FIBA/Europe

WNBA players are scattered around the world during the offseason. Between Asia, Australia, and the EuroLeague, players from all 12 teams are competing in over a dozen countries around the world. Click here for an interactive map of the location of WNBA players abroad and see the most recent list below (subject to change, as not all players will be spending the entire winter abroad). Some will come back as others are just leaving, so stay tuned. [Player listing as of November 15, 2012].

Below we have compiled Five Things to Know for WNBA fans who would like to keep up with their favorite players competing abroad while the WNBA is in offseason mode.

1) FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

WNBA players love playing in Russia, as 18 current WNBAers are rostered on six different Russian teams (UMMC, Dynamo Moscow, Spartak, Nadezhda, Dynamo Kursk and Chekavata).

UMMC in Yekaterinburg is the class of the Russian League thus far this season, sporting a 6-0 domestic league record [as of Dec, 5, 2012], thanks in large part to a star-studded roster including WNBA MVP's Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks). Three-time WNBA Champion with the Detroit Shock Deanna Nolan and current Seattle Storm player Ewelina Kobryn are also key contributors for UMMC, while Sue Bird is on the squad's roster but has yet to get any game action as she's recuperating from post-WNBA season surgery.

Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver (Dynamo Moscow), Seimone Augustus, Becky Hammon and Candice Dupree (Spartak), Renee Montgomery and DeWanna Bonner (Nadezhda) and Epiphanny Prince and Temeka Johnson (Dynamo Kursk) are some of the other top WNBA players to be plying their trade in the former Soviet Union during the offseason.

2) TURKISH DELIGHT

Turkey is currently the second most popular destination for WNBA players competing abroad, with 15 WNBAers rostered on nine different Turkish clubs.

Two legendary Istanbul-based sporting rivals -- Fenerbahce and Galatasary -- are also battling it out in the pursuit of top WNBA talent, with two of the WNBA's most dynamic talents -- Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) and Cappie Pondexter (NY Liberty) -- playing for Fenerbahce, while two 2012 Olympic gold medalists -- Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) -- rostered with Galatasary. Another Turkish club, Mersin, apparently targeted championship pedigree in their WNBA recruitment, signing current WNBA Champion Indiana Fever teammates Shavonte Zellous and Erlana Larkins.

3) FAR EASTERN PROMISE

Four WNBA players competed on four different Chinese teams last year, but their has been significant growth of WNBA player exports in the Far East this year, with more than double the WNBA players (9) playing for double the amount of teams (9) in China for 2012-13. Additionally, four South Korean clubs have signed WNBA players: Woori Bank Hansea (Nakia Sanford), Shinhan Bank (Cathrine Kraayeveld), Samsung Life Bichumi (Amber Harris) and KB Stars (Lynetta Kizer).

WNBA representation in China has not only doubled in number, but there has been a signficant upgrade in star power. 2012 WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player and U.S. Olympic Team Co-Captain Tamika Catchings, fresh off her first WNBA championship with the Indiana Fever, is playing for Guangdong, while 2011 Rookie of the Year and fellow U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx is leading the way for the Shanxi Xing Rui Flames squad.

4) ONE LEAGUE, TWO LEAGUE, RED LEAGUE, BLUE LEAGUE

Fans of WNBA players competing abroad during the WNBA offseason may find themselves with a case of "league fatigue" when faced with all the different leagues featuring their favorite WNBA stars.

Here's a quick explanation.

Most WNBAers are playing for teams that compete in the domestic league of the country they are playing in. So, Parker and Taurasi are playing in the Russian League and McCoughtry and Pondexter are in the Turkish League. The European teams, however, are ALSO competing in a larger, and in many respects more competitive and more prestigious league called the EuroLeague, which pits the top domestic teams from individual countries (ie. UMMC in Russia and Fenerbahce in Turkey) in a European wide tournament.

Fans of college basketball can think of it like Brittney Griner and Baylor University compete in the Big 12 where they face conference foes in pursuit of a conference championship. Additionally, Griner and Baylor will appear in the NCAA tournament, where the top teams in each conference are matched up in tournament crowning the best of the best as the National Champion. The domestic European leagues are akin to the conferences, while the EuroLeague is similar to the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four.

5) HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

While the vast majority of WNBA players competing abroad are doing so in a foreign land, there are a few players who are actually going home to play during the WNBA offseason.

Three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson has signed with the Canberra Capitols in her native Australia and while Jackson has not yet played for Canberra due to injury, they are happy to have her Down Under. Fellow Aussie Jenna O'Hea of the Los Angeles Sparks also headed home, where she is playing for Dandenong Rangers.

The Atlanta Dream's Erika de Souza and Washington Mystic Izzy Castro-Marques are also in familiar surroundings during the WNBA offseason, as de Souza is playing at Recife and Castro-Marques at Maranhao, both in their native Brazil.

