Meet the Greatest WNBA Centers of All Time

These are the WNBA players who stand quite literally above the rest.

In 1996, the Women’s National Basketball Association was founded as the NBA’s counterpart, home to some of the greatest female basketball players in the world. And those who play center are some of the most fun to watch. Typically the team’s tallest player, they often play closest to the basket, either rebounding on defense or dunking the ball on offense.

So, which WNBA players played center the best? These are the women who stand quite literally above the rest.

3. Sylvia Fowles

Lorie Shaull / Wikimedia Commons

WNBA career: 15 seasons (2008-2022)

Teams: Chicago Sky (2008-14), Minnesota Lynx (2015-22)

Bottom line: As a four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Sylvia Fowles also became the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds in 2020.

She led the Lynx to two WNBA Championship wins in 2015 and 2017 and was named the WNBA Finals MVP both times.

2. Lauren Jackson

Bidgee / Wikimedia Commons

WNBA career: 12 seasons (2001-12)

Teams: Seattle Storm

Bottom line: Lauren Jackson played both center and power forward, and her rise to the WNBA was similar to the NBA players of that era. She never played college basketball, and she had already won the Women’s National Basketball League MVP twice in Australia before signing on with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.

Her impact on the team was huge in that she led the Storm to two WNBA titles and won three WNBA MVP awards during her career. In 2007, she was also named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

1. Lisa Leslie

Eric Gay / AP Photo

WNBA career: 13 seasons (1997-2009)

Teams: Los Angeles Sparks

Bottom line: Lisa Leslie is one of the most recognizable players in WNBA history. She also happens to be its greatest center — ever.

Leslie was a powerhouse for the Los Angeles Sparks during all 13 of her seasons with the team. Along with Jackson, she is one of only three players in the league to ever win WNBA MVP three times.

For more of the greatest female basketball players, check out “Greatest WNBA Players of All Time.”