PlenettePierson

NOTABLE

• WNBA Champion (2006, 2008, 2017)
• WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2007)
• Western Conference All-Star (2015)

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

Selected by Phoenix in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2003 WNBA Draft… Acquired by Detroit from Phoenix in exchange for Andrea Stinson and the Shock’s 2nd-round pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft on June 29, 2005… Acquired by New York from Tulsa in exchange for Tiffany Jackson-Jones on June 14, 2010… Signed by Tulsa as an unrestricted free agent to a two-year contract on Feb. 4, 2015… Signed by Minnesota as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year contract on Feb. 1, 2017.

2017 SEASON

Completed her debut Minnesota season (15th in the WNBA) by playing in all 34 games for the first time since 2007… Drew four starts (Aug. 18-25), averaging 9.0 ppg (43.8%), 3.7 rpg and 2.2 apg in 20.3 mpg… Overall, she tallied career lows of 5.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg in 13.7 mpg, adding 1.5 apg while shooting 42.7% from the floor, 33.9% (19-for-56) from long distance and 79.2% from the FT line… Shot a torrid 67.9% (19-for-28) in the season’s final six contests, on the heels of a 10-game slide at 30.8% (20-for-65)… Put in a season-high 11 points Sept. 3 vs. Washington, her fifth double-figure effort; the Lynx went 7-1 when she scored 8+ points… Collected season highs with six rebounds and four assists Aug. 18 vs. Indiana; the minute total Aug. 16 at Seattle (30:57) was a season high… Added 10 points, four assists and a season-best two steals July 14 at Phoenix.

