WNBA All-Star Jasmine Thomas Retires After 13 Seasons
WNBA All-Star Jasmine Thomas retires after 13 seasons, leaving legacy as defensive anchor & Finals competitor. Playoff heartbreak, All-Star honors & building a powerhouse with the Sun mark her career.
Veteran point guard Jasmine Thomas officially retired from the WNBA on Thursday, concluding her impressive 13-year career. The former All-Star, who played for the Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun, and Los Angeles Sparks, shared the news in a statement on her social media.
“I’ve come a long way from the 9-year-old girl who initially picked up basketball for fun and to make friends,” Thomas reflected. “I feel incredibly blessed to have enjoyed such a lengthy and successful career on the court. My journey has shaped me as a person, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. A heartfelt thank you to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, venue personnel, and fans worldwide – you’ve been a significant part of this incredible lifetime experience.”
What a time!
Congrats on an illustrious career @jaszthomas 💐 pic.twitter.com/dlY0JisTSN
— WNBA (@WNBA) January 18, 2024
Following a successful college stint at Duke, Thomas became the 12th overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft. Despite being initially drafted by the Seattle Storm, she was traded to the Mystics before her rookie season. After two seasons with the Mystics, Thomas found herself traded once more, this time to the Dream.
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During her time in Atlanta, she experienced the first taste of playoff disappointment, a theme that would persist throughout her career. In 2013, the Dream reached the WNBA Finals only to be swept by the Minnesota Lynx.
In 2015, Thomas found herself on the move once more as the Dream traded her to the Sun, marking the start of the most successful phase of her career. Over the course of eight seasons in Connecticut, Thomas achieved her sole All-Star appearance in 2017 and earned a spot on all five of her All-Defensive Teams.
Throughout her journey, Thomas played a crucial role in shaping the backbone of the Sun, contributing to their status as a perennial powerhouse. From 2017 to 2022, the Sun consistently secured at least 20 victories each season, except for the shortened 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. They reached the semifinals of the playoffs four times and made it to the Finals twice. Unfortunately, the Sun faced defeats in both instances, falling to the Mystics in the 2019 Finals and the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 Finals. Thomas, dealing with an early-summer ACL tear, did not participate in the 2022 playoffs.
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In preparation for the 2023 season, Thomas joined the Los Angeles Sparks, following former Sun head coach Curt Miller, who had been appointed as the new coach for the Sparks. Despite appearing in 32 games for the Sparks, Thomas had limited playing time as the team narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
Throughout her career, Thomas accumulated 390 regular-season appearances, averaging nine points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and one steal.