About Shekinna
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6-2
Weight: 178
Date of Birth: July 30, 1990
College: Tennessee ‘12
High School: Morrilton (Arkansas)
Transactions: Selected second overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2012 WNBA Draft. Traded to the Connecticut Sun on January 28, 2015. Re-signed to a two-year contract with Connecticut on February 5, 2016. Re-signed to a multi-year contract with Connecticut on February 1, 2018. Signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Dream as an unrestricted free agent on February 16, 2020.
Career Highlights:
- Has played in 311 games with 142 starts over ten seasons.
- Career totals include 2,245 points, 726 rebounds, 242 assists and 213 steals
- Excellent long-range shooter with a quick release
- Has made 468 career three-pointers
- Collected 2,000th career point at New York (8/30/19)
2021 Highlights with Atlanta:
- Played in 24 games.
- Knocked down 3 of 4 attempted three-pointers to record 9 points against Indiana (5/21).
- Picked up a season-best 3 steals against Indiana (7/11).
- Made 3 three-pointers again for 9 points against Las Vegas (8/26), following that with two made three’s and a season-best 10 points at Dallas (9/2).
- Finished the season with a season-most five defensive rebounds at Connecticut (9/19).
- Played her 300th career game against Indiana (7/11).
2020 Highlights with Atlanta:
- Appeared in all 22 games and started in 15.
- Finished with 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
- Made her Dream debut against Dallas on 7/26, starting and scoring 16 points with four made three-pointers.
- Scored in double digits against Las Vegas (7/29) with 10 points.
- Pulled down four boards with two assists and two steals against New York (7/31)
- Shot a season-high 8 three-pointers against Seattle (8/6) and again against Connecticut (8/10).
- Knocked down 6 three’s in the first half against Connecticut (8/10), just one off the WNBA record of 7 three’s in one half (Kelsey Mitchell, 2019).
- Scored a season-high 18 points against Connecticut (8/10).
- Her fourth double-figure scoring outing of the season came against Los Angeles (8/21), when she scored 16 points and added on a season-high four assists.
- Went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in 2020.
2019 Highlights with Connecticut:
- Started in all 34 regular season and all 8 Playoff games for the Sun
- Tallied a career-high 76 made three-pointers (38.2 percent) in the regular season and 12 (34.3 percent) in the postseason
- Winner of 2019 WNBA All-Star Three-Point Contest
2018 Highlights with Connecticut:
- Appeared in 34 games with 30 starts
- Tied a WNBA record with eight made three pointers at Dallas on July 22, setting a new franchise record
- The previous record as seven, held by Stricklen and Nykesha Sales…Had 58 made threes in 2018 for her fourth season with at least 50 made three-pointers
- Had a season-high 24 points in the win at Dallas on July 22
- Pulled down a season-high seven rebounds at Los Angeles on July 3.
2017 Highlights with Connecticut:
- Appeared in 34 games with a career-high 29 starts
- Led the Sun with a career-high 71 three-pointers
- Third Sun player to make at last 70 threes in a season
- Total was third most in franchise history behind Kara Lawson (74 in 2012) and Katie Douglas (73 in 2006)
- Tied a franchise record with seven made threes at Seattle (7/12)
- Scored season-high 21 points in that game
- Ranked sixth in the WNBA in three-point shooting percentage (.410)
- Had 19 multiple three-point games, including eight with four or more made threes
- Had a single-season career-high 42 steals
- Ranked fifth in scoring (8.6 ppg)
- Scored in double-figures 14 times
- Scored 1,500th career point at Washington (8/29)
- Collected 500th career rebound against Dallas (8/23)
- Had 107 rebounds, most since career-high 147 as a rookie in 2012
- Had 37 assists, most since 40 in 2012
- Played a career-high 926 minutes
2016 Highlights with Connecticut:
- Appeared in 28 games without a start
- Third on Sun with 27 made threes
- Made 200th career three-pointer at Phoenix (6/29)
- Collected 100th career steal against Dallas (9/16)
- Had season-high three made threes four times
- Reached double figures three times
- Scored season-high 12 points at Seattle (6/24)
- Missed four games with right knee injury (5/28-6/5)
2015 Highlights with Connecticut:
- Acquired by the Connecticut Sun on January 28, 2015 along with Camille Little in exchange for Renee Montgomery and two first round picks in the 2015 WNBA Draft
- Appeared in 34 games without a start
- Strong candidate for WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award
- Led the Sun with 51 made three-pointers
- Had 24 games with at least one made three, 14 games with at least two made threes, eight with at least three, four with at least four, and was a season-best 5 of 10 from three-point range at Washington (7/19)
- Was 41 of 96 (42.7 percent) from three-point range during 17-game stretch from July 14th against Minnesota to August 27th against Phoenix
- Scored game-winning basket on buzzer-beating put-back against Seattle (7/31)
- Reached 1,000 career points against Washington (8/7)
- Collected 100th career assist against Indiana (7/28)
- Had 15 double-figure scoring games
- Had a season-high 19 points at Washington (7/19)
2014 Highlights with Seattle:
- Appeared in 33 games with 10 starts for Seattle
- Established career-highs for field goal (43), three-point (38.5) and free throw (73.1) shooting percentages
- Scored a season-high 20 points against Indiana (7/31), tying a career high with six made threes on nine attempts
2013 Highlights with Seattle:
- Appeared in 34 games with 21 starts for Seattle
- Started last 21 games
- Averaged 10.0 points per game
- Scored a career-high 26 points against Tulsa (9/12), hitting a career-best six three-point field goals
- Scored in double figures 16 times
- Had five points, five rebounds and five assists in two playoff games
2012 Highlights with Seattle:
- Appeared in 34 games with three starts for Seattle
- Scored five points in her WNBA debut
- Averaged 8.1 points per game, the most by any Storm rookie since Sue Bird in 2002
- Led the Storm with 13 points in their first playoff game
- Appeared in all three playoff games, collecting 20 points and 13 rebounds in 52 minutes
College Highlights:
- Wooden Award and Wade Trophy finalist
- All-SEC First Team pick during 2011-2012 season
- SEC’s No. 2 scorer and top 10 finisher in rebounds and three-point field goal percentage
- Named SEC Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and to the All-SEC First Team by the coaches and AP as a junior
- Named a State Farm All American becoming the 20th Lady Volunteer to earn the honor
- Named a USBWA All-American and a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press
- Was the SEC Tournament MVP after recording 16 points per game and 5 rebounds per game
- Named Associated Press Second Team All-SEC as a sophomore
- Named Freshman of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association
- Selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team by the league’s coaches as a unanimous selection
- Scored a career-high 27 points against Stanford (12/20/11)
Overseas Competition:
- Has played overseas in the Turkish Basketball League for Hatay, as well as in the South Korean League for the Shinhan Bank S-Birds and the KB Stars.
- Was a member of the 2008 USA Women’s U18 National Team.
Personal:
- Full name is Shekinna Paries Stricklen
- Daughter of Wayne and Karen Stricklen
- Has an older brother, Joshua
- Majored in Sociology and Criminal Justice in college
- Was a member of the Beta Club and Student Council in high school