Taj McWilliams-Franklin #8 Forward/Center

Background

2011: Completed her first season with the Lynx and 13th season in the WNBA by again playing in all 34 contests; she's now appeared in 138 consecutive games since August 2007... Came off the bench June 30 at Tulsa, just the fourth reserve appearance of her career... Averaged 8.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg and a team-high 0.71 bpg while playing 28.4 mpg; she ranked 16th in rebounding and led all centers in assists (2.4 apg)... Shot 44.4% from the field and 77.0% from the FT line, boosting her FG accuracy to 49.7% (80-for-161) over her final 21 contests... Matched her career best (and tied a team season high) by swiping five steals vs. Washington on Aug. 30... The Aug. 23 game at Tulsa was the 400th of her career; she's the sixth player in WNBA history to reach that plateau (T. Smith, Penicheiro, Thompson, V. Johnson, K. Smith)... The season-high 18 points Aug. 23 at Tulsa marked the second time she was Minnesota's top scorer; she ahd a season-high three blocks Aug. 26 vs. San Antonio... Tied her season-high with five assists Aug. 18 at Washington... Sank the game-winning jumper with :01.3 to play Aug. 4 vs. San Antonio; her 18 points marked her sixth straight double-digit effort... Posted her lone double-double Aug. 2 vs. Phoenix (11 points, 10 rebounds), and was the Lynx' top rebounder on 10 occasions... Logged a season-high 37:28 July 31 at San Antonio... Pulled in 12 rebounds June 19 in Atlanta, her top total since August 2009... Passed the 12,000-minute mark July 13 vs. Phoenix, and grabbed her 1000th career offensive rebound Aug. 28 vs. San Antonio. 2010: Signed in the offseason by the New York Liberty... For the fourth consecutive and seventh out of the last eight seasons, started in every game she played in (34)... Averaged in double figures (10.6 ppg) over a full season for 10th time in her career... Pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game... Finished 7th in the league in field-goal percentage (.511)... Scored in double-figures 23 times and pulled down 10+ rebounds six occasions... Scored a season-high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds on July 6 at Seattle... 2009: Started in all 34 games she appeared in... Scored in double figures 17 times and grabbed 10 or more rebounds seven times...Ranked 13th in the WNBA in rebounds per game (6.6), 9th in field goal percentage (.491) and 16th in assists per game (2.9)... 2008: Appeared in 26 games (all starts) for Washington, while averaging 13.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg before being traded to Detroit... Started in all seven match-ups she appeared in as a member of the Shock, averaging 10.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg... Led Detroit in scoring once, rebounds four times and assists once... 2007: Appeared in 29 games, with 27 starts for Los Angeles... Averaged in double figures for the eighth season of her career, and fifth consecutive summer... Named a WNBA All-Star for the sixth time of her career, and first as a member of the Western Conference... 2006: Appeared in 32 of 34 games... Collected double figure rebounds 16 times... Registered 3,000th career point... No. 2 leading rebounder in the WNBA... Set single-season franchise records for total rebounds (306), defensive rebounds (202), rebound average (9.6) and double-doubles (12)... Named WNBA Player of the Week twice, as well as WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA Second Team... 2005: Started in all 34 games she appeared in and led the Sun in rebounding 16 times... Ranked No. 4 in the WNBA in rebounds per game (7.3)... Became the 22nd player in WNBA history to reach the 2,500-point mark... Scored in double figures 28 times, a single-season career high and in rebounds nine times... Selected as the recipient of the 2005 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, and named to the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team... 2004: Started in all 34 games she appeared in during the 2004 season and led the Sun in rebounding... Posted in double digits 24 times and reached double figures in rebounds seven times... Ranked amongst WNBA's top 10 statistical leaders in 12 categories... Selected to play on a WNBA All-Star team that faced United States Olympic team in a tune-up game at Radio City Music Hall... 2003: Started in all 34 games she appeared in while leading the Sun in rebounds and blocked shot... Scored in double figures 17 times... Started in all 34 games she appeared in during the 2004 season and led the Sun in rebounding... Posted in double digits 24 times and reached double figures in rebounds seven times... Ranked amongst WNBA's top 10 statistical leaders in 12 categories... Selected to play on a WNBA All-Star team that faced United States Olympic team in a tune-up game at Radio City Music Hall... 2002: Appeared in 13 games with 12 starts due to pregnancy... Prior to being placed on the injured list, led the team in rebounding five times... 2001: Started in all 32 games she appeared in... Ranked amongst WNBA's top 20 statistical leaders in scoring (16th, 12.6) and rebounds (8th, 7.6)... Named to third consecutive WNBA All-Star team... Posted in double figures 27 times and led the team in rebounds 20 times... 2000: Appeared in 32 games with 32 starts in 2000, while leading the team in scoring (13.7) and rebounds (7.6)... Named to the 2000 Eastern Conference All-Star team as a starter... 1999: Started in all 32 games she appeared in and led the team in rebounds per game (7.5)... Named to the 1999 Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Playoffs
2011:Captured her second career WNBA Championship in her ninth career postseason appearance with her fifth different team… Started all eight contests, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game… Dished out a single-game postseason career-high seven assists in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to go along with 21 points and six rebounds. 2010: Earned her eighth career trip to the WNBA postseason... In five games, all starts, averaged 8.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in 30.4 mpg... 2009: Appeared in five games with five starts, and posted 10 points in Game Two versus Atlanta to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals... 2008: Appeared in all nine post-season games, en route to winning her first WNBA Championship... Led the team in rebounds four times and assists three times... Registered 400th career playoff point and pulled down the 250th playoff rebound in series versus Indiana... 2006: Averaged 12.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg for a second consecutive post-season, which remains to be a career-best... 2005: Led the Sun in scoring (15.9) throughout the post-season, and led all players in the WNBA Finals in boards per game (12.3)... Set a franchise record of 16 rebounds in Game Two of the Finals... 2004: Led the Sun in rebounds (59) and steals (13) while leading the franchise to the Conference Finals... 2003: Averaged 16.3 ppg (still a career-high) and 7.5 rpg in four playoff games, all starts... 2000: Averaged 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in 2000 First Round loss to Cleveland Rockers.

