Megan Kayla Walker (born November 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Walker was selected to the first team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) in 2020.[1][2]
 Walker attempting a free throw for the UConn Huskies in 2020 | |
| UMMC Ekaterinburg | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | Russian Premier League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 23, 1998 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Monacan (North Chesterfield, Virginia) |
| College | UConn (2017–2020) |
| WNBA draft | 2020: 1st round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Liberty | |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020 | New York Liberty |
| 2021 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2022 | Atlanta Dream |
| 2022–2023 | Emlak Konut SK |
| 2023– | BC UMMC Ekaterinburg |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
WNBA career
editFollowing the conclusion of the 2019-2020 NCAA season with the UConn Huskies, Walker declared for the 2020 WNBA draft.[3]
New York Liberty
editWalker was drafted 9th overall in the 2020 Draft by the New York Liberty.[4] Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Walker's rookie season would be played in Bradenton, Florida in the WNBA Bubble. On July 10, 2020, the Liberty announced that Walker had tested positive for the virus and would miss the start of training camp.[5] Walker made her WNBA debut on July 29, 2020, against the Dallas Wings scoring 2 points in 2 minutes of action. Her highest scoring output for her rookie year came later in the season against the Los Angeles Sparks with 8 points.
On February 10, 2021, the Liberty announced that they had traded Walker, along with Kia Nurse, to the Phoenix Mercury.[6]
Phoenix Mercury
editWalker arrived in Phoenix and started 7 games for the Mercury. She scored in double figures 4 times throughout the year – including her career high of 11 points. As the season continued, Walker began to lose minutes and wasn't playing as much as earlier in the year. Although her minutes were cut, Walker and the Mercury earned a spot in the 2021 WNBA Playoffs and the 2021 WNBA Finals – Walker's first postseason action.[7]
On January 13, 2022, the Mercury waived Walker from their roster.[8]
Atlanta Dream
editAfter being waived by the Mercury, the Atlanta Dream claimed Walker off of waivers and added her to the roster to earn a spot on their 2022 team.[9] Walker played in 12 games during the 2022 season for the Dream, averaging 3.3 points and 0.8 rebounds. On June 8, 2022, Walker was traded to the New York Liberty, along with the draft rights to Raquel Carrera in exchange for AD.[10] The Liberty waived her following the trade.[11]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games 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
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | New York Liberty | 18 | 0 | 11.4 | .321 | .140 | .600 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | Phoenix Mercury | 29 | 7 | 14.7 | .311 | .267 | .633 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 4.5 |
| 2022 | Atlanta Dream | 12 | 0 | 9.6 | .368 | .368 | .667 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.3 |
| Career | 3 years, 3 teams | 59 | 7 | 12.6 | .322 | .241 | .634 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.9 |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Phoenix Mercury | 5 | 0 | 7.8 | .286 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 5 | 0 | 7.8 | .286 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | UConn Huskies | 32 | 0 | 15.5 | .444 | .371 | .755 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 5.8 |
| 2018–19 | UConn Huskies | 36 | 36 | 31.3 | .458 | .397 | .742 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 12.1 |
| 2019–20* | UConn Huskies | 32 | 32 | 33.9 | .477 | .451 | .821 | 8.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 19.7° |
| Career | 100 | 68 | 26.7 | .460 | .406 | .771 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 12.5 | |
* 2020 NCAA tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Source: uconnhuskies.com[12]
High school
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Monacan HS | 22 | ... | ... | .384 | .326 | .644 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 19.9 |
| 2014–15 | Monacan HS | 22 | ... | ... | .407 | .307 | .728 | 7.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 19.1 |
| 2015–16 | Monacan HS | 25 | ... | ... | .409 | .275 | .742 | 8.4 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 21.2 |
| 2016–17 | Monacan HS | 26 | ... | ... | .421 | .292 | .799 | 7.6 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 25.9 |
| Career | 95 | ... | ... | .407 | .301 | .739 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 21.7 | |
Source: maxprep.com[13]
References
edit- ^ "USBWA > All-America > Women". sportswriters.net. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ "2020 women's basketball Associated Press All-America Team announced | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (14 March 2020). "UConn women's star Megan Walker declares for WNBA Draft". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Connolly, Daniel (17 April 2020). "2020 WNBA Draft: Megan Walker selected No. 9 overall by New York Liberty". theuconnblog.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Statement from the New York Liberty". liberty.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Stepien, Garrett. "New York Liberty trade former UConn Huskies stars Kia Nurse, Megan Walker to Phoenix Mercury". yahoo.com. Yahoo; SNY. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Megan Walker". stats.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Ortiz, Jenna. "Phoenix Mercury sign Shey Peddy, waive Megan Walker in offseason moves". azcentral.com. Arizona Central. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Dream Awarded Megan Walker on Waivers". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Atlanta Dream Acquire AD in Trade with New York". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Liberty Trade AD Durr to Dream for Raquel Carrera, Sign Marine Johannès". liberty.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Megan Walker - Women's Basketball". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ "Megan Walker's High School Girls Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.