The 10 All Time Leading Scorers in New York Liberty History

I feel in love with women's basketball during the 1996 Olympics, when Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo lead a team of former models, singers and business women to a gold model. This medal lead to the formation of the W.N.B.A., which began its 12th season earlier this summer.

As a fan from inception and the child of historians, I find it interesting how the short history of the league is being inscribed. In the league's tenth year, an "All Decade Team" was announced, presumably consisting of the top players from the league's first decade. The team included veteran superstars like Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson, but omitted some great players from the league's early years like Jennifer Gilom and Natalie Williams. To add insult to injury, the "honorable mention" list included Diana Taurasi, who at the time had only played in the league for a little more than two years.


I have always wondered if the cumulative stats would justify or disprove the hype that surrounds some players and evades others. Wnba.com only contains cumulative stats for the league as a whole. It does not contain team specific cumulative stats, such as most total points as a member of team, etc. Thus, one sleepless night, I decided to scour the website and compile the stats independently. Thus far, I have compiled the stats for total points for the New York Liberty, the Phoenix Mercury, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Houston Comets and the Sacramento Monarchs, the only 5 teams from the league's initial season that still exist (the Utah Starzz became the San Antonio Silver Stars which still exist yet I was only able to find the Utah stats very recently).

Thus, I will start with my favorite team, the New York Liberty, who are having an amazing season. Players in bold still play for the Liberty, while those in italics still play in the league but not for New York. I have put the number of years the player was with the Liberty in parenthesis.


The Top 10 Point Totals as a Member of the New York Liberty are:

1. Vickie Johnson- 3,246 (9)
   
2. Becky Hammon- 2,367 (8)
   
3. Crystal Robinson- 2,301 (7)
   
4. Tari Phillips- 1,826 (5)
   
5. Shameka Christon- 1,703 (5)
6. Tamika Whitmore- 1,394 (5)
   
7. Teresa Weatherspoon- 1,247 (7)
   
8. Sophia Witherspoon- 1,091 (3)
   
9. Catherine Kraayeveld- 979 (4)
10. Elena Baranova- 960 (3)
    

Notable Players Not on List:

Liberty veterans Kym Hampton (838) and Sue Wicks (823) came up just short of making the list. Hampton only played in the league for three years. Wicks was a fan favorite for six years but never became a consistent scorer. Rebecca Lobo (715), who was the first player assigned to the team, was hampered by injuries during her four year stint with the Liberty. Finally, Ann Wauters (465), who is currently racking up points for the first place San Antonio Silver Stars, made a significant mark in just two years with New York.

Current Players Who Could Make the List in the Future :

Loree Moore (671 in 4 years) looks like she will continue to get significant minutes as the Liberty's starting point guard. Erin Thorn (652 in 6 years) just missed the list but hasn't played much this season and is probably nearing the end of her career. Janel McCarville (649 in 2 years) has rapidly become one of New York's biggest scorers and brightest stars. Finally, Tiffany Jackson (381 in 2 years) has vastly improved this season and could become a starter in the future.