![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Texas-Tech-WNBA-players.webp.jpeg\")
The WNBA<\/a>\u2018s history<\/a> with Texas Tech started at the league\u2019s inception. This was during the initial player allocation phase before the first draft.<\/p>\nWNBA\u2019s Foundation and the Texas Tech Pipeline<\/p>\n
The league launched in 1997 with a unique player distribution system. High-profile college stars were allocated directly to teams. According to historical records from the Associated Press, Sheryl Swoopes was a foundational allocation.<\/p>\n
Swoopes was the first Texas Tech player in the WNBA. She went to the Houston Comets. Her legendary career opened the door for other Red Raiders.<\/p>\n
Ten Texas Tech alumni have played in the WNBA in total. The Phoenix Mercury selected one of them directly in the draft. That player was forward Plenette Pierson.<\/p>\n
Plenette Pierson\u2019s Impact with the Phoenix Mercury<\/p>\n
The Mercury drafted Pierson with the fourth overall pick in 2003. She was a standout selection in a draft class that included other notable names. Pierson played her first two and a half seasons in Phoenix.<\/p>\n
Her rookie year showed promise. She averaged six points per game off the bench. A standout performance came against the Los Angeles Sparks where she scored 26 points.<\/p>\n
Pierson\u2019s role grew in her second season. She nearly averaged double figures in scoring. The Mercury traded her to the Detroit Shock during the 2005 season.<\/p>\n
She went on to have a long and successful WNBA career. Pierson won a championship with Detroit in 2006. She later became a key player for the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n
The story of Texas Tech players in the WNBA is a rich one, bridging from the league\u2019s first superstar to reliable professionals like the Mercury\u2019s Plenette Pierson, showcasing the program\u2019s consistent contribution to professional basketball.<\/p>\n
Info at your fingertips<\/p>\n
Who was the first Texas Tech player in the WNBA?<\/p>\n
Sheryl Swoopes was the first. She was allocated to the Houston Comets before the league\u2019s inaugural 1997 season. Swoopes is considered one of the greatest players in history.<\/p>\n
How many Texas Tech players have been in the WNBA?<\/p>\n
Ten players from Texas Tech University have played in the WNBA. This includes pioneers from the 1990s and players from more recent drafts.<\/p>\n
When did the Mercury draft Plenette Pierson?<\/p>\n
The Phoenix Mercury drafted Plenette Pierson in 2003. She was the fourth overall pick in the first round of that year\u2019s WNBA Draft.<\/p>\n
What did Pierson achieve after leaving Phoenix?<\/p>\n
After being traded, Pierson won a WNBA championship with the Detroit Shock in 2006. She also earned the league\u2019s Sixth Woman of the Year award in 2007.<\/p>\n
Are any Texas Tech players currently in the WNBA?<\/p>\n
As of recent seasons, the pipeline has continued. Players like Vivian Gray have entered the league, maintaining Texas Tech\u2019s presence at the professional level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Phoenix Mercury have drafted players from many college programs. One notable source of talent is Texas Tech…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2692,2549,168,170,169,46889,32893,46890,46891,46892,46893,45525,154,46894,302,27,46895,14422,33401,15715],"class_list":["post-103374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-college-basketball","tag-legacy","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news","tag-mercurys","tag-phoenix-mercury","tag-pierson","tag-plenette","tag-plenette-pierson","tag-sheryl","tag-sheryl-swoopes","tag-sports","tag-swoopes","tag-tech","tag-texas","tag-texas-tech-wnba-players","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-draft","tag-womens-basketball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}