNBA champion No. 23 retired by Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart Four-time national champion Four-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player No. 1 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft (Seattle Storm) Two-time WNBA MVP Three-time WNBA champion Two-time WNBA Finals MVP
Diana Taurasi Three-time national champion Two-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA draft (Phoenix Mercury) 2009 WNBA MVP Three-time WNBA champion All-time leading scorer in WNBA history
Check out the ESPN women's college basketball hub page and the ESPN WNBA hub page for more women's basketball coverage.
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