Over the following week, SB Nation will be introducing each of the 12 members of the US Olympic Women’s Basketball team.
Four things to know about Alyssa Thomas, Team USA’s triple-double machine
Alyssa Thomas — making her first Olympic appearance this year — is a triple-double machine and one of the WNBA’s most impactful players.
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Here’s what you need to know about Alyssa Thomas, one of the most all-around players in the league.
Fast Facts
Team: Connecticut Sun (18-6)
2024 Regular Season Stats: 11.2 points (50.3% FG), 9.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists
Position: Forward
Draft Class: 2014, Pick #4
All-Star Selections: 5 (2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Previous Olympic Appearances: N/A
College: University of Maryland
Alyssa Thomas is the all-time triple-double leader in WNBA history
Thomas recorded her 10th regular season career triple-double earlier this month vs the Minnesota Lynx — the most ever by a WNBA player.
Playoff triple-doubles included, Thomas has recorded 13 total triple-doubles.
Known as “The Engine,” Thomas is famous for doing a little bit of everything, putting herself in position to regularly flirt with triple-doubles. She’s come just a rebound short of one multiple-times this season, and has served as the centerpiece of one of the winningest teams in recent WNBA history.
Last year, Thomas got the most first-place votes for league MVP
The Liberty’s Breanna Stewart won MVP last year, but it was Alyssa Thomas who recorded the most first-place votes. Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.8 steals last season.
The Sun, despite losing All-Star center Brionna Jones for the season to an achilles tear, earned a 27-13 record. Thomas’s prowess on both ends of the court – she’s also an elite defender – was a big reason why.
“I have to advocate what I’m doing,” Thomas told Yahoo Sports ahead of the MVP. “It’s not normal. It’s never been done before. It’s never been seen in this league and might never be seen again. So yeah, I think you’ve got to keep saying those kinds of things for people to realize that it’s not normal what I’ve been doing.”
Thomas is engaged to Sun teammate DeWanna Bonner
Last year, Alyssa Thomas graced the cover of SLAM alongside her fiance and Sun teammate, DeWanna Bonner. Bonner is the fifth All-Time scorer in WNBA history and the leading scorer on the Sun; Thomas leads the Sun in pretty much every other category.
Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images
The two have been dating for the past few years, and Thomas proposed to Bonner at All-Star weekend last season. Bonner is traveling to Paris to support Thomas in the Olympics, and leaving her kids stateside.
“They really are the heart and soul of this franchise,” head coach Stephanie White told the AP.
Alyssa Thomas plays with two torn labrums
If you’ve ever watched Alyssa Thomas shoot, you’ve probably noticed her form is a bit unorthodox. That’s because Thomas has two labrums and has long put off surgery to treat them.
In 2018, Thomas told Women’s Hoops World that the surgeries were definitely in her future.
“Most people wouldn’t be able to play with this type of injury, the way your shoulder is,” she said. “But I’m fortunate to have a lot of muscle that helps with the stability. But at some point I need to stop putting it off and get it fixed.”
It’s been reported that Thomas, who plays overseas in the offseason, doesn’t want to miss seven months of basketball, but the shoulder injuries are not a topic she’s frequently discussed.
Six years later, Thomas still hasn’t had the surgery and still can’t shoot from the outside — but continues to dominate the game.
