Bridget Carleton

Last updated
Bridget Carleton
Bridget Carleton 6 CBK Mersin TKBSL 20250104 (3).jpg
Carleton with the Çukurova Basketbol in 2025
No. 6–Minnesota Lynx
Position Small forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-05-22) May 22, 1997 (age 28)
Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight177 lb (80 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn McGregor Secondary School
(Chatham, Ontario)
College Iowa State (2015–2019)
WNBA draft 2019: 2nd round, 21st overall pick
Drafted by Connecticut Sun
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019 Connecticut Sun
2019–present Minnesota Lynx
2019–2020 Townsville Fire
2020 Landerneau
2021–2022Ramat HaSharon
2022–2023 CB Avenida
2023–2024SERCO UNI Győr
2024–2025 Çukurova Basketbol
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Buenos Aires
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Puerto Rico
Carleton with the Minnesota Lynx in 2019 Bridget Carleton (cropped).jpg
Carleton with the Minnesota Lynx in 2019

Bridget Carleton (born May 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. She competes internationally with the Canada national team.

Contents

College career

On March 14, 2019, Carleton was named second-team All-American by ESPN. [1]

In her career playing at Iowa State University, she finished 2nd in the Cyclones' records for career scoring with 2,142 points. She ranks third in three areas: field goals with 713, steals with 211, and blocked shots with 124. [2]

Professional career

WNBA

Connecticut Sun (2019)

Carleton was drafted in the second round of the 2019 WNBA draft, 21st overall, by the Connecticut Sun. She ultimately made the opening day roster, [3] but was later released after just four games. [4]

Minnesota Lynx (2019–present)

On August 22, Carleton signed a 7-day contract with the Minnesota Lynx, [5] followed by a contract for the remainder of the 2019 season. [6]

Carleton made the Lynx roster for the 2020 season, [7] and became a key part of the team – filling in for the injured Sylvia Fowles. Carleton became the third WNBA player in history to score 25 or more points and have more than five rebounds in her first WNBA start in the August 5, 2020, game for the Minnesota Lynx against the New York Liberty. She scored 25 points, had seven rebounds and three assists. [8] Carleton started in place of Sylvia Fowles, who was out with a calf injury.

On May 13, 2023, the Lynx played a preseason game against the Chicago Sky in Toronto, Canada, which was the first WNBA game to be played in Canada. At that game, Carleton was the first Canadian to play a WNBA game in Canada. [9]

The 2024 season was a breakout one for Carleton in which she doubled her playing minutes over 2023 and ranked fifth in the league for her three-point percentage. [10] Head coach Cheryl Reeve said about Carleton in 2024, "This Bridget is the one we've always envisioned." [11] After the Commissioner's Cup win, Napheesa Collier was named the MVP, but after accepting the award, Collier said "I think Bridget deserves this" for Carleton's performance with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the Cup championship game. [12] [13] Carleton clinched games at key moments for the Lynx in the 2024 season, including a 3-point shot with about 3 seconds left in the September 17, 2024, game against the Connecticut Sun that locked in the win and the second place seed for the Lynx. [10] Carleton won the 2024 Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award for the Lynx. [14] The award winner is chosen by a committee of team staff and players who determine who "best embodies the altruistic traits of kindness, selflessness and overall regard for the well-being of others throughout the community." Minnesota Lynx General Manager Clare Duwelius said about Carleton, "Like Syl did, Bridget leads with kindness, joy, authenticity, and selflessness. Having her leadership in this space has played a huge role in the success we have enjoyed this season, both on and off the court." [14]

Overseas

In November 2023 Carleton signed with Hungarian team SERCO UNI Győr in the EuroLeague to play in 2023 after the completion of the WNBA season. [15] On January 17, 2024, she recorded 41 points, 6 rebound, and 4 steals against KGHM BC Polkowice. Since the 1996-97 season, it was the third-highest point total behind Lara Mandić in 2002 who dropped 42 and modern day leader Victoria Bullet who scored 48 points for TMC Ahena Cesena in 1996. [16]

Carleton signed to play with Györ again for the 2024–2025 season. [10] In December 2024, she signed with Çukurova Basketbol of the Turkish Super League. [17]

National team career

Carleton first played for Team Canada at the 2013 U16 FIBA Americas. She was named team captain, led the squad in minutes, and helped Canada to a silver medal. She also was a part of the U17 Ontario Team, which won Gold at the 2013 Canada Games. Carleton also played with the junior team that won silver at the U18 FIBA Americas.

