Tanisha Wright

In today's globalized world, Tanisha Wright has become a topic of great relevance and interest for various industries and societies. Since its impact on the economy, politics, culture and even people's daily lives, Tanisha Wright has acquired significant importance worldwide. As time progresses, Tanisha Wright continues to be the subject of debate and analysis, creating both opportunities and challenges for those involved in its study and understanding. In this article, we will explore different aspects related to Tanisha Wright, its influence in different areas and how its evolution has marked a before and after in contemporary history.

Tanisha Wright
Wright in 2018
Chicago Sky
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1983-11-29) November 29, 1983 (age 41)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolWest Mifflin
(West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
CollegePenn State (2001–2005)
WNBA draft2005: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Drafted bySeattle Storm
Playing career2005–2019
PositionShooting guard
Number30
Career history
As a player:
2005–2014Seattle Storm
2015–2016New York Liberty
2018Minnesota Lynx
2019New York Liberty
As a coach:
2017–2021Charlotte (assistant)
2020–2021Las Vegas Aces (assistant)
2022–2024Atlanta Dream
2025–presentChicago Sky (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Tanisha Lovely Wright (born November 29, 1983) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Penn State. During her junior season, Wright helped led her team to the Elite Eight, where they fell to the eventual national champion, Connecticut.[1] She ranks fourth in school history in points scored with 1,995 points in 134 career games. She was selected 12th overall in the 2005 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. Wright played in the WNBA for 14 seasons with the Storm, New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.

Wright began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Charlotte while still playing in the WNBA. After her retirement, she served as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces from 2020 to 2021.[2] After the 2021 WNBA season, Wright was named the head coach of the Atlanta Dream, a position she held until 2024.

High school career

Born in West Mifflin, she attended the suburban Pittsburgh West Mifflin Area High School, where she played basketball and soccer. She led the team to the W.P.I.A.L (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) basketball district finals in her junior year. The team lost a close game 81–78 to Blackhawk High School in Triple Overtime. Tanisha fouled out in the beginning of the final overtime. She led the game with 51 points. She went on to lead her team to the next seasons finals once again against Blackhawk, where she led the team in a 63–53 victory. She went on to take her team to the state finals, where they lost a close game to Allentown Central Catholic high school 56–45. The team's record was 31–1, their only loss coming in the state finals.

College career

Penn State statistics

Source[3]

Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001-02 Penn State 35 355 45.4 10.5 78.2 4.0 2.8 1.8 0.6 10.1
2002-03 Penn State 35 560 50.7 25.0 76.2 5.4 4.0 2.6 0.5 16.0
2003-04 Penn State 34 502 48.3 25.0 83.2 4.7 4.1 1.7 0.3 14.8
2004-05 Penn State 30 578 41.4 20.0 80.3 4.5 3.6 1.9 0.4 19.3
Career Penn State 134 1995 46.3 20.0 79.5 4.6 3.6 2.0 0.5 14.9

WNBA career

Wright at Madison Square Garden in 2015
Wright in 2018

Wright helped the Seattle Storm win their second championship in 2010.[4]

On February 2, 2015, Wright signed as a free agent with the New York Liberty[5]

In 2017, it was announced that Wright would be sitting out part of the 2017 WNBA season to rest.[6]

On March 13, 2018, Wright signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Lynx.[7]

Wright was traded back to the New York Liberty on April 11, 2019, in exchange for a second-round draft pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. Following the 2019 season, Wright announced her retirement.

Coaching career

Wright began her coaching career while still playing in the WNBA as an assistant at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers in 2017.[8]

The Las Vegas Aces announced the hiring of Wright as an assistant coach in 2020.[9] Wright was known as a defensive specialist and helped coach the Aces into one of the league's best defensive teams.

On October 12, 2021, Wright was announced as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream.[10] On October 2, 2024, the Dream announced that it had parted ways with Wright.[11]

