Akin to Alysha Clark, How Many WNBA Champions Have Won Titles Overseas?

The WNBA Championship Finals ended on Wednesday when the reigning champions – the Las Vegas Aces – beat the New York Liberty at the Barclays Centre in New York. The Aces thus won the competition by a decent margin of 3-1. Their captain A?ja Wilson was named the Finals MVP for her spectacular performance.

The competition level of the WNBA is such that players from the league are in heavy demand throughout the world.

Which Players have won titles in the overseas leagues?

One such champion is Alysha Clark who has not only won the WNBA Championship thrice in 2018, 2020, and 2023 but also amassed a huge following in overseas leagues with her award-winning performances.

The 36-year-old has won the Israeli Championship thrice in 2015, 2016, and 2023. As per the Jewish Virtual Library, Clark was inducted into the Israeli Championship during 2010 by Ramat Hasharon and was awarded the Domestic Player of the Year award during her first year. However, the championship title came while playing for Maccabi Ashdod in 2015 and 2016. She was also named Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and was selected as First Team All-Star.

In addition to the Israeli basketball Championship, Alysha also won the Ligue F?minine de Basketball champion in 2019. Ligue F?minine de Basketball champion is a women?s French basketball league and Alysha plied her trade for the Lyon. The Lyon defeated the Lattes-Montpellier 3-2 in a best-of-five championship series in 2019 to clinch the trophy. The Denver-born has also participated in the Polish women?s basketball league and was named the Basket Liga Kobiet MVP in 2018.

The other WNBA 2023 champions to have won overseas titles are – Chelsea Gray, Candace Parker, Kelsey Plum and Kiah Stokes.

Chelsea has won the Turkish Women?s Basketball Cup in 2020 when she signed with the Turkish team Fenerbah?e. The Finals were contested between Fenerbah?e and ?zmit Belediyespor in which the former emerged victorious by a decent margin of 77-61. As per Basketball stats247, after conceding the first quarter to ?zmit Belediyespor, Fenerbah?e upped their tempo and won the next three quarters. With this title, Fenerbah?e progressed their tally of titles to 13, the highest by any team in the Turkish League.

Candance Parker- Parker won the Russian National League five times straight from 2011 to 2015 after signing up for the UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian League. Her team clean swept the opponent – the Spartak Moscow Region – thrice from 2011 to 2013 and then upended the Nadezhda Orenburg during 2014 and 2015. The UMMC Ekaterinburg holds the Russian National League Title for a record 16 times.

In addition to the Russian National League, Parker has also added the Russian Cup from 2010-14 to her list of titles. With the UMMC Ekaterinburg, Parker also clinched the Euro League in 2013 after defeating the Fenerbah?e Istanbul by a blowout margin of 82-56. Parker?s performance stood out as she basketed a whopping 24 points with 11 rebounds. Thus, she achieved a double-double in the Finals.

Read More: With A?ja Wilson?s Aces on the Cusp of History, Which Team Won Back-to-Back WNBA Championships?

Next on the list is Las Vegas Aces? point guard Kelsey Plum. Plum signed with the Fenerbah?e during 2017-18 off season and propelled her squad to win the Turkish Super League title. During the next season, Plum again won the Turkish Super League title after defeating the ?ukurova Basketbol 3-1. Furthermore, she helped her team grab the coveted Turkish Cup.

The last on the list from current champions is Kiah Stokes. Stokes just like Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum signed with the celebrated Turkish Club – the Fenerbah?e and won the Turkish Super League Championship four times – 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. She provided the impetus for her team to defeat the ?ukurova Basketbol in 2019, 2022 and 2023 whereas during the 2021 Finals her squad trumped the Galatasaray.

Stokes also won the Turkish Cup with the team by decimating the Bota? and the ?zmit Belediyespor during 2019 and 2020. Stokes even grabbed the Turkish Presidential Cup with the Fenerbah?e in 2019, making it their 12th win – the most in the women’s Turkish League.

WATCH THIS STORY: After the First Game Slipup Can Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart Lead the New York Liberty for an Inspiring Comeback

Thus, Chelsea Gray, Candace Parker, Kiah Stokes, Kelsey Plum, and Alysha Clark have not only cemented their stature in the WNBA but also helped their team achieve great heights in the overseas leagues in which they have participated.