Charlisse Leger-Walker has finished her first season in the WNBA the way few rookies get to, on the court for a win in a sold-out arena on a night of franchise history. The New Zealand point guard started for the Connecticut Sun in a 95-81 victory over the Toronto Tempo at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on Thursday night, United States time, the last game the Sun will ever play in Connecticut before the club moves to Houston.
The 25-year-old from Hamilton was the only Sun player to start all 44 games this season, RNZ reported. She logged 1041 minutes, more than anyone else on the roster, and her 160 assists were the second most by any rookie in the league. She averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 assists a game.
In the finale she played 14 minutes and scored seven points, making three of her four shots from the field and her only free throw, according to the ESPN box score. She also had two rebounds and an assist, and the Sun were two points better than Toronto while she was on the floor.
In an exit interview on the eve of the game, Leger-Walker said she was sad to see her rookie year end but would come home a better player. “I think the thing that I’m most proud of is probably my growth and my confidence of stepping onto the floor and trying to play the same way regardless of our wins and losses,” she said, as quoted by RNZ.
That last line matters, because there were a lot more losses than wins. The win over Toronto snapped a six-game losing streak, and both teams finished with 11 wins and 33 losses, well short of the playoffs. The Associated Press, in a match report carried by The Globe and Mail, noted that five of the ten Sun players who took the court on the final night were rookies. For a young guard on a rebuilding team, starting every game and running the offence through a losing season is the kind of work that builds a career.
The night itself belonged to Connecticut. The franchise moved to Uncasville from Orlando after the 2002 season and spent 24 years there, reaching the WNBA finals in 2004, 2005 and 2022. It will play next season in Houston under the Comets name, the title carried by the league’s first champion team. A sellout crowd of 8911 turned out, many in the orange shirts Sun fans have worn for years, and long-time season ticket holders were honoured before the game.
Aaliyah Edwards scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half as the Sun led 38-36 at the break, then pulled away in the third quarter. Ashlon Jackson led the team with 18 points and Raegan Beers added 17. Kiki Rice top-scored for Toronto with 28.
When the final buzzer went, team president Jen Rizzotti took a microphone and spoke to the crowd. “You guys have been our family for 24 years,” Rizzotti said. “I know how hard it is. You have proved that Connecticut deserves a WNBA team.”
General manager Morgan Tuck, who played for the Sun, said the club’s time in Connecticut had mattered. “The legacy is that we had a positive impact on a lot of people,” Tuck said, according to the AP. Coach Rachid Meziane told the players that goodbyes could wait until the game was over. “People will never forget this franchise, never forget the name on the jersey,” Meziane said.
For Leger-Walker, there is little time to reflect. She is heading straight home to play for the Tokomanawa Queens in the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa league, the national women’s competition, which starts this weekend. She will play alongside her older sister Krystal, and she is bringing a Connecticut team-mate with her. American guard Hailey Van Lith, an Olympic bronze medallist in three-on-three basketball, signed with the Porirua-based Queens last week after the two spent the season together in the Sun backcourt. Van Lith had 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the final game.
Leger-Walker is not expected to play in the opening round. RNZ reports she will make her debut for the Queens at home against Mainland Pouakai on 4 October.
It has been a big year. In April she won the NCAA college championship with UCLA, then was taken 18th overall in the WNBA draft by Connecticut, the first New Zealander drafted into the league. When she made her debut in May she became the first New Zealander to play in the WNBA since Megan Compain in 1997.
The move to Houston means she will start her second WNBA season in a new city with a new name on the front of her jersey. Before that, New Zealand basketball fans get a rare chance to watch a WNBA regular up close, playing in a league that is still only a few years old.
Will you be heading along to watch Charlisse Leger-Walker and Hailey Van Lith play for the Tokomanawa Queens this season? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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