Kelsey Plum and Sami Whitcomb are former representatives of the Huskies program who will be on the court for their respective WNBA teams Friday, while Aari McDonald will look to pick back up with a new team when she's healthy.
The Washington Huskies women's basketball team is currently looking to build off its best season in over a decade.
The Huskies finished last season 22-11 and advanced to the Round of 32 of the 2026 NCAA tournament. Washington beat the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the opening round of the tourney to give head Tina Langley her first March Madness win in three trips and the program its first win in the dance since 2017.
While Washington will be looking to take the next step forward as a team and a program, several of the best players in the history of Huskies women's basketball will be looking to make an impact at the professional level with their respective WNBA teams.
The WNBA season opens Friday and Washington will have few, but notable representatives in the Association.
Here's a list of the three players who will be on the court for their respective WNBA teams this weekend.
Kelsey Plum, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Arguably the best player in Huskies history and one of the most notable names in the WNBA, point guard Kelsey Plum, will suit up for the Los Angeles Sparks in a game against her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, at 3 p.m. PT on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Sunday will mark the first game in Plum's 10th season in the WNBA. It will be her second with the Sparks after spending the first eight with the Aces (who were also known as the San Antonio Stars before relocating to Vegas).
Plum helped lead Washington to its only Final Four appearance in program history in 2026. She was named the Associated Press Player of the Year in 2017.
Plum was picked with the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the then-Stars.
Plum is a two-time WNBA champion, four-time WNBA All-Star, one-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year (2021) and one-time All-WNBA first team selection (2022).
Sami Whitcomb, G, Phoenix Mercury
Whitcomb played with Washington from 2006-10. She went unpicked in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She had a six-year international career before signing with the Seattle Storm in 2017. She was a one-time All-Pac 10 selection in 2010.
Whitcomb has been a consistent presence in the WNBA since being signed by the Storm and won the WNBA championship twice with the Pacific Northwest franchise ('18, '20).
Whitcomb will begin her second season with the Phoenix Mercury when they play the Aces at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb looks on after attempting a shot during a WNBA preseason game against Japan on April 29 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. | Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images.Aari McDonald, G, Indiana Fever
Aari McDonald is more remembered for her time with the Arizona Wildcats from 2018-21 but played her first college season with the Huskies in the '16-17 season.
In her lone year with Washington, McDonald averaged 9.8 points on 47.3% shooting across 28 games (21 starts) in addition to 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals.
In her first year with the Fever last season, McDonald won the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
McDonald is currently recovering from a right foot fracture and is a free agent.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our HUSKIES ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Washington fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!