	Player	Country	Team
Atlanta	de Souza, Erika	Brazil	Recife
	Hayes, Tiffany	Turkey	Besiktas, Istanbul
	Henry, Aneika	Spain	Rivas Ecopolis
	Koehn, Laurie	Australia	Logan Thunder
	Kraayeveld, Cathrine	Korea	Shinhan Bank
	Leuchanka, Yelena	China	Liaoning
	Lyttle, Sancho	Turkey	Galatasary
	McCoughtry, Angel	Turkey	Fenerbahce
	Price, Armintie	Turkey	Besiktas, Istanbul
Chicago	Fowles, Sylvia	Turkey	Galatasaray
	Murphy, Shay	Russia	Dynmao Kursk
	Prince, Epiphanny	Russia	Dynmao Kursk
	Petrovic, Sonja	Russia	Spartak
	Swords, Carolyn	Turkey	Ceyhan
	Vandersloot, Courtney	Croatia	Novi Zagreb
Connecticut	Charles, Tina	Poland	Wisla Can Pack
	Griffin, Kelsey	Australia	Bendigo Spirit
	Hightower, Allison	Israel	Ramla
	Jones, Asjha	Turkey	Kayseri
	McCray, Danielle	Italy	Schio
	Mims, Mistie	France	Lyon
	Montgomery, Renee	Russia	Nadezhda
	Shegog, Chay	Hungary	UNI Seat Gyor
Indiana	Catchings, Tamika	China	Guandong
	Christmas, Karima	Israel	Ramat Hen
	Davenport, Jessica	Turkey	Istanbul University
	Douglas, Katie	Poland	Wisla Can Pack
	Goodlett, Sasha	China	Heliongiiang
	January, Briann	Israel	Ramat Hasharon
	Larkins, Erlana	Turkey	Mersin
	Zellous, Shavonte	Turkey	Mersin
Los Angeles	Anosike, Nicky	Turkey	Kayseri
	Lavender, Jantel	Italy	Schio
	Milton-Jones, DeLisha	Turkey	Tarsus
	Ogwumike, Nnemkadi	Poland	CCC Polkowice
	O'Hea, Jenna	Australia	Dandenong
	Parker, Candace	Russia	UMMC
	Sykes, April	Australia	Dandenong
	Toliver, Kristi	Russia	Dynamo Moscow
Minnesota	Adair, Jessica	Australia	Townsville
	Augustus, Seimone	Russia	Spartak
	Brunson, Rebekkah	Czech Republic	USK Praha
	Harris, Amber	Korea	Samsung Life Bichumi
	Moore, Maya	China	Shanxi Xing Rui Flame
	Peters, Devereaux	Italy	Le Mura Lucca
	Whalen, Lindsay	Turkey	Galatasary
	Wright, Monica	Australia	Dandenong
New York	Carson, Essence	Turkey	Istanbul University
	Mitchell, Leilani	Croatia	Novi Zagreb
	Pierson, Plenette	Slovakia	Kosice
	Pondexter, Cappie	Turkey	Fenerbahce
	Powell, Nicole	Spain	Perfumerias Avenidas
	Vaughn, Kia	Czech Republic	USK Praha
Phoenix	Bonner, DeWanna	Russia	Nadezhda
	Dupree, Candice	Russia	Spartak
	Houston, Charde	Israel	Maccabi Ashdod
	Kizer, Lynetta	Korea	KB Stars
	Sanford, Nakia	Korea	Woori Bank Hansae
	Simon, Dymond	Slovakia	Piestanske Cajky
	Taurasi, Diana	Russia	UMMC
	Thomas, Krystal	China	Jiangsu Phoenix
San Antonio	Adams, Danielle	Israel	Maccabi Ashdod
	Appel, Jayne	China	Henan
	Hammon, Becky	Russia	Spartak
	Johnson, Shenise	Hungary	Sopron
	Morrison, Ziomara	Spain	Rivas Ecopolis
	Robinson, Danielle	Turkey	Tarsus
	Young, Sophia	China	Beijing Great Wall
Seattle	Abrosimova, Svetlana	Russia	Dynamo Moscow
	Bird, Sue	Russia	UMMC
	Clark, Alysha	Israel	Ramat Hasharon
	Jackson, Lauren	Australia	Canberra Capitols
	Kobryn, Ewelina	Russia	UMMC
	Little, Camille	China	Shanghai Octopus
	Stricklen, Shekinna	Turkey	Antakya
	Wauters, Ann	Turkey	Galatasary
Tulsa	Black, Chante	Turkey	Samsun
	Cambage, Liz	China	Zhejiang
	Hodges, Roneeka	Spain	Perfumerias Avenidas
	Johnson, Glory	Russia	Chekavata
	Johnson, Temeka	Russia	Dynamo Kursk
	Paris, Courtney	Turkey	Botas
	Pedersen, Kayla	Turkey	Ceyhan
Washington	Castro Marques, Iziane	Brazil	Maranhao
	Currie, Monique	Romania	Targoviste
	Langhorne, Crystal	Russia	Dynamo Moscow
	Novosel, Natalie	Romania	Targoviste
	Snow, Michelle	Russia	Dynamo Kursk
	Thomas, Jasmine	Russia	Chekavata