Sting to Retire Stinson's Jersey
5/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 10, 2006
CHARLOTTE (AP) --The Charlotte Sting will retire the jersey of all-time leading scorer Andrea Stinson during their season opener.
Stinson's No. 32 jersey will be hung from the rafters at Charlotte Bobcats Arena during halftime of the May 20 opener against the Chicago Sky. The Sting also announced Tuesday that Stinson was named the team's community relations ambassador.
"As one of the original members of the Sting organization, Andrea helped build this franchise from the ground up," general manager Trudi Lacey said.
Stinson, an All-American at North Carolina State, started every game in Charlotte's first eight seasons before being released following the 2004 campaign. The three-time WNBA All-Star spent last season with the Detroit Shock before retiring as the sixth-leading scorer in league history (3,351 points).
Stinson is the Sting's career leader in points, games, field goals made, rebounds, steals, shots and free throws made and free throws attempted. She became the third player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 points last August against the Los Angeles Stars.
"In her eight seasons with the team she exemplified in every aspect what it means to be a professional basketball player in the WNBA," Lacey said. "Andrea was one of the best open-court players to ever play the game. Off the court, she spent hours in the community reaching out to touch other's lives."
Her name is found throughout the Charlotte Sting record books as she is the franchise's all-time leader with 3,329 points, 1,302 field goals made, 254 games played and started, 2,882 field goals attempted, 520 free throws made, 706 free throws attempted, 1,115 rebounds and 339 steals.
A three-time WNBA All-Star (2000, 2001, 2002), Stinson's performances also rank her among the best in league history. She currently is the sixth all-time leading scorer in league history with 3,351 points and is ranked third all-time with 8,056 minutes, fifth with 1,310 field goals and 810 assists and ninth with 342 steals. She became the third player in WNBA history to score 3,000 career points when she reached that milestone on August 2, 2003, against the Los Angeles Sparks.
During her tenure with the club, the 5-10 guard helped the Sting capture six playoff berths, including the Eastern Conference Championship and a trip to the WNBA Finals in 2001.
The team's scoring leader for six straight seasons, Stinson was named to the All-WNBA Second Team in 1997 and 1998. She set the franchise-record for most points in a game with 33 on July 26, 2000, against Washington and averaged a career-best 17.7 points in the 2000 season.
Coincidentally, Stinson also had her No. 32 jersey retired at NC State on Feb. 13, 2000.