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04/18/19 02:53:00
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04/18 14:50 CDT Lynx to retire Lindsay Whalen's No. 13 at June 8 game
Lynx to retire Lindsay Whalen's No. 13 at June 8 game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --- The Minnesota Lynx will honor Lindsay Whalen by making her
jersey the first to be retired by the 20-year-old franchise.
The Lynx announced Thursday they'll hang Whalen's No. 13 from the Target Center
rafters on June 8 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Shortly after a news
conference held inside the arena where Whalen played nine of her 15 years in
the league with the Lynx and won four championships, Whalen threw out the
ceremonial first pitch at the Twins game next door at Target Field.
"I don't know if you can live a more charmed sporting life than what Lindsay
Whalen has lived in Minnesota," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.
Whalen is now the head coach at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota.
The gritty point guard retired after the 2018 WNBA season.
"None of this would happen if the team didn't have success," Whalen said. "My
jersey wouldn't be up there if we didn't win four championships."
Whalen played overseas in the winters and spent her first six years in the WNBA
with the Connecticut Sun. But she spent the majority of her playing career in
her home state, from Hutchinson High School to the Gophers to the Lynx. She
seized on an opportunity at the news conference to make a sly recruiting pitch
for the Gophers to any local prep prospects who might have been watching.
"Good things happen when you stay at home," said Whalen, who won Olympic gold
medals with Team USA in 2012 and 2016.
She's the all-time WNBA leader with 323 wins in 477 career regular-season
games, and she's second behind former Lynx teammate Rebekkah Brunson (57) with
54 victories in the playoffs. Whalen is third on the league's all-time list
with 2,345 assists, trailing only Sue Bird and Ticha Penicheiro. She's the only
player in WNBA history with at least 5,000 points, 2,000 assists and 1,500
rebounds.
"It just shows what you can do when you work hard, but more than anything when
you surround yourself with really great people," Whalen said.
The WNBA season begins May 24.
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