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Best WNBA Players Under 25

Best WNBA Players Under 25

The WNBA, in recent years, has seen an increase in television viewership, merchandise sales, and in-game attendance. Not surprising, considering that the talent within the WNBA has increased substantially, with the many of the recent playoff and finals game going down to the wire.

And while these increases in viewership, merchandise sales, and in-game attendance haven’t led to an overall increase in player compensation, the league has, as a whole, become more competitive and is beginning to attract new fans.

In particular, the players under 25 years of age will be instrumental in pushing the envelope and helping to cement the league’s dominance.

As such, below, we are going to look at the best WNBA players under 25 years old. These players will help to push the women’s games popularity, the leagues image, and the overall success of the WNBA and they are vitally important to the long-term viability of the league.

A’ja Wilson

Born on August 8, 1996, A’ja Wilson has an impressive basketball resume in such a short period of time. Currently playing for the Las Vegas Aces, she played for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college and was instrumental in their first NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in 2017.

In fact, A’ja was so instrumental in that championship win that she would be named the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

The following year, A’ja continued her dominance on the court. She won a record 3rd straight SEC Player of the Year award, led South Carolina to a record 4th straight SEC Tournament Championship, became the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women’s basketball history, and was a consensus first-team All-American for the 3rd consecutive season.

To add even more to her resume, in 2018 Wilson swept all National Player of the Year awards, including the Wade, AP, Honda, USBWA, Wooden, and Naismith awards.

Drafted first overall in the 2018 WNBA draft, she would also go on to win Olympic Gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Arike Ogunbowale

Born on March 2, 1997, Arike Ogunbowale is a Nigerian-American WNBA player who currently plays for the Dallas Wings. Having played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, she would be drafted by the Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft with the fifth overall selection.

Arike Ogunbowale was also instrumental in Notre Dame’s 2018 national title run, having hit the game winning basket in both the semi-final and championship games.

Ariel Atkins

Ariel Atkins was born on July 30, 1996 and is currently a WNBA player for the Washington Mystics. Having played four-years with the Texas Longhorns, she was drafted with the 7th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Mystics.

That same year, Ariel Atkins would help the Mystics reach the WNBA Finals and would be named to the All-Rookie Team.

Following her first season, Atkins spent the 2018-19 season in Poland with InvestInTheWest ENEA Gorzów Wielkopolski. Returning to the WNBA in 2019, she would win a WNBA Championship with the Mystics and would sign with the Australian team, Perth Lynx again in the offseason.

Aari McDonald

Aari McDonald was born on August 20, 1998 and currently plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. Having been selected third overall by the Dream in the 2021 WNBA draft, she played college basketball for both the University of Washington and the University of Arizona.

Having grown up in Fresno, California, she was the youngest of six children. She would play the majority of her high school basketball career at Brookside Christian High School in Stockton, California. At Brookside, she would score over 1,500 points in just two years and would record multiple triple-doubles and even a quadruple-double.

NaLyssa Smith

NaLyssa Smith was born on August 8, 2000 and currently plays for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. Having played college basketball for Baylor, she would win the NCAA Division I Championship with the team in 2019 and the Wade Trophy in 2021.

Drafted second overall by the Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft, she has had a strong start to her WNBA career, averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in her first season.

Rhyne Howard

Rhyne Howard was born on April 29, 2000 and currently plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. Having played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, she would be drafted first overall by the Dream in the 2022 WNBA draft.

As a senior in high school, Howard was named the 2018 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and Tennessee Miss Basketball. In addition, she participated on the USA team in 2018 and 2019, leading them to a gold medal and was awarded MVP honors in 2018.

She also participated in the Jordan Brand Classic among the top rated recruits in the U.S. Following her freshman season at Kentucky, Howard was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year and in both 2020 and 2021, she was named SEC Player of the Year.