Having Come Off Bench After 9 Years, 3x WNBA Champion Alysha Clark Shares Her Transition to Aces

After receiving the Sixth Player of the Year title, Alysha Clark delved into her “seamless transition” as a basketball player. She has always been a bench player who started with Aces at a bare minimum compared to her time with Mystics. Yet she fitted the part brilliantly and provided a superb performance for Vegas in her 11th WNBA season.

Clark began her WNBA career in 2012 with the Seattle Storm, where she helped lead them to their third WNBA championship, her first in 2018. In 2020, she won again with the Storm. Clark joined the Washington Mystics in 2021. The veteran swapped teams after two seasons and finally joined the Las Vegas Aces.

Alysha Clark’s seamless transition between teams

In a recent YouTube interview, Alysha Clark opened up about her switch to the Las Vegas Aces, which was a surprise in February. When the anchor asked about how she felt, Alysha replied, “I mean, honestly, it was a seamless transition.” However, she accepted the difference between the positions she played: “The role I’ve chosen to take on this team is different; I haven’t come off the bench in the last nine years.”

Alysha has always been a bench player rather than a starter, and here she gives the most important takeaway, as the position a player takes doesn’t matter to prove their worth. She says, “I’ve never hung my hat on being a starter or not because I’ve been at every level in this league. My worth and value aren’t tied to whether I’m in the starting five or not.”

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When Chelsea Gray was out due to an injury, Alysha Clark came in to resurrect the Finals hope, and the Aces eventually succeeded as champions. She ended up winning “the Sixth Player of the Year” award.

Clark’s tale of being the sixth player of the year

A panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters recently voted for Alysha Clark as the winner of the 2023 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award. Clark received 35 out of 60 votes, making her the clear winner. Connecticut Sun guard-forward DiJonai Carrington came in second with 13 votes, followed by Chicago Sky guard Dana Evans with nine votes.

To be eligible for the award, a player must have played more games as a reserve than as a starter.

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This is the first time that Clark has received this award. She averaged 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.5 minutes per game. The honor has only added to her star power.