Tina Thompson facts for kids
Thompson at the 2013 WNBA All-Star game
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | February 10, 1975 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| High school | Morningside (Inglewood, California) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | USC (1993–1997) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Comets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1997–2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2015–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997-2008 | Houston Comets | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Rovereto Basket | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Incheon Kumho Life Falcons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Cheonan Kookmin Bank Savers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Spartak Moscow Region | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009-2011 | Los Angeles Sparks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Municipal MCM Târgovişte | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Chuncheon Woori Bank Hansae | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-2013 | Seattle Storm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Guri KDB Life Winnus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Texas (asst.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Texas (assoc. HC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Tina Marie Thompson (born February 10, 1975) is a famous American basketball player and coach. She is known for being one of the greatest players in the WNBA. She was the very first player chosen in the WNBA draft!
Tina helped her team, the Houston Comets, win four championships in a row from 1997 to 2000. She also won two gold medals at the Olympic Games. Tina was chosen for the WNBA All-Star Game nine times. For a long time, she was the WNBA's all-time top scorer. She was honored by being added to both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Contents
Early Life and College Years
Tina Thompson was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up playing basketball with her brother and his friends. They played at Robertson Park in West Los Angeles, California.
In high school, Tina played at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She was amazing, scoring over 1,500 points and getting more than 1,000 rebounds. She also played volleyball there. After high school, she went to the University of Southern California (USC) to play basketball. She graduated from USC in 1997. Another famous WNBA player, Lisa Leslie, went to the same high school and college as Tina.
At USC, Tina was a top player. In her last year, she scored 653 points and grabbed 10.6 rebounds per game. Her jersey number 14 was even retired by USC, which is a huge honor!
Playing for Team USA
Tina Thompson played for the United States in several important basketball events.
World University Games
In 1995, Tina played for the US team at the World University Games in Japan. The team won five games and lost one, earning a silver medal. They played against tough teams like Russia and Italy.
Jones Cup
In 1996, Tina was part of the US Jones Cup team. They won all nine of their games and took home the gold medal. Tina was a key player, scoring 9.6 points and getting 6.2 rebounds per game.
World Championships and Olympics
Tina was chosen for the US team for the 1998 and 2002 World Championships, but injuries stopped her from playing. In 2006, she played in the World Championships in Brazil. The team won a bronze medal, and Tina was the top scorer for her team, averaging 14.4 points per game.
Tina also proudly represented Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics. She helped her team win two Olympic gold medals in a row!
WNBA Career Highlights
Tina Thompson made history as the very first player picked in the 1997 WNBA Draft. The Houston Comets chose her as their number one pick.
Houston Comets Dynasty
With the Comets, Tina joined forces with other superstar players like Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper. Together, they created a basketball dynasty! They won four straight WNBA Championships from 1997 to 2000. This was a huge achievement for the team and for Tina.
During her time with the Comets, Tina was a standout player. She was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game. She was also chosen for the All-WNBA First Team three times and the All-WNBA Second Team four times.
Life Changes and New Teams
In 2005, Tina had her first child, Dyllan. She returned to play with the Comets just two months later! In 2006, she played great again, scoring a career-high 37 points in one game.
After the Comets team stopped playing in 2008, Tina joined her hometown team, the Los Angeles Sparks, in 2009. She played with Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie there. In 2010, Tina became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, passing Lisa Leslie. Fans also voted her as one of the top 15 players in the WNBA's first fifteen years.
In 2012, Tina moved to the Seattle Storm. She continued to play at a high level. On May 31, 2013, Tina announced that she would retire from the WNBA after the 2013 season.
Final Season and Records
In her final season in 2013, Tina was still a starter for the Storm. She was even chosen for the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game again. This was her ninth All-Star appearance, making her the first and only player to be an All-Star in three different decades!
On August 17, 2013, Tina made history again. She became the first WNBA player to reach 7,000 points and 3,000 rebounds in her career. Her final regular-season game was on September 14, 2013. Her teammates honored her by wearing her number 7 jersey. Tina's last WNBA game was in the playoffs, where the Storm were eliminated.
In 2016, Tina was honored again as one of the WNBA's Top 20 players for the league's 20th anniversary. In 2018, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, showing how important she was to the sport.
Coaching Career
After her amazing playing career, Tina Thompson became a basketball coach. On March 18, 2015, she started as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Texas. Two years later, she was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
In 2018, Tina became the head coach for the Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team. She coached there until 2022.
Overseas Play
Besides playing in the WNBA, Tina Thompson also played professional basketball in other countries. She played in Italy in 2001-2002, and in South Korea in 2003 and again in 2005-2006. She also played in Russia in 2006-2007 and in Romania in 2010.
Awards and Achievements
- 4-time WNBA Champion
- 2-time Olympic gold medalist
- 2000 WNBA All-Star Game MVP
- 9-time WNBA All-Star selection
- Named to the All-WNBA team 8 times
- Member of the WNBA All-Decade Team
- Was the 1st in WNBA all-time scoring for a period
See also
In Spanish: Tina Thompson para niños
- List of WNBA career rebounding leaders
