Top 5 WNBA Players of all time who played for Duke Blue Devils ft. Alana Beard

The Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team has never won an NCAA title and last reached a Final Four in 2006 and last appeared in an Elite Eight in 2013. But Duke's appearance in the Sweet 16 this season, its first since 2018, showed that the program is still on solid footing.

The Blue Devils, who have made 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, made all four of their Final Four appearances from 1999-2006. Several players from the program have made it to the WNBA and many have competed overseas.

Here are five Blue Devils who made a name in women's basketball.

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Top 5 WNBA Players of all time who played for Duke Blue Devils

#5, Elizabeth Williams

Chicago Sun forward/center Elizabeth Williams played 131 games for the Duke Blue Devils from 2011 to 2015, averaging 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds. She averaged 3.1 blocks per game in her four seasons, winning Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year four times.

The Connecticut Sun drafted Williams, the older sister of Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams, with the fourth pick in the 2015 WNBA draft. She has also played for the Washington Mystics.

Williams was the WNBA Most Improved Player in 2016. She was named to the All-Defensive first team in 2020 with the Atlanta Dream and the All-Defensive second team in 2023 with the Sky.

#4, Lindsay Harding

Lindsay Harding, the coach of the G League's Stockton Kings, played point guard for the Duke Blue Devils from 2002 to 2007, averaging 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals.

Harding, who won the Naismith College Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year in 2006-07, was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall Of Fame in 2018.

Harding, who was named to the 2007 WNBA All-Rookie team after being the No. 1 pick in 2007, played for six WNBA teams, including the Minnesota Lynx, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream.

#3, Jasmine Thomas

Point guard Jasmine Thomas played 62 games for the Duke Blue Devils from 2009 to 2011, averaging 15.5 ppg and 3.9 rpg. She was drafted No. 12 by the Seattle Storm but was traded to the Washington Mystics as a rookie. She last played for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Thomas, a 2017 All-Star, was named to the WNBA All defensive first team three times and the second team twice.

#2, Chelsea Gray

Chelsea Gray

Guard Chelsea Gray played 103 games at Duke from 2010 to 2014, averaging 11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 5.1 apg. The Las Vegas Aces star debuted with Connecticut Sun. She was the 11th pick in the 2014 draft. Nicknamed "Point Gawd," Gray was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2022. The three-time champion and five-time All-Star was named to the All-WNBA second team twice.

#1, Alana Beard

Alana Beard

Alana Beard, the ACC Player of the Year three times while playing for Duke from 2000-2004, was the second pick in the WNBA draft in 2004 by the Washington Mystics.

Beard, a swing player, was the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was named an All-Star four times. She was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

Who is your favorite Blue Devils star who went to play in the WNBA? Let us know in the comments section below.

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