Taj McWilliams - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Taj McWilliams-Franklin is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Women's basketball

Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...

player. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, she plays the power forward

Power forward (basketball)

Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

position in the WNBA

Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

, playing for the Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx

The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

. Born Taj McWilliams, she married Reggie Franklin in 2003 and her name became Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

A two-time WNBA champion and six-time all-star, McWilliams-Franklin's professional career has spanned three decades, and began before the WNBA was founded. Currently the WNBA's oldest player, McWilliams-Franklin has earned the nickname "Mama Taj" from teammates.

College years

After attending T. W. Josey High School

T. W. Josey High School

T. W. Josey Comprehensive High School is a public high school in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Josey's campus is located several blocks south of the Medical District. The campus is bounded by 15th Street to the east, Essie McIntyre St...

in Augusta

Augusta, Georgia

Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, she attended Georgia State University

Georgia State University

Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...

in 1989 and played on the school's basketball team for one season. However, McWilliams-Franklin had become pregnant during her senior year in high school, and after the coach who recruited her to Georgia State was let go, the incoming staff told her "school was no place for kids." McWilliams-Franklin moved to Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, where a friend connected her with St. Edward's University

St. Edward's University

St. Edward's University is a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located south of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The university offers a liberal arts education and its campus is located on a hill overlooking the city of Austin. The campus's most notable landmark is Main...

coach Dave McKey. McWilliams-Franklin enrolled at St. Edwards as a Rhetoric major.

While at St. Edward's, she set school records and individual achievements, including:

NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

National Player of the Year in 1993.
Selected to the 1993 Kodak NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

n team.
Member of the 1992 NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

second team.
Set school records 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).

McWilliams-Franklin said that after her first year at St. Edward's, she had the potential opportunity to transfer to a Division I

Division I

Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States....

school, but declined to pursue it, because she "felt loyalty is rewarded with loyalty."

ABL career

McWilliams-Franklin was drafted in 1996 (40th overall pick) and played two seasons for the Philadelphia Rage

Philadelphia Rage

The Richmond Rage, which after one year relocated to become the Philadelphia Rage, were one of the eight original franchises of the American Basketball League , a women's professional basketball league...

of the American Basketball League (ABL). She led the league in blocks with 1.5 per game and ranked fifth in field goal percentage (.528). She was also a member of the 1997 All-ABL second team.

WNBA career

McWilliams-Franklin was selected by the Orlando Miracle

Orlando Miracle

The Orlando Miracle was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Orlando, Florida. They began play in the 1999 WNBA season. The Miracle relocated, in 2003,to Uncasville, Connecticut where the team became the Connecticut Sun...

in the third round (32nd overall pick) of the 1999 WNBA Draft

1999 WNBA Draft

1999 WNBA Draft - 6 April 1999*On September 15, 1998, two more players were assigned prior to the expansion draft.*On April 6, 1999 a WNBA expansion draft took place.*On May 3, 1999 another round of player allocation took place....

. She starred for the Miracle for 4 years and remained with the franchise even when the Miracle relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

, and was renamed the Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun

The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...

prior to the 2003 season. From 1999 to 2008, McWilliams-Franklin played in six WNBA All-Star Games.

She was also a member of the starting team of the 2004 WNBA all-star

2004 WNBA All-Star Game

In order to allow players to participate in the 2004 Summer Olympics, the WNBA took a month-long break. However, prior to the teams heading to Athens, the WNBA hosted an exhibition game between the U.S. Olympic Team and a team of WNBA stars....

squad that played against a select group of players (who were also WNBA players) from the USA Basketball

USA Basketball

USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...

team. That game was held on August 4, 2004 at the historic Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...

in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. The game was held in place of the regular WNBA All-Star Game and was a send-off for the USA Basketball squad prior to their participation at the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

in Athens, Greece.

McWilliams-Franklin was the recipient of the 2005 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award

Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award

The Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the league's inaugural season, to the player who most "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court—ethical behavior, fair play and integrity." This is the same criterion used by the...

. She was awarded a Tiffany

Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...

-designed trophy and $5,000. In addition, she designated an additional $5,000 to go to the Mary Elizabeth House in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

. She was also 2nd team all WNBA in 2005.

In February 2007, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

in exchange for the draft rights of Erika DeSouza and a future