On January 4, 2025, Wright was named an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky under head coach Tyler Marsh.[12]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader
† Denotes seasons in which Wright won a WNBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2005 Seattle 34 8 15.5 .462 .000 .667 1.7 1.6 0.5 0.1 1.2 3.6
2006 Seattle 33 0 15.4 .353 .143 .844 1.8 1.2 0.3 0.1 1.6 3.8
2007 Seattle 34 5 16.1 .400 .273 .846 1.3 2.0 0.9 0.1 1.6 4.1
2008 Seattle 34 14 23.8 .432 .167 .787 3.4 2.5 0.9 0.2 2.3 7.9
2009 Seattle 33 33 32.5 .463 .267 .906 3.5 3.9 1.5 0.3 2.6 12.2
2010† Seattle 34 34 29.1 .410 .411 .844 3.3 4.5 1.2 0.3 2.1 9.2
2011 Seattle 33 32 28.9 .492 .367 .897 3.2 2.9 1.2 0.0 2.7 10.1
2012 Seattle 32 32 29.8 .373 .192 .859 3.0 4.4 1.2 0.1 2.7 7.9
2013 Seattle 34 34 30.9 .440 .283 .855 3.7 4.1 1.1 0.2 2.9 11.9
2014 Seattle 29 29 25.5 .417 .278 .795 2.3 3.6 0.9 0.1 2.1 8.0
2015 New York 34 34 23.7 .420 .364 .845 2.4 3.5 0.8 0.1 2.1 7.4
2016 New York 29 28 23.0 .401 .235 .717 2.3 3.6 0.9 0.2 2.3 6.7
2018 Minnesota 33 4 17.8 .383 .396 .741 1.6 2.0 0.5 0.1 1.3 4.3
2019 New York 31 17 19.8 .415 .368 .806 2.8 4.1 1.0 0.3 1.8 4.7
Career 14 years, 3 teams 457 304 23.7 .424 .308 .833 2.6 3.1 0.9 0.2 2.1 7.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2005 Seattle 3 0 12.7 .200 .000 1.000 1.7 2.3 1.0 0.0 0.7 3.0
2006 Seattle 2 0 6.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0
2007 Seattle 2 0 21.0 .467 .000 1.000 2.5 2.5 0.5 0.5 3.0 9.0
2008 Seattle 3 3 34.3 .412 .500 .750 5.7 2.7 2.0 0.0 3.7 13.7
2009 Seattle 3 3 32.7 .342 .250 1.000 5.3 5.3 1.7 0.0 3.0 11.7
2010† Seattle 7 7 28.7 .446 .357 .571 2.6 2.9 1.3 0.1 2.7 9.6
2011 Seattle 3 3 28.0 .588 .600 .833 4.0 2.3 1.7 0.3 3.0 18.7
2012 Seattle 3 3 37.3 .462 .400 .889 3.7 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.3 11.3
2013 Seattle 2 2 35.0 .583 .333 .000 2.0 3.0 2.0 0.0 3.0 14.5
2015 New York 6 6 27.3 .516 .500 .714 2.7 3.8 1.5 0.0 1.7 6.5
2016 New York 1 1 28.0 .714 .333 .000 1.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 4.0 21.0
2018 Minnesota 1 0 23.0 .333 .000 .000 3.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 4.0
Career 12 years, 3 teams 36 28 27.1 .469 .388 .776 3.0 3.3 1.3 0.1 2.4 9.8

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Atlanta 2022 36 14 22 .389 5th in Eastern — — — — Missed playoffs
Atlanta 2023 40 19 21 .475 3rd in Eastern 2 0 2 .000 Lost in 1st Round
Atlanta 2024 40 15 25 .375 4th in Eastern 2 0 2 .000 Lost in 1st Round
Career 116 48 68 .414 4 0 4 .000

Overseas career

Seasons Team Country
2007–2008 Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C.  Israel
2008–2009 Tarbes GB  France
2009–2010 Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia  Poland
2010–2011 Elitzur Ramla  Israel
2013–2015
2016–present 		Abdullah Gul University Kayseri  Turkey

References

  1. ^ "2004 Women's NCAA Tournament Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  2. ^ "Aces Finalize 2020 Coaching Staff As 14-Year WNBA Veteran Tanisha Wright Joins Laimbeer, Johnson". WNBA.com. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved 26 Sep 2015.
  4. ^ Voepel, Mechelle (16 September 2010). "Second title even sweeter for Storm". ESPN. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  5. ^ Liberty Sign Wright, Swords and Allen Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "WNBA: Wright to rest, will miss upcoming season". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  7. ^ Andrews, Julian (March 14, 2018). "Tanisha Wright To Bring Defensive Grit To Lynx". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  8. ^ "Tanisha Wright - Women's Basketball Coach". Charlotte Athletics. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  9. ^ Destin, Andrew (May 13, 2020). "Former Penn State women's basketball star hired as WNBA assistant". Daily Collegian. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  10. ^ "Atlanta Dream names Dan Padover as General Manager, Darius Taylor as Assistant General Manager – Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  11. ^ "The Atlanta Dream have made the difficult decision to part ways with head coach Tanisha Wright". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  12. ^ "Chicago Sky Add Tanisha Wright to Coaching Staff". sky.wnba.com. Retrieved 2025-01-05.