Carleton joined the Senior National Team in 2016 and played in some exhibition games. She was a part of the 2017 squad that defended their gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament. In 2018, she helped Canada to a 7th-place finish at the FIBA World Cup, as well in 2019, winning silver at the FIBA AmeriCup. [18]

On June 29, Carleton was named to the 2020 Canadian National Team that competed at the 2020 Olympics. [19] [20]

In February 2024, she played in the Sopron 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and helped Canada qualify to the 2024 Olympic tournament. She averaged 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Her efficiency per game was 12. [21]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current through end of 2025 regular season

WNBA regular season statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2019 Connecticut 407.3.000.000.0000.80.30.00.00.30.0
Minnesota 402.8.500.500—0.30.00.00.00.00.8
2020 Minnesota 221525.8.520.457.6473.62.50.70.01.86.6
2021 Minnesota 321019.3.401.365.8002.31.50.80.20.84.8
2022 Minnesota 36216.8.403.354.7312.11.10.40.10.64.3
2023 Minnesota 38415.1.345.337.7332.30.90.30.10.43.2
2024 Minnesota 393629.9.444.444.7893.82.21.00.31.09.6
2025 Minnesota 444427.9.402.373.7203.62.00.80.30.86.5
Career7 years, 2 teams21911121.9.416.391.7372.91.60.70.20.85.7

Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2020 Minnesota 4329.5.500.538—3.82.51.30.00.86.3
2021 Minnesota 1015.0.000——0.02.00.00.00.00.0
2023 Minnesota 3024.0.600.444.7503.70.71.00.00.38.3
2024 Minnesota 12°12°33.8.435.339.9473.81.40.70.30.99.3
Career4 years, 1 team201530.6.458.383.9133.61.60.80.20.88.1

EuroLeague

EuroLeague statistics [22]
YearTeamGPMPGPPGPTSRPGAPGFGM-FGAFG%3PM-3PA3P%FTM-FTAFT%
2023-24SERCO UNI Győr835.8171366.81.65.8-13.841.82.8-6.9402.8-3.578.6

College

NCAA statistics [23]
YearTeamGPPointsFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2015–16 Iowa State 2732333.7%32.9%80.5%6.71.70.90.812.0
2016–17 Iowa State 3146539.5%34.1%93.9%5.71.81.21.015.0
2017–18 Iowa State 3159438.7%33.0%82.5%6.53.42.20.919.2
2018–19 Iowa State 3576046.8%37.1%86.1%8.64.02.31.221.7
Career124214240.5%34.3%85.7%7.02.81.71.017.3

References

  1. ↑ "Women's college basketball All-Americans 2019". 14 March 2019.
  2. ↑ Tommy Birch (2020-03-09). "'It's a dream come true': Former Iowa State star Bridget Carleton prepping for Olympic run". Des Moines Register.
  3. ↑ Birch, Tommy. "Former Iowa State star Bridget Carleton earns roster spot on WNBA's Connecticut Sun". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. ↑ Heavren, Natalie (4 July 2019). "Connecticut Sun claim Natisha Hiedeman, waive Bridget Carleton". High Post Hoops. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Gardner, Hayes. "Women's basketball: Bridget Carleton signs 7-day contract with Minnesota". The Ames Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  6. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Bridget Carleton For The Remainder Of The WNBA Season". Chatham-Kent Sports Network. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  7. ↑ Stuve, Sam. "Former Iowa State forward Bridget Carleton earns spot on the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx 2020 roster". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "Carleton Only Third Player In WNBA History To Score 25+ And 5+ Rebounds In First Start". Chatham-Kent Sports Network. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  9. ↑ Bowles, Jamauri (2024-06-25). "Through Lynx and International Lenses: The Valuable Presence of Bridget Carleton » Winsidr". Winsidr. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  10. 1 2 3 Leite, Chelsea (2024-10-25). "Bridget Carleton gets 'spotlight she deserves' after breakout season". The Next. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  11. ↑ "Bridget Carleton is ready for her WNBA Finals moment". www.basketball.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  12. ↑ Horstman, Terry (2024-06-26). "Chemistry and culture propel Lynx to Commissioner's Cup title". The Next. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  13. ↑ Abdeen, Aya (June 25, 2024). ""I think Bridget (Carleton) deserves this."". Twitter. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Lynx Announce Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award Recipient for 2024 Season". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  15. ↑ "Jól érzi magát Győrben Bridget Carleton – WBASKET". 29 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Where does Carleton's 41-point display rank in modern history of EuroLeague Women?".
  17. ↑ "ÇBK, Bridget Carleton ile anlaştı". Çukurova Gazetesi. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  18. ↑ "Bridget Carleton". olympic.ca. Team Canada. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Birch, Tommy. "Former Iowa State star Bridget Carleton selected for Canada basketball Olympic team". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Bridget Carleton makes Olympic debut in Canada's 72-68 loss to Serbia". weareiowa.com. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  21. ↑ "FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Hungary 2024".
  22. ↑ "Bridget CARLETON at the EuroLeague Women 2023-24".
  23. ↑ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
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