Alysha Clark facts for kids
![]() Clark at Madison Square Garden in 2015
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No. 7 – Las Vegas Aces | |
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Small forward | |
Personal information | |
Born | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
July 7, 1987
Nationality | American / Israeli |
High school | Mount Juliet (Mount Juliet, Tennessee) |
Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Listed weight | 167 lb (76 kg) |
Career information | |
College |
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NBA Draft | 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall |
Selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars | |
Pro career | 2010–present |
League | WNBA |
Career history | |
2012–2020 | Seattle Storm |
2010–2011 | Hapoel Rishon LeZion |
2011–2013 | A.S. Ramat HaSharon |
2014–2016 | Maccabi Bnot Ashdod |
2016–2017 | Adana ASKİ SK |
2017–2018 | CCC Polkowice |
2018–2022 | ASVEL |
2022 | Washington Mystics |
2022–2023 | Elitzur Ramla |
2023–present | Las Vegas Aces |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Alysha Angelica Clark (born July 7, 1987) is an amazing professional basketball player. She plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Alysha is known for her strong defense and making important shots.
She led the NCAA in scoring for three years in college. The San Antonio Silver Stars picked her in the 2010 WNBA draft. Alysha has won three WNBA championships. She won with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. She also won with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
Alysha was named the Most Valuable Player in Poland's Basket Liga Kobiet in 2018. Her team, CCC Polkowice, won the league championship that year. In 2019, she won a championship in France with her team, Lyon Asvel.
Growing Up and Early Life
Alysha Clark was born in Denver, Colorado. Her parents, Jan and Duane Clark, were both musicians. She is the younger sister of Corey Clark, who was on American Idol.
Her family later moved to Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Alysha went to Mt. Juliet High School there. She was a star basketball player in high school. In her senior year, she scored about 24 points and grabbed 11.6 rebounds per game. She was named an AAU All-American. She also won the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year award.
College Basketball Journey
Alysha started her college basketball career at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She played for the Lady Bruins for two years. She helped them reach their first-ever NCAA tournament in 2007.
As a freshman, she was the top scorer in her conference. She was named the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Player of the Year. She also won Freshman of the Year. In her second year, she led the ASUN in points and rebounds per game. She was named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year again.
After two years, she moved to Middle Tennessee State University. She had to sit out one season because of NCAA transfer rules. In 2008–09, she led the entire NCAA in scoring with 27.3 points per game. She also led her conference in rebounds.
In 2009–10, she led the NCAA in scoring again with 28.3 points per game. She also led her conference in rebounds. Alysha was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. She was also the Most Valuable Player of the Sun Belt Championships. In 2020, she was honored by being added to the Middle Tennessee Hall of Fame.
Playing Professionally
The San Antonio Silver Stars picked Alysha Clark in the 2010 WNBA draft. She was the 17th player chosen overall.
Besides playing in the WNBA, Alysha also played basketball overseas. During the WNBA off-season, she played in Israel from 2010 to 2013. She was named the Domestic Player of the Year in Israel in her first year. She also played for Maccabi Ashdod in Israel from 2014 to 2016. There, she was named Player of the Year. After that, she played in Turkey and Poland. From 2018 to 2022, she played in France. Alysha also became an Israeli citizen.
In 2012, Alysha joined the Seattle Storm. She became a key defensive player for the team. In 2019, she was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team. In 2020, she made the All-Defensive First Team.
In 2018, Alysha started every game when the Storm won the WNBA Championship. She played a big role in guarding star player Diana Taurasi in the Western Conference Finals. In the championship game against the Washington Mystics, Alysha played the most minutes for her team. She scored 15 points to help them win.
In 2021, Alysha signed with the Washington Mystics. However, she could not play that season due to an injury she got while playing in France.
In December 2022, Alysha signed with the Israeli champions Elitzur Ramla. She returned to play for them until the end of the season.
In February 2023, Alysha joined the Las Vegas Aces. On September 18, 2023, she won the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench. She then helped the Aces win another WNBA championship in 2023.
See also
- List of select Jewish basketball players
- List of NCAA Division I women's basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds
- List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career scoring leaders