Tanisha Wright

Last updated
Tanisha Wright
Wright5-20180523.jpg
Wright in 2018
Personal information
Born (1983-11-29) November 29, 1983 (age 40)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school West Mifflin
(West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
College Penn State (2001–2005)
WNBA draft 2005: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle Storm
Playing career2005–2019
Position Shooting guard
Number30
Career history
As player:
2005–2014 Seattle Storm
2015–2016 New York Liberty
2018 Minnesota Lynx
2019 New York Liberty
As coach:
2017–2020 Charlotte (assistant)
2020–2021 Las Vegas Aces (assistant)
2021–2024 Atlanta Dream
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Tanisha Lovely Wright (born November 29, 1983) is an American basketball coach and former player. From 2021 to 2024, she was the head coach of the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Charlotte. [1] As a player, Wright played 14 WNBA seasons for the Seattle Storm, New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx and played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions. During her junior season, Tanisha helped led her team to the Elite Eight, where they fell to the eventual national champion, Connecticut. [2] She ranks fourth in school history in points scored with 1,995 points in 134 career games for Penn State. She was drafted in the 2005 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm.

Contents

High school career

Born in West Mifflin, she attended the suburban Pittsburgh West Mifflin Area High School, where she played basketball and soccer. She led the team to the W.P.I.A.L (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) basketball district finals in her junior year. The team lost a close game 81–78 to Blackhawk High School in Triple Overtime. Tanisha fouled out in the beginning of the final overtime. She led the game with 51 points. She went on to lead her team to the next seasons finals once again against Blackhawk, where she led the team in a 63–53 victory. She went on to take her team to the state finals, where they lost a close game to Allentown Central Catholic high school 56–45. The team's record was 31–1, their only loss coming in the state finals.

College career

SeasonsCollege
2001–2005 Penn State University

Penn State statistics

Source [3]

Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001-02 Penn State 35355 45.4 10.5 78.2 4.0 2.8 1.8 0.610.1
2002-03 Penn State 35560 50.725.076.2 5.44.0 2.60.5 16.0
2003-04 Penn State 34 502 48.3 25.083.24.7 4.11.7 0.3 14.8
2004-05 Penn State 30 57841.4 20.0 80.3 4.5 3.6 1.9 0.4 19.3
Career Penn State 134 1995 46.3 20.0 79.5 4.6 3.6 2.0 0.5 14.9

WNBA career

Wright at Madison Square Garden in 2015 Tanisha Wright at 2 August 2015 game cropped.jpg
Wright at Madison Square Garden in 2015
Wright in 2018 Wright-20180914.jpg
Wright in 2018
SeasonsTeam
2005–2014 Seattle Storm
2015–2016 New York Liberty
2018-2019 Minnesota Lynx

Wright helped the Seattle Storm win their second championship in 2010. [4]

On February 2, 2015, Wright signed as a free agent with the New York Liberty [5]

In 2017, it was announced that Wright would be sitting out part of the 2017 WNBA season to rest. [6]

On March 13, 2018, Wright signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Lynx. [7]

Wright was traded back to the New York Liberty on April 11, 2019, in exchange for a second-round draft pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. Following the 2019 season, Wright announced her retirement.

Coaching career

The Las Vegas Aces announced the hiring of Wright as an assistant coach in 2020. [8] Wright was known as a defensive specialist and helped coach the Aces into one of the league's best defensive teams.

Head Coach

On October 12, 2021, Wright was announced as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream. [9] On October 2, 2024, the Dream announced that it had parted ways with Wright. [10]

WNBA 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 seasons in which Wright won a WNBA championship

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2005 Seattle 34815.5.462.000.6671.71.60.50.11.23.6
2006 Seattle 33015.4.353.143.8441.81.20.30.11.63.8
2007 Seattle 34516.1.400.273.8461.32.00.90.11.64.1
2008 Seattle 341423.8.432.167.7873.42.50.90.22.37.9
2009 Seattle 333332.5.463.267.9063.53.91.50.32.612.2
2010 † Seattle 343429.1.410.411.8443.34.51.20.32.19.2
2011 Seattle 333228.9.492.367.8973.22.91.20.02.710.1
2012 Seattle 323229.8.373.192.8593.04.41.20.12.77.9
2013 Seattle 343430.9.440.283.8553.74.11.10.22.911.9
2014 Seattle 292925.5.417.278.7952.33.60.90.12.18.0
2015 New York 343423.7.420.364.8452.43.50.80.12.17.4
2016 New York 292823.0.401.235.7172.33.60.90.22.36.7
2018 Minnesota 33417.8.383.396.7411.62.00.50.11.34.3
2019 New York 311719.8.415.368.8062.84.11.00.31.84.7
Career14 years, 3 teams45730423.7.424.308.8332.63.10.90.22.17.3

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2005 Seattle 3012.7.200.0001.0001.72.31.00.00.73.0
2006 Seattle 206.0.000.000.0000.00.50.00.01.00.0
2007 Seattle 2021.0.467.0001.0002.52.50.50.53.09.0
2008 Seattle 3334.3.412.500.7505.72.72.00.03.713.7
2009 Seattle 3332.7.342.2501.0005.35.31.70.03.011.7
2010 † Seattle 7728.7.446.357.5712.62.91.30.12.79.6
2011 Seattle 3328.0.588.600.8334.02.31.70.33.018.7
2012 Seattle 3337.3.462.400.8893.76.01.00.02.311.3
2013 Seattle 2235.0.583.333.0002.03.02.00.03.014.5
2015 New York 6627.3.516.500.7142.73.81.50.01.76.5
2016 New York 1128.0.714.333.0001.05.00.00.04.021.0
2018 Minnesota 1023.0.333.000.0003.02.00.00.02.04.0
Career12 years, 3 teams362827.1.469.388.7763.03.31.30.12.49.8