WNBA CAREER CAPSULE

2016: Played in 27 games for the Dallas Wings and started all 27. She finished the season with averages of 11.9 ppg on 38.7% shooting and 4.6 rpg. 2015: Appeared in 30 game for the Tulsa Shock, starting 29…Averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 28.1 minutes per game…Shot 41.6 percent from the field…Tied her season-high in points with 24 at Atlanta on July 7, leading all Shock scorers in the game…Scored in double figures in 18 games, including season-high 24 points on June 19 and July 7…Was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time in her career… 2014: Appeared in 33 games for the New York Liberty, starting eight… Averaged 7.2 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game and 1.2 assists per game… Shot 45.5 percent from the field… Scored in double figures nine times… Scored a season-high 20 points and made a season-high seven field goals at Washington on August 16… Led the Liberty in free-throw percentage shooting 85.9 percent… Led the Liberty bench in points per game with 7.2 and minutes per game with 17.4… 2013: Appeared in 32 games for the New York Liberty, starting 27… Second-leading scorer and rebounder with 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures in 19 games, including a season-high 25 points at Chicago on August 23… Grabbed double-digit rebounds in five games, including a career-high 15 rebounds against Phoenix on September 10… Posted three double-double performances… Recorded a career-high ten assists against Washington on August 6…2012: Appeared in 26 games for the New York Liberty, starting 24… Averaged 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures in 16 games, including two 20-point performances … Had a season-high 24 points at Indiana on June 26 and scored 21 points at Chicago on August 21… Recorded three double-doubles on the season… Scored 15 points and grabbed ten rebounds in season opener vs. Connecticut on May 19 … Had eleven points and ten rebounds at Atlanta on May 25… Posted 16 points and ten rebounds at Los Angeles on August 25… 2011: Appeared and started in 33 games for the New York Liberty… Averaged 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures in 26 games, including topping the 20-point mark in three games… Had two double-double performances on the season … Opened the year with a double-double with 25 points and ten rebounds at Atlanta on June 5… Led the Liberty in blocks with 30 on the season… 2010: Appeared and started in 25 games for the New York Liberty… Averaged 9.0 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game… Led the Liberty in rebounds six times while posting double digit points in 18 games… Finished the 2010 season ranked third in the WNBA in field goals per 40 minutes (9.19)… Appeared in eight games for the Tulsa Shock, starting one… Averaged 12.1 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game before being traded to New York… While in Tulsa, posted in double figures six times… 2009: Appeared in one game for the Detroit Shock before being sidelined with a shoulder injury for the remainder of the season… Played five minutes in her only game, recording a steal, a block and two personal fouls…2008: Appeared in 28 games for the Detroit Shock… Averaged a career-high 11.9 points, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game… Led the Shock in scoring on five occasions, in rebounds five times and in assists on four occasions… Had seven multiple block games, finishing with a career-high 34 blocks… Recorded her 100th career block vs. Seattle on June 4…Tied her career-high of six blocks at Los Angeles June 11… Picked up her only double-double of the season and sixth of her career, when she scored 15 points and grabbed eleven rebounds vs. Minnesota on June 20… Earned her 200th career assist vs. Connecticut on June 26… Pulled down her 500th rebound in a Shock uniform at Washington on July 18, putting her eighth on the Shock all-time rebounding list…Tied her career high in assists with five vs. Phoenix on September 9… 2007: Appeared in all 34 games for the Detroit Shock… Averaged 11.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists per game… Was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder off the bench… Led the Shock in scoring on five occasions, rebounds on six and in assists on four… Reached double figures 22 times, second most on the team… Picked up her 1,000th career point in the Shock’s home opener vs. Sacramento on May 19…Her five consecutive games of scoring in double figures in the first five games of the season set a career record…Her four blocked shots in the first half at New York on June 8 tied the Shock record for blocks in a half… Her four steals vs. New York on July 6 set a career-high in steals and also put her over the 100 mark in career steals… Named the WNBA’s inaugural Sixth Woman of the Year… 2006: Appeared in all 34 games for the Detroit Shock… Averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 assists in 16.6 minutes per game… Was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder off the bench…Led the team in scoring and rebounding on two occasions… 2005: Appeared in 23 games for the Detroit Shock… Averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds with the Shock while connecting on 43.7 percent of her field goal attempts… Finished third on the Shock in free throws made (67) and attempted (96)… Scored a season-high 22 points in her first game with the Shock vs. Sacramento on July 1, in the process becoming the first Shock player since Kedra Holland-Corn (23) on August 6, 2003 at Washington to score 20 or more points off the bench… Led the Shock in scoring on two occasions… Attempted 19 free-throws at Washington on August 27, which ties her for third in free-throw attempts in a single gam… Appeared in 12 games for the Phoenix Mercury… Averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds for Phoenix while connecting on 34.3 percent of her field goal attempts… Due to her being traded from the Mercury to the Shock, Pierson played in a total of 35 games (12 with Phoenix, 23 with Detroit) which puts her solely in second for amount of games played in one season… 2004: Appeared in 31 games for the Phoenix Mercury, starting 25… Averaged 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game… Finished second on the Mercury in free-throw attempts (109) and third in blocked shots (17)… Missed three games with a sore/strained right hamstring (The Mercury were 2-1 in her absence)… 2003: Appeared in 33 games for the Phoenix Mercury, starting five games… Averaged 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game… Led the Mercury in minutes played off the bench, free-throws (64) and free-throw attempts (101)… Shot 19 free-throw attempts vs. Los Angeles on August 8, which ties her for third in free-throw attempts in a single game.

PLAYOFFS

2017: Appeared in all eight postseason contests, totaling nine points and six rebounds in 43 minutes while winning her third WNBA championship… 2015: Started both games for Tulsa, averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg…2012: Started both games for New York, netting 9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.0 rpg in 30.5 mpg… 2011: Appeared in three games for New York and averaged 10.7 ppg (57.7%) and 4.0 rpg…2010: Appeared in five games for New York, averaging 10.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg while starting three games… 2008: Appeared in six games en route to winning her second WNBA championship with Detroit… Missed three games with a dislocated shoulder/torn labrum after being injured in Game 2 of the first round… Averaged 7.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.7 apg… Dealt a playoff career-high five assists and tied her playoff career high with three steals vs. Indiana on Sept. 21… 2007: Appeared in 11 playoff games, tallying 11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 1.09 bpg… Tied a Shock postseason record with four blocks Aug. 31 at Indiana… Scored a playoff career-high 26 points Sept. 5 vs. Phoenix… 2006: Appeared in all 10 playoff games en route to winning her first WNBA championship… Averaged 8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.7 apg… 2005: Saw action in both games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Connecticut, totaling four points and six rebounds.

