Penicheiro Nominated for WNBA Top 20@20

NORFOLK, Va. -- In celebration of its landmark 20th season, the WNBA will honor the 20 greatest and most influential players in its history with the WNBA Top 20@20 presented by Verizon and Old Dominion great Ticha Penicheiro was among the 60 official nominees.

Penicheiro started her career in the WNBA with the Sacramento Monarchs, who chose her with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 draft. She played for the Monarchs for 12 seasons, nine of which she led her team into the postseason. The Monarchs played twice for the WNBA Championship and won it in 2005 in four games over the Connecticut Sun. Following Sacramento’s departure from the WNBA, Penicheiro signed with the Los Angeles Sparks for two seasons before ultimately coming to the Chicago Sky by way of free agency. Penicheiro made the decision to retire from the WNBA in 2012 after an illustrious 15-year career. She finished her career as the WNBA’s all-time record holder in assists, having led the league in that category an unprecedented seven times. Penicheiro was named to the WNBA’s Top 15 players of All-Time in 2011, and over the course of her career earned two All-WNBA First Team selections, four invitations to the WNBA All-Star Game and was an honorable mention on the WNBA All-Decade Team.

Prior to her 15 year career in the WNBA, the point guard from Portugal led Old Dominion University to the 1997 NCAA Championship game. As a senior, she earned the Wade Trophy as the nation’s top player, and she was a two-time Kodak First Team All-American in 1997 and 1998.

The 60 nominees were selected based on factors like on-court performance and ability, leadership and sportsmanship, as well as contributions to team success. In addition, all players must have been a member of a WNBA team for two seasons and met three of the following seven criteria: the winner of a major individual award; a selection to either the All-WNBA First Team or All-WNBA Second Team; a selection to either the WNBA All-Defensive First Team or WNBA All-Defensive Second Team; a selection to the WNBA All-Star Game; a member of a WNBA Championship team; a current ranking among the top 30 career leaders in at least one major statistical category; and a selection to either the WNBA’s All-Decade Team (voted on in 2006) or the WNBA’s Top 15 Players (voted on in 2011).  

The WNBA Top 20@20 presented by Verizon will be unveiled on ESPN’s SportsCenter: Face-to-Face with Hannah Storm during the 10 a.m. ET hour on June 21. Voting for the league’s award will be conducted by a 15-member committee composed of women’s basketball pioneers Carol Blazejowski and Ann Meyers Drysdale; current and former WNBA head coaches Van Chancellor, Michael Cooper, Anne Donovan and Cheryl Reeve; and media members Doris Burke, Doug Feinberg, Mel Greenberg, Melanie Jackson, Howard Megdal, LaChina Robinson, Michelle Smith, Mechelle Voepel and Pam Ward.

Nominees