Who are the Greatest Atlanta Dream Players that made the franchise make a mark in the history of WNBA? But before, we dive into the article let’s read a bit about the team itself.
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that competes in the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference (WNBA). For the 2008 WNBA season, the team was created. Real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair, as well as former Dream player Renee Montgomery, are on the squad. Despite sharing the Atlanta market with the Hawks of the National Basketball Association, the Dream is not linked with the Hawks. The Dream performs at College Park, Georgia’s Gateway Center Arena.
In its 13 years in Atlanta, the Dream has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs eight times and reached the WNBA Finals three times. Angel McCoughtry and Shoni Schimmel of the University of Louisville, past Finals MVP Betty Lennox, and Brazilian sniper Izi Castro Marques are just a few of the high-profile players who have played for the team. The Dream made it to the WNBA Finals in 2010, but Seattle defeated them. Both the 2011 and 2013 WNBA Finals were lost against the Minnesota Lynx.
Which player is the Greatest Atlanta Dream team of all time?
Rhyme Howard is the greatest Atlanta Dream player of all time in the NBA, followed by Angel McCoughtry, Erica Wheeler, Shoni Schimmel, Betty Lennox, and Izi Castro Marques. This team made it to the WNBA Finals in 2010, but Seattle defeated them. Both the 2011 and 2013 WNBA Finals were lost against the Minnesota Lynx.
| Rankings | Greatest Atlanta Dream player of all time |
|---|---|
| 1. | Rhyne Howard |
| 2. | Angel McCoughtry |
| 3. | Erica Wheeler |
| 4. | Shoni Schimmel |
| 5. | Betty Lennox |
| 6. | Izi Castro Marques |
1. Rhyne Howard
Rhyne Howard is a professional basketball player in the Women’s National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Dream (WNBA). She was a member of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team in college. In 2018, she graduated from Cleveland, Tennessee’s Bradley Central High School. The Dream selected her first overall in the WNBA draught in 2022.
She was termed Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and Tennessee Miss Basketball in her final year of high school at Bradley Central in Tennessee. Howard was a member of the USA squad in 2018 and 2019, helping them win a gold medal. In 2018, she was termed the MVP. She competed in the Jordan Brand Classic alongside the best recruits in the United States. Howard was the USBWA National Freshman of the Year after her freshman season at Kentucky. She was termed SEC Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021. Well, Howard was termed first overall in the 2022 WNBA draught by the Atlanta Dream on April 11, 2022.
2. Angel McCoughtry
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). McCoughtry graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in 2009. She was the first overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draught by the Atlanta Dream, and she was considered the team’s franchise player throughout her time there. McCoughtry has also performed in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary, and Russia, among other countries.
McCoughtry earned a name for herself as a great scorer with excellent penetration and a knack for generating fouls after joining the Atlanta Dream. She was termed Rookie of the Year after scoring 12.8 points per game in her rookie season.
McCoughtry’s stats improved substantially the next season, as she averaged 21.1 points per game while leading the Atlanta Dream to a 19–15 record and a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Despite being seeded fourth, The Dream was still a title contender, as their starting lineup included star center Érika de Souza, all-star power forward Sancho Lyttle, starting shooting guard Izi Castro Marques, and small forward McCoughtry, who was quickly developing into an all-star caliber player.
3. Erica Wheeler
Erica Wheeler is a professional basketball player in the Women’s National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Dream (WNBA). Wheeler went undrafted out of Rutgers before making it to the WNBA in 2015.
After not being selected in the WNBA Draft, Wheeler was given a tryout with the Atlanta Dream in the year 2015. Wheeler played in 17 games for the Dream in 2015 before being released. Wheeler then transferred to New York Liberty, where he made three appearances. The Indiana Fever signed Wheeler after training camp in 2016. Wheeler appeared in 25 games for the Fever as a starter. She stayed with the Fever in 2017, scoring second on the squad and leading the team in assists. Wheeler became the first undrafted player in WNBA history to be termed All-Star Game MVP in the year 2019.
4. Shoni Schimmel
Shoni Schimmel is a professional basketball player from the United States. The Atlanta Dream selected her with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 draught, after she was an All-American collegiate player at the University of Louisville.
The Atlanta Dream selected Schimmel in the first round of the 2014 WNBA draught (eighth overall) on April 14, 2014. Schimmel had an amazing first season despite coming off the bench, averaging 8.3 points per game, and was termed a WNBA All-Star starter, becoming only the third reserve in league history to do so. Shoni set a franchise record with 11 assists in her first career game against the San Antonio Stars. She set a career-high with 24 points in a regular-season game against the Phoenix Mercury, scoring 20 of them in the second quarter to become one of only six players in WNBA history to score 20 or more points in a quarter.
On July 19, 2014, in Phoenix, Arizona, Schimmel termed the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player after outscoring Skylar Diggins by a then-WNBA All-Star Game record of 29 points. Her shirt was the best-selling in the league in 2014. When the Dream is the visiting team, some of the other WNBA franchises have staged celebrations commemorating Native Americans. The Atlanta Dream was the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.
5. Betty Lennox
Betty Bernice Lennox is a retired professional basketball player from the United States. In the Women’s National Basketball Association, she played for the Minnesota Lynx, Miami Sol, Cleveland Rockers, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks, and Tulsa Shock (WNBA). “Betty Basketball,” “Betty Big Buckets,” and “B-Money” are some of her most well-known nicknames.
Lennox was taken in the expansion draught by the newly founded Atlanta Dream on February 6, 2008. Lennox averaged a career-high 17.5 points per game and scored a career-high 44 points against the Connecticut Sun during the Dream’s 2008 season. She finished the season as the Eastern Conference’s highest scorer. In the 2008 season, she also broke the 3,000-point and 1,000-rebound barriers.
6. Izi Castro Marques
Iziane “Izi” Castro Marques is a former professional basketball player from Brazil. Castro Marques was a member of the Brazilian women’s national basketball team. She also played for the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Miami Sol, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, and Connecticut Sun (WNBA). She performed in France, Brazil, Spain, Latvia, Turkey, Poland, and Russia, among other countries. Castro Marques became the technical director of Sampaio Basquete of the Brazilian Women’s Basketball League after retiring.
On February 6, 2008, Castro Marques and the Storm’s first-round pick were traded to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Roneeka Hodges and the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draught. She played with fellow Brazilian Érika de Souza in high school in Brazil throughout her four-year stay with the Atlanta Dream from 2008 to 2011. Castro Marques had her greatest years in Atlanta, particularly in 2010. When she scored a career-high 16.9 points per game and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals twice in 2010 and 2011.
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