Minnesota Lynx: Lindsay Whalen to retire after 2018 WNBA season

Lindsay Whalen announces 2018 season will be her last in WNBA

Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen will retire at the end of the year, the team confirmed Monday.

WNBA President Lisa Borders released a statement praising Whalen for her contributions to the league and basketball as a whole:

"Lindsay Whalen will always be remembered as one of the greatest players and winners in the history of our league. Her impact was immediate, leading the Connecticut Sun to the Finals in each of her first two seasons before going on to become a four-time champion with the Minnesota Lynx. A five-time All-Star and two-time gold medal winner, Lindsay will finish her remarkable career with the most regular-season wins in league history. I wish Lindsay continued and compelling success as she continues to inspire the next generation of female athletes at the University of Minnesota."

This graphic from the Lynx encapsulates Whalen’s legacy:

The Connecticut Sun selected Whalen fourth overall in the 2004 draft. In her first season, the Sun won 18 games and reached the WNBA Finals, where they lost to the Seattle Storm in three games. The next year, Connecticut notched 26 victories en route to another Finals trip.

That immediate success set the tone for a player who will have missed the playoffs just twice in 15 WNBA seasons and earned the most wins (322) of any player in league history.

Whalen’s retirement announcement doesn’t come as a big surprise. She turned 36 in May, and her playing time has steadily declined over each of the past four years. Her 19.4 minutes per game are a career low. In Sunday night’s loss to the Storm, she came off the bench for the first time since her rookie season.

Whalen remains an effective player when she’s on the floor. She’s averaging 10.2 points and 5.6 assists per 36 minutes while shoting 33.3 percent from three-point range, per Basketball Reference.

While Whalen isn’t leaving the WNBA at the peak of her powers, she’s exiting at a time where she’s still one of the league’s better point guards.

In addition to the mileage she has put on her body by spending more than a decade of playing in the WNBA and overseas, Whalen is pulling double duty in 2018. She’s both the Lynx’s starting point guard and head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, her alma mater.

During an interview on 1500 ESPN in Minnesota, Whalen indicated being the coach of Minnesota didn’t impact her final decision about potentially returning to the WNBA in 2019.

“Even if I hadn’t taken this Gophers job, I think I’d have been good after this season,” she said, per The Athletic’s Tyler Mason. “I’d be ready for the next chapter.”

Still, Whalen’s retirement was seemingly imminent the moment she took the Minnesota job. There’s no question her playing career could be a useful recruiting tool, but eventually the demands of leading a Division I program were going to take her away from the WNBA.

The Lynx, who have already clinched a postseason berth, have three games remaining in the regular season. Whalen’s announcement could spur the team on to one more championship run before head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve has to take a hard look at her veteran-laden roster.