The Basics
Position: Forward
Current Team: Connecticut Sun | #25
Draft: 2014 | Maryland | 1st round (4th Pick)
Key Accolades: 2x All-Star (2017, 2019), 3x All-Defensive Team (2017, 2019, 2020)
WNBA Profile | Stats | Instagram | Twitter
The Down Low
Here is an excerpt from my article 20 Facts to Know About Alyssa Thomas That Aren't Related to her Shoulders:
1. AT comes from a basketball family. Her parents are basically a Love & Basketball story: they both played college basketball and bonded over the game. Her mom even went with the hyphenated name and seems to be an absolute gem: They played one-on-one too, with Tina [Alyssa's mom] telling her future husband, "I will hack the heck out of you if you ever try to dunk on me."
2. Her mom signed her up for basketball and Alyssa had a fit about it, but she later fell in love with the game. I encourage you to watch the tagged video just for the very charming way she says "bonjour swish swish" at the beginning.
3. Her brother is also a professional basketball player, playing overseas. He describes his sister as "unguardable." This will become a theme.
Also, you know I hate to gossip but AT is currently dating teammate DeWanna Bonner and it is in fact very cute.
Highlight Reel
Know Your Meme
Alyssa Thomas played the 2020 season with two torn labrums (that’s cartilage in your shoulder). She’s played without a single functioning labrum since 2017. It’s a painful condition and results in one of the worst looking free throw forms you’ll ever see. It is honestly impressive as hell that she can can play through it at all, let alone achieve her epic playoff performances this year. And she showed up afterward looking like she had just returned from the war.
The problem was that the announcers would never stop talking about it. If she shot free throws or powered to the rim, they would excitedly explain for another time how she was doing it despite having literally no shoulders at all. You could have a pretty fun night if you decided to drink every time you heard the word “labrum” during a Connecticut Sun game.
Merch
Playoff AT (BreakingT) | Replica Jersey (WNBA Store)