Top 20 Players | #2 – Seimone Augustus
Julian Andrews
August 14, 2018
Before the legends, before the championships, before the dynasty, there was Seimone Augustus.
Augustus is the longest-tenured player in Lynx history. She’s the franchise leader in games played, games started and minutes. But Augustus has done more than just play a ton of games for Minnesota—she’s starred in them.
The crafty shooting guard is an incredible scorer with one of the best crossovers in the game. Her ability to put the ball in the basket is legendary, and you can tell from her numbers. Augustus is the Lynx’s leading scorer of all time, and also leads the franchise in made field goals. She’s averaged double-digits in each of her 13 seasons in the league and averaged more than 15 points per game in nine.
The Lynx brought Augustus to Minnesota with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 WNBA draft. She was coming off a sterling senior season with the LSU Tigers where she averaged 22.7 points per game on 56.1-percent shooting while playing with future Lynx teammate Sylvia Fowles.
Augustus took the league by storm her rookie year, averaging 21.9 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. She continued to thrive in the following years, but the Lynx didn’t find much success as a team.
The 2009 and 2010 seasons represented somewhat of a turning point in Augustus’ career. She missed all but six games in 2009, and was severely hampered by injury in 2010 as well. She returned to the Lynx in 2011 to a revamped squad that included Lindsay Whalen and the newly-drafted Maya Moore.
On the 2011 team, a fully-healthy Augustus thrived. Amidst a wealth of offensive talent, she led the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game.
Augustus also played in and started every game of the regular season and the team’s championship run. In the playoffs, Augustus averaged an incredible 22.0 points per game. She also tied with Whalen in leading the team assists in the playoffs with an average of 3.8 per game. Augustus’ efforts earned her the 2011 Finals MVP.
Augustus was also the team’s primary defender during their first few championship runs, using her strength, quickness and intelligence to keep opposing players from scoring.
After the 2011 title run, Augustus led the team in scoring for one more season before ceding the team’s primary scoring duties to Moore. Since then, Augustus has constantly reshaped her game as a complimentary option—a testament to both her basketball smarts and her unselfishness.
Augustus’ resume is extensive. In addition to her four championships, she has been named to six All-WNBA teams, including one first-team appearance in 2012. She’s also been named to eight All-Star games, a franchise high, and was part of the WNBA’s 20@20 team, honoring the league’s best 20 players in the league’s 20th season.
On her career, Augustus holds averages of 16.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In international competition, she’s won three Olympic Gold Medals and a FIBA World Championship.
Augustus has earned her place in history as one of the best to ever suit up for the Lynx. Generations of young players will try to imitate her sneaky handles and killer crossover in their driveways. She’s truly one of the greats.