Candice Wiggins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Candice Wiggins

Point guard / shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1987-02-14) February 14, 1987 (age 38) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
High school	La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, California)
Listed height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight	154 lb (70 kg)
Career information
College	Stanford (2004–2008)
NBA Draft	2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Pro career	2008–2015
Career history
2008–2012	Minnesota Lynx
2008–2009	Ros Casares Valencia
2009–2010	Sony Athinaikos Athens
2013	Tulsa Shock
2014	Los Angeles Sparks
2015	New York Liberty
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2011) WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2008) WNBA All-Rookie Team (2008) Senior CLASS Award (2008) Wade Trophy (2008) First-team All-American – AP (2008) 3x Second-team All-American – AP (2005–2007) 3x All-American – USBWA (2006–2008) 4x Kodak/State Farm Coaches' All-American (2005–2008) First-team All-Pac 10 (2008) 3x Pac-10 Player of the Year (2005, 2006, 2008) 3x Pac-12 Tournament MOP (2005, 2007, 2008) 3x All-Pac 10 (2005–2007) USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2007) USBWA National Co-Freshman of the Year (2005) Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (2005) Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (2005) McDonald's All-American (2004)
Medals Women's basketball Representing the  United States Pan American Games Gold 2007 Brazil Team FIBA Under-19 World Cup Gold 2005 Tunisia Team FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship Gold 2004 Puerto Rico Team

Candice Dana Wiggins (born February 14, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. She played college basketball at Stanford University. There, she became the highest scorer in Stanford and Pac-10 women's basketball history. During her career, Wiggins played for teams like the Minnesota Lynx, Tulsa Shock, Los Angeles Sparks, and New York Liberty in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She also played basketball overseas in Spain and Greece. Wiggins won a WNBA championship in 2011 and was named WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2008.

Candice Wiggins' Early Life

Candice Wiggins was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1987. Her father, Alan Wiggins, played Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. After his time with the Orioles, her family moved back to the San Diego, California area. Her father had played for the San Diego Padres before.

When Candice was three, she was hit by a car backing out of a driveway. She almost lost one of her eyes. In first grade, she scored 30 points in a basketball game against fourth graders. By fifth grade, she had to play on boys' teams to find a good challenge.

Candice's father passed away when she was only four years old. Wiggins has worked with "Until There's A Cure" (UTAC). This group helps raise awareness and money to fight serious illnesses.

High School Basketball Career

Wiggins went to La Jolla Country Day School in La Jolla, California. She played both volleyball and basketball for four years. Every year in high school, she was named CIF Division IV Player of the Year for basketball.

As a senior, Wiggins was a McDonald's All-American. She led her high school team to the state championship game all four years. They won the championship twice. She also led the United States Junior National Team to a gold medal. Many experts thought she was the best shooting guard in the country. They also ranked her as a top five player in her class of 2004.

College Basketball Journey

Freshman Year at Stanford

When Wiggins started at Stanford University, she was offered scholarships for both basketball and volleyball. As a freshman on the basketball team, Wiggins helped Stanford achieve a 32–3 record. They reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. She scored an average of 17.5 points per game. She was named both the Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of The Year. This was the first time a freshman won the Player of the Year Award in the conference. Wiggins was also named National Co-Freshman of the Year. She made the second team All-American list and was a Kodak All-American. She was the only freshman on these lists.

Sophomore Year Success

In her second year, Wiggins led Stanford to a 26–8 record. They reached the Elite Eight again but lost to LSU. She averaged 21.8 points per game. She also made 90 three-pointers that season. She was again named Pac-10 Player of The Year and Second team All-American. She was also a Kodak All-American.

Junior Year Challenges

As a junior, Wiggins helped Stanford get a 29–5 record. They were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, they were upset in the second round by Florida State. She missed five games due to ankle and hamstring injuries. Still, she averaged 16.9 points per game. Wiggins was the only Pac-10 player to be a Kodak All-American that year. She made the second team again.

Wiggins played for the USA team in the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. The team won all five of their games. They earned the gold medal for the event.

