Chatham’s Bridget Carleton is back home after finishing her seventh season in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The 28-year-old made it to the semi-finals with the Minnesota Lynx, but lost out on a potential championship to the Phoenix Mercury.
“It’s really hard to win a WNBA Championship. There are lots of good teams,” said Carleton.
It was still a successful season for Carleton, who started all 44 regular-season games and six playoff games for the Lynx, doing so for the first time in her career. While statistically she had a down year, she was still able to average 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
Carleton explained that the last few seasons have been a learning experience for her. This is because the sport’s popularity has exploded, with many teams selling out NBA and NHL-sized arenas.
“It’s been fun to be a part of that growth, but it’s been a huge difference,” she explained.
What hasn’t changed is Carleton’s popularity in Chatham-Kent (CK). Not only is she the only one from the municipality in the WNBA, she’s just one of four current Canadian players.
“Anytime I get the chance to come back home and get in the gym and see the Chatham-Kent Wildcats or my old high school practice or play is really fun. The girls recognize me and are excited about meeting me,” she said.
Right now, Carleton is just trying to enjoy the offseason. She’s currently a free agent, but isn’t thinking about signing anywhere until a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is agreed upon ahead of next season.
“I don’t think anybody is thinking free agency until that’s figured out… I’m just going to figure out what happens when the time comes,” she added.
Carleton did say she’s enjoyed her time in Minnesota, noting that Minnesotans are very similar to Canadians.