Kayla Thornton

Last updated
Kayla Thornton
2021-09-19 WNBA Dallas Wings - 6 Kayla Thornton - 001.jpg
Thornton with the Dallas Wings in 2021
No. 5–Golden State Valkyries
Position Small forward / power forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1992-10-20) October 20, 1992 (age 32)
Germany
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Irvin (El Paso, Texas)
College UTEP (2010–2014)
WNBA draft 2014: undrafted
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014Montaneras de Morovis
2014–2015Maccabi Ramat Hen
2015 Washington Mystics
2016Cangrejeras de Santurce
2016–2017 Bucheon Hana 1Q
2017–2022 Dallas Wings
2018–2020 Cheongju KB Stars
2020–2021 Al Ahly
2021–2022 Reyer Venezia
2022–2023 Southside Flyers
2023–2024 New York Liberty
2023–2024 Dynamo Kursk
2024 Çukurova Basketbol
2025–present Golden State Valkyries
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Kayla Thornton (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously played for the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty, with whom she won the 2024 WNBA Championship. In college, Thornton played for the University of Texas at El Paso. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

From 2010 to 2014, Thornton played for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She was El Paso's all-time leading scorer and led the team to a record 29 wins in their 2011-12 season. [3]

Thornton was not selected in the 2014 WNBA draft. She signed with the Washington Mystics for the 2015 season and played in 10 games. She returned to the WNBA for the 2017 season, signing with the Dallas Wings. She spent six seasons in Dallas before being traded on January 16, 2023 to the New York Liberty in a three-team deal. [3] [4] [5] Thornton played a significant role as a sixth man, and helped propel the team to the 2023 and 2024 WNBA Finals, the latter of which they would win.

On December 6, 2024, Thornton was selected as the Golden State Valkyries' pick from the New York Liberty's 2024 roster in the WNBA's expansion draft. [6]

Thornton is known for her defensive play, and her ability to guard players in any position. [3] [7] In the WNBA offseason, Thornton has played in Australia, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, Russia and South Korea. [7]

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
†Denotes season(s) in which Thornton won a WNBA championship

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics [8]
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2015 Washington 1008.8.333.000.6672.10.10.30.30.52.2
2016Did not play (waived)
2017 Dallas 34117.2.412.279.8003.30.90.60.20.76.8
2018 Dallas 343228.6.447.355.8604.01.81.00.41.19.2
2019 Dallas 272530.4.343.272.9315.31.80.90.31.610.4
2020 Dallas 221425.3.429.347.8755.10.80.90.21.17.3
2021 Dallas 312527.6.421.349.8495.61.50.80.21.07.5
2022 Dallas 363529.2.471.329.8295.91.81.10.61.28.0
2023 New York 40°017.3.433.313.7673.50.70.70.30.54.5
2024 † New York 40°1120.3.379.357.8462.60.70.70.20.65.5
2025 Golden State
Career10 years, 4 teams27414323.5.411.327.8414.21.20.80.30.97.0
All-Star1025.2.357.2731.00011.05.01.00.00.015.0

Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2017 Dallas 106.0.000.000—1.01.00.00.00.00.0
2018 Dallas 1130.0.571.000—3.00.00.00.00.08.0
2021 Dallas 1116.0.000.000—2.00.00.00.00.00.0
2022 Dallas 3326.3.526.5001.0004.71.30.30.71.08.3
2023 New York 10010.1.444.4001.0001.50.30.10.20.33.2
2024 † New York 11012.5.333.1761.0001.50.10.30.30.12.0
Career6 years, 2 teams27513.7.405.2891.0001.90.30.20.30.33.2

College

NCAA statistics [9]
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2010–11UTEP301219.9.428.143.6785.80.61.10.21.17.0
2011–12UTEP323224.9.480.381.7307.30.91.10.41.29.8
2012–13 UTEP323131.2.410.285.7058.71.21.90.41.915.3
2013–14 UTEP 343331.3.430.277.77710.12.02.61.02.419.5
Career12810827.0.433.285.7368.11.21.70.51.713.1

References

  1. ↑ "Kayla Thornton". University of Texas at El Paso. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ Bloomquist, Bret (May 17, 2018). "Ex-UTEP, Irvin basketball star Kayla Thornton set to open WNBA season with Dallas Wings". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Magliocchetti, Geoff (May 17, 2023). "Liberty 2023 Player Preview: Kayla Thornton". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  4. ↑ Fleurantin, Brian (2023-01-16). "New York Liberty acquire Jonquel Jones and Kayla Thornton in major trade". NetsDaily. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  5. ↑ "New York Liberty Acquire Frontcourt Duo of Jonquel Jones and Kayla Thornton in Three-Team Deal". liberty.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Henderson, Cydney; Horrow, Ellen J. (December 6, 2024). "WNBA expansion draft live updates: Golden State Valkyries pick their players for 2025". USA Today . Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Fleurantin, Brian (February 22, 2023). "Kayla Thornton talks her career, the Liberty, and more on Pull-Up with Myles and Owen". NetsDaily. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  8. ↑ "Kayla Thornton WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  9. ↑ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
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