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
Atlanta 2022 361422.3895th in Eastern————Missed playoffs
Atlanta 2023 401921.4753rd in Eastern202.000Lost in 1st Round
Atlanta 2024 401525.3754th in Eastern202.000Lost in 1st Round
Career1164868.414404.000

Overseas career

SeasonsTeamCountry
2007–2008 Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
2008–2009 Tarbes GB Flag of France.svg  France
2009–2010 Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
2010–2011 Elitzur Ramla Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
2013–2015
2016–present		 Abdullah Gul University Kayseri Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Liberty</span> Basketball team in Brooklyn, New York

The New York Liberty is an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Storm</span> American professional womens basketball team

The Seattle Storm is an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season. The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, along with former player Sue Bird.

The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the first WNBA season with a franchise in Atlanta as the Dream were announced in late 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Dream</span> Womens basketball team

The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the National Basketball Association's Hawks, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

Roneeka Hodges is an American professional basketball coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA (WNBA) and a former player. Drafted by the Houston Comets in 2005, she played in the WNBA through 2015 and overseas until 2019.

The 2009 WNBA Season was the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008. The season ended with the Phoenix Mercury winning their second championship in three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel McCoughtry</span> American basketball player

Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. McCoughtry completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA draft and was considered its franchise player during her tenure with the team. McCoughtry has also played overseas in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.

The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised (ESPN2) meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star Game which was broadcast live on ESPN on July 10. This year, it was a contest between Geno Auriemma's USA Basketball team and a single team of WNBA All-Stars. The Finals was a series between the Seattle Storm and the Atlanta Dream which Seattle won 3–0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Wright</span> American basketball player

Monica Ashante Wright Rogers is an American basketball coach and former player. She played college basketball for Virginia and was selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2010 WNBA draft. Outside of the WNBA, she played professionally in Poland, Turkey, Australia, South Korea and Iceland. She is currently the assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Howard</span> American basketball player (born 1991)

Natasha Howard is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League EuroLeague Women. Howard was the 2019 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She was drafted in 2014 by the Indiana Fever. Born in Toledo, Ohio, she played college basketball for Florida State University, where she finished sixth in the NCAA for field goal percentage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Aces</span> American professional womens basketball team

The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team plays their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. The Aces also won the 2023 WNBA Championship, becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since 2001-2002, when the Los Angeles Sparks completed that feat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 WNBA season</span> Sports season

The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Seattle Storm were the defending champions. The regular season began on May 24, with the Atlanta Dream hosting the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty hosting the Indiana Fever. The season ended with the Washington Mystics securing their first WNBA Title over the Connecticut Sun three games to two, in a closely contested finals. Emma Meesseman was named Finals MVP and teammate Elena Delle Donne was named regular season MVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 WNBA draft</span> Draft of incoming WNBA players for the 2020 season

The 2020 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2020 WNBA season. A draft lottery was held on September 17, 2019 and the New York Liberty were awarded the first overall pick in the draft. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the draft was held virtually without players, guests, and the media on-site. The draft was televised as planned; it was the most-watched WNBA draft in 16 years and the second most-watched in ESPN's history.

The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics were the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games for each team, the introduction of a mid-season Commissioner's Cup tournament, and more games broadcast on ESPN and ABC. This was the first season under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the WNBA Players Association. However, on April 3, the season was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under a plan approved on June 15, the league began a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, without fans present on July 25. A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was named the league MVP. The Seattle Storm won the 2020 WNBA Finals over the Aces, and Breanna Stewart was named the Finals MVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aari McDonald</span> American basketball player (born 1998)

Aarion Shawnae McDonald is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA draft after playing college basketball at the University of Washington and the University of Arizona.

The 2023 WNBA season was the 27th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, repeated as champions after defeating the New York Liberty 3 games to 1 in the Finals.

Dan Padover is an American basketball executive who is the General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). He previously worked for the New York Liberty in a multitude of roles, before moving to the Las Vegas Aces as the General Manager.

The 2024 WNBA season is the 28th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), a professional women's basketball league based in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Aces Finalize 2020 Coaching Staff As 14-Year WNBA Veteran Tanisha Wright Joins Laimbeer, Johnson". WNBA.com. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "2004 Women's NCAA Tournament Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  3. ↑ "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved 26 Sep 2015.
  4. ↑ Voepel, Mechelle (16 September 2010). "Second title even sweeter for Storm". ESPN. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  5. ↑ Liberty Sign Wright, Swords and Allen Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "WNBA: Wright to rest, will miss upcoming season". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  7. ↑ Andrews, Julian (March 14, 2018). "Tanisha Wright To Bring Defensive Grit To Lynx". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ Destin, Andrew (May 13, 2020). "Former Penn State women's basketball star hired as WNBA assistant". Daily Collegian . Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Atlanta Dream names Dan Padover as General Manager, Darius Taylor as Assistant General Manager – Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  10. ↑ "The Atlanta Dream have made the difficult decision to part ways with head coach Tanisha Wright". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.