Professional
Drafted in 1996 (40th overall) by the Richmond Rage of the American Basketball League (ABL); she played three seasons with the franchise in Richmond and Philadelphia... Led the ABL in blocks with 1.5 per game and ranked fifth in field goal percentage (.528)... Member of the 1997 All-ABL second team... Finished the 1996-97 season ranked first in the ABL in blocked shots (1.5), second in rebounds (8.5), third in field goal percentage (.540) and eighth in steals (2.1).

Overseas
2010-11: Began her 2010-11 WNBA offseason in Spain playing for Ros Casares... Averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games in the Spanish Domestic League... Moved on to Russia where she played with Spartak Moscow... In 16 Superleague games, averaged 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor... Led Spartak to the EuroLeague Finals, averaging 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in eight EuroLeague games... 2009-10: Competed for Frisco Sika Bano in the Czech Republic; averaged 12.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg through 16 Euroleague games... 2008-09: Returned to Famila Schio Beretta (Italy) for the offseason... 2007-08: Spent her winter in Turkey, with Galatasaray... 2006-07: After having knee surgery in the 2007 off-season, played in winter of 2007 in Israel... 2005-06: Spent parts of the offseason in Russia and Korea... Played for Spartak Moscow and the Shinhan Bank S-Birds in South Korea, where she won the Korean title and was named the Finals MVP... 2004-05: Spent the WNBA off-season in Italy with Lavezzini Parma of the FIBA EuroLeague... 2003-04: Was a dominant center for Gambrinus JME Brno of the Czech Republic during the 2004 WNBA off-season... 2002-03: Played for Puig D'En Valls, Ibiza, Spain... 1999-01: Played in Italy for Famila Schio... Has also played in Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Greece and Israel.

College
1993 NAIA National Player of the Year, 1993 Kodak NAIA All-America team, 1992 NAIA All-America Second Team, two-time (1992, 1993) NAIA All-Tournament Team member... Set records at St. Edwards for career scoring (1,837 points), most points scored for a single season (760), highest scoring average (24.5 ppg) and highest field goal percentage (.640)... Transferred to St. Edwards after one season at Georgia State (1989-90).