OVERSEAS

2016-17: Played for the KB Stars in South Korea and averaged 13.7 ppg and 7.2 rpg while appearing in 37 WKBL games… 2015-16: Winnus (South Korea-D1): 16.4ppg 7.4rpg 2.3apg… 2014-15: Passalacqua Spedizioni Ragusa (Italy-D1): 14.1ppg 6.1rpg 1.7spg +14.8val… 2012-13: Good Angels Kosice (Slovakia-D1): 12ppg 6.7rpg 1.9apg 2.1spg; Euroleague: 15.9ppg 5.3rpg 2.3apg 1.7spg +17.9val… 2011-12: Maccabi Bnot Ashdod (Israel-D1): EuroCup: 16.2ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.3apg, 2.5spg, 2bpg, FGP: 41.5%, FT: 70.4%; Israeli League: 15ppg, 8rpg, 4.0apg, 1.8spg, Blocks-5(1.3bpg), FGP: 46.2%, FT: 77.9%… 2010-11: Tarsus Belediyesi (Turkey-D1): Score-5(17.0ppg), 8rpg, 1.7apg, 1.8spg, Blocks-5(1.3bpg), FGP: 50%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 68.8%… 2009-10: Elizur Ramla (Israel-D1): 21.9ppg, 9.4rpg, 3apg, 2.4spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 55.3%, FT: 68.4%… 2008-09: Played with CCC Polkowice (Poland-D1) averaging 13.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.6apg… 2007-08: BC Moscow (Russia-D1): 17.9ppg, 8rpg, 2.6apg, Steals-3(1.8spg), 1bpg, FGP: 47.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 73.7%; EuroCup: 16.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 2.1apg, 2.2spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 51.2%, FT: 72.9%… 2006-07: Elizur Ramla (Israel-D1): EuroCup: 19ppg, 11.5rpg, 2.3apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 45.2%, FT: 64.4%; Israeli League: 19.7ppg, Reb-1(8.7rpg), 2.8apg, 1.6spg, Blocks-1(1.4bpg), 2FGP: 54.2%, FT: 80.6%… 2005-06: Played with Coconuda Maddaloni (Italy-D1)…During the EuroCup she averaged 17.4ppg, 8.8rpg, 1.5apg, 2.6spg, FGP: 42.9%, FT: 69.3%…During league play, she averaged 18.7ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.7spg, 2FGP: 48,8%, 3PT: 32,1%, FT: 70,4%.

COLLEGE

2002-03: As a Senior, averaged 17.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game… Shot .510 (238-467) from the floor… Named to the All-Big 12 First Team… Named AP All-American Third Team… 2001-02: Played in only four games as a junior averaging 14.5 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game… 2000-01: Averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds as a sophomore… Named second-team All-Big 12 by the Dallas Morning News that year after scoring in double figures in 23 of 32 games… Recorded eight double-doubles… Named Big 12 Player of the Week Feb. 26… 1999-2000: Started all 33 games as a freshman averaging 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds… Named Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year… Scored in double figures in 25 games…Received Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Dallas Morning News and the San Antonio Express-News, while being named to the Kansas City Star’s All-Freshman team.

PERSONAL

Full name is Plenette Michelle Pierson… Born Aug. 31, 1981 in Houston, Tex.… Daughter of Paulette Pierson… Has a younger brother, Cleven… Hobbies include hanging out with friends and playing basketball… Favorite movie is Love & Basketball… Favorite pre-game meal is buffalo wings, spaghetti or chicken… Lists Yolanda Griffith as best player she’s ever faced on the court … Majored in communications studies at Texas Tech.