Katie Smith

A veteran of nearly 20 seasons of professional basketball, Katie Smith quietly and confidently established herself as one of the top female players of the modern era. Smith’s leadership qualities shone immediately at The Ohio State University where she led the Buckeyes to the NCAA Final Four as a freshman in 1993. Eight years later, Ohio State would honor the 1996 Big Ten Player of the Year as the first female student-athlete in school history to have her number retired. After a successful collegiate career, the Ohio native led the ABL’s Columbus Quest to the only championships in league history in 1996 and 1997. The seven-time WNBA All-Star then won two more championships with the Detroit Shock of the WNBA and was a two-time First Team All-WNBA performer during her time with the Minnesota Lynx. In 2011, Smith was named one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All-Time. She retired in 2013 as the all-time leading scorer in women’s professional basketball. The 2006 WNBA All-Decade member won three Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004, and 2008.