MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Lynx will make additional seats available in the upper level of the arena for their final regular-season home game and farewell to star point guard Lindsay Whalen.
The Lynx said Wednesday they’ve added inventory to meet ticket demand that has surged since the 36-year-old Whalen announced Monday she’ll retire after this season . The club will hold an on-court celebration of Whalen’s career following the game Sunday against the Washington Mystics.
The Lynx have clinched a spot in the WNBA playoffs , but they have not guaranteed themselves a home game.
Whalen is in her 15th year in the league. She was recently hired as the head coach at Minnesota, her alma mater and native state’s flagship university.
Minneapolis (WCCO) — After 15 seasons of dominant play in the WNBA, Minnesota Lynx star Lindsay Whalen is calling it quits.
On Monday, the Hutchinson, Minnesota, native announced she will retire from the WNBA after the 2018 season.
“I would like to announce that after 15 seasons in the WNBA I am going to retire after the 2018 season,” Whalen said. “I would like to thank the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun, and the Minnesota Lynx for believing in me all of these years. I look forward to the next chapter in my basketball career and wish my Lynx coaches and teammates all of the best in the future.”
According to the team, Whalen will finish her career as the Lynx’s franchise leader in assists, while ranking second in games played and fourth in scoring. She’s also a four-time WNBA champion.
“At season’s end Lindsay Whalen will retire as the winningest point guard in the history of the WNBA,” said Lynx coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve.
“I feel so fortunate to have been on the sidelines for so many of her wins. Lindsay’s will to win made her special, along with always putting her team and teammates first. I will always cherish the times we spent together over the last eight years bringing championships to her home state of Minnesota.”
Whalen racked up 322 victories during her WNBA career with 54 of them in the postseason.
In April, the University of Minnesota selected Whalen to be coach of the women’s basketball team.
Whalen has become an iconic figure in Minnesota, and it started at the University of Minnesota, for which she was the first three-time All-American in program history, along with being a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
