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WNBA standout Skylar DigginsNot many would associate an intense, physical sport like basketball with the fairer sex. But then again, ignorance is abundant and contagious. Given the number of successful women athletes in other sports like tennis and track and field, it shouldn’t be a surprise that basketball would have a fair number of them. The sport has a global appeal and beautiful, intelligent and athletic woman of different nationalities have taken to the sport in no small numbers. Proof of this are the various women’s basketball leagues across countries, including the USA, Spain, Israel, China, Japan, France, Poland, Russia and Australia. It should come as no surprise that the Mecca of professional basketball, the USA, has the most prominent women's league in the world. Begun in 1996 as a counterpart to the NBA, the WNBA has twelve franchises in it and is an attraction in its own right. There isn't a shred of doubt about their hardcourt skills, but here we’ll take a look at the other side of these athletes:
#5 Lauren Jackson
The only non-American on the list, this tall(6’5”), blue-eyed blonde Aussie has accolades galore in her repertoire. In her twelve-year career with the Seattle Storm, Jackson is a two-time WNBA Champion, a three-time WNBA scoring champion, a three-time WNBA MVP and a seven-time WNBA All-Star(phew!).
The number one overall pick in the 2011 Draft is a dominant Forward and occasional Center. Jackson is a four-time Olympic medallist(three silver, one bronze) as part of the Australian national women’s team.
In addition to a decorated basketball career, Jackson is also highly educated, with a degree in psychology and business management. She has also done a course on cultural studies, with focus on women’s rights and racism. She is a major advocate of women’s rights and is an ambassador of an organisation that helps rehabilitate and empower women rape victims of the Rwandan genocide.
#4 Jennifer Lacy
One of the racier (just like the pics she posts on the internet) athletes on our list, the 6’3” Forward has made more news off-court than on it. Her former partner, WNBA legend Chamique Holdsclaw, was arrested in 2012 for pouring petrol into Lacy’s car, beating it with a baseball bat and firing shots into it, hoping to set it on fire.
Lacy has played for the Phoenix mercury, Atlanta Dream and the Tulsa Shock before joining her current team, the Los Angeles Sparks. She is more a bench player than a starter, averaging 5 PPG and 2.3 RPG.
#3 Swin Cash
This 6’1” swarthy beauty is one of the most decorated athletes on our list, let alone the league. A 13-year veteran of the WNBA, Swintayla Marie Cash is a three-time WNBA Champion, four-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-Star game MVP and a double Olympic gold-medallist.
After being the second overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Cash rejuvenated the ailing Detroit Shock and led them to their first WNBA Championship. After another championship in 2006, Cash was traded to the Seattle Storm, whom she helped to their second championship in 2010.
Cash also participates in a lot of philanthropic activities and played herself in the 2006 movie Bring It On: All or Nothing, which also starred Solange Knowles(Beyonce’s sister), Hayden Panettiere(former Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s better half) and Rihanna.
#2 Leilani Mitchell
“Eye candy” is better suited to describe the more-cute-than-hot Leilani Seamah Mitchell. The 30-year-old Australian-American made her debut in the WNBA in 2008 as part of the New York Liberty, having been traded to the former by the Phoenix Mercury, the team that originally picked her.
After a good debut season, Leilani struggled to cope with the death of her mother in 2009, and her form was consequently affected. She made a determined return in 2010, leading the league in three-point percentage (48.6) and winning the WNBA Most Improved Player Award.
Besides the WNBA, Mitchell also plays in various other leagues during the off-season, in France, Croatia and Australia. Since 2015, she has been a part of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.
#1 Skylar Diggins
The winner, hands down across many such polls, Skylar Kierra Diggins’ ability to seduce the lens is well-documented. Having modelled for Sports Illustrated, Vogue and Nike, the 5’9” stunner has similarly achieved a lot in women’s basketball.
After being the 3rd overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Skylar has become one of the faces of the league. A two-time All-Star, Skylar led her side, the Tulsa Shock in assists (3.8 per game) and also averaged 8.5 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 26.4 MPG in her debut year, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
Skylar’s follow up to her debut season was stellar. With 20.1 PPG, she was second in the league’s scorers, featuring in the top ten in steals and assists too. She was awarded the Most Improved Player award that year. She tore her ACL and consequently missed the whole 2015 season.
