Natasha Howard is reintroducing herself at exactly the right time

Fans who have been watching the WNBA for quite some time know who Natasha Howard is. Howard was drafted as the No. 5 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in 2014, and her career has also included stints with the Seattle Storm, the New York Liberty, and the Minnesota Lynx. In her memoir The Vision Through My Lens: My Life in Basketball and Beyond, Howard details her life and basketball career.

That career began when she was a kid and the only girl playing on an all-boys team. That wasn't exactly her choice — there were no girls' teams around.

"I played on the all boys team in elementary because they didn't have a basketball team," she told High Post Hoops. "They didn't have a girls' team."

That was because no girls wanted to try out, she added. But spending time playing on a boys' team simply because there were no other options available to her has made her appreciate the astronomical amount of attention the WNBA, and women's basketball, is receiving these days.

"It's amazing," she said. "It's actually amazing to see the game grow, even from high school to starting off young — you can see the change, because all of these kids are developing so fast."

"All these kids' IQs are really good," Howard continued. "And for me, to be able to still play the game and also see the game grow is amazing. It's really amazing that I could see that and also see the change that's happening."

Natasha Howard told Cheryl Reeve she would be back

Howard first played for the Lynx during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. As a result, she was part of the team that lost the 2016 Championship to the Los Angeles Sparks, and she was part of the team that turned around and won the 2017 Championship — and beat the Sparks.

Her return to the Lynx in 2026 was intentional, she also said. Though she has no imminent plans to retire, Howard admitted she told head coach Cheryl Reeve she would "come back and finish my career off here."

"Playing underneath the coach that understands me, first of all as a person, but as a player too, I'm happy to be to be back," she said. "It's an honor to be back."

Her career is the heart of her new book. Howard said that she's always known she wanted to write a memoir, and when the opportunity presented itself, she had to take it. "I started writing a book a year and a half ago, I believe. I just feel like everybody should know who I am besides Natasha Howard, the basketball player. And I feel like a lot of people don't know me besides that."

Natasha Howard, the person, didn't begin playing basketball until she was 10. In fact, she didn't even really like the sport as a kid — it was something she grew into. Her memoir offers a glimpse into her childhood, which wasn't always (or often) easy, but she's been open about how those experiences shaped who she is.

As a 13-year veteran of the league, Howard is also a leader for the younger athletes. As she told MPR News, "I do see myself as a mentor for some of these for some of the young players, that's coming into the league. Some of them actually look up to me on different teams and stuff. And a player that I play with, they actually look up to me as well."

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