Senior Year Highlights

In her senior season, Stanford started ranked No. 8. They moved up after beating No. 3 Rutgers and No. 10 Baylor. On January 31, 2008, Wiggins scored 18 points against USC. This made her Stanford women's basketball's all-time leading scorer. On March 2, 2008, she scored 24 points against Washington State. This made her the all-time leading scorer in Pac-10 women's basketball history. She was named the Pac-10 Player of The Year for the third time.

On March 24, 2008, Wiggins scored a career-high 44 points. She also had 10 rebounds and eight assists in a win over UTEP. Stanford moved on to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2008 NCAA tournament. A week later, her 41 points helped Stanford reach its first Final Four since 1997. They made it to the final game but lost to the University of Tennessee. During the NCAA Tournament, Wiggins became the only player in NCAA women's basketball history to score 40 or more points in multiple tournament games.

Wiggins is one of only seven women's basketball players to be a four-time All-American. On April 4, 2008, she received the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The next day, Wiggins was given the Wade Trophy. This award goes to the best women's college basketball player in NCAA Division I. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in communications in 2008.

College Statistics

WNBA Professional Career

Starting Years (2008–2010)

The Minnesota Lynx chose Wiggins as the third overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft. On May 18, 2008, Wiggins played her first WNBA game. She scored 15 points and helped the Lynx beat the Detroit Shock. Wiggins was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for June 2008. She won the 2008 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award. She was also named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. She averaged 15.7 points per game coming off the bench for the Lynx.

In her second season, Wiggins became the starting point guard for the Lynx. In June 2009, she won the Player of the Week Award for the Western Conference. In 2010, Wiggins moved back to a backup role after the Lynx got all-star Lindsay Whalen. In June 2010, Wiggins injured her Achilles tendon in a game. This injury ended her season after only eight games.

Championship and Later Career (2011–2016)

Wiggins returned to play in 2011 as a main backup guard. The Lynx team improved a lot. In September, Wiggins played in her first playoff games. In October 2011, Wiggins won her first WNBA championship. The Lynx defeated the Atlanta Dream in the Finals.

On March 1, 2013, Wiggins was traded to the Tulsa Shock. This was part of a deal involving three teams. Wiggins then signed with the Los Angeles Sparks on April 2, 2014. On March 9, 2015, Wiggins signed with the New York Liberty.

Retirement from Basketball

On March 22, 2016, Wiggins announced she was retiring from the WNBA. She played for eight seasons. Even though she was only 29 and had no career-ending injury, Wiggins said she was ready to move on. She explained that the league's environment was difficult for her. She felt it was not good for her mental well-being.

WNBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

USA Basketball Team

Wiggins was part of the USA Women's U18 team. This team won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico in August 2004. The USA team beat Puerto Rico to win the championship. Wiggins was the third-highest scorer for the team, averaging 15.2 points per game.

Wiggins continued with the team as it became the U19 team. They played in the 2005 U19 World Championships in Tunisia. The USA team won all eight games and took home the gold medal. Wiggins was the second-highest scorer for the team, averaging 15.8 points per game. She also had the second-most steals with 16.

U.S. National Team Experience

Wiggins was invited to try out for the United States Senior National Team. She was named as an injury replacement or alternate. Along with Candace Parker and Courtney Paris, she was one of the few college players chosen for the team. She spent the summer of 2007 playing in Chile with different United States National teams. She was later named United States Basketball Female Athlete of The Year for 2007.

In 2009, Wiggins was invited to a training camp for the USA Basketball Women's National Team. Players for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 Olympics were often chosen from these camps. In 2011, Wiggins was again chosen for national team training camps. However, she was not selected for the final senior national team for the 2012 Olympics.

Sports Diplomacy Work

In September 2013 and November 2014, Wiggins traveled to Nicaragua and then Chile. She went as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this role, she worked with Jennifer Lacy and Alex English. They held basketball clinics and events for over 850 young people and women from areas that needed support.

See also

In Spanish: Candice Wiggins para niños

• 2008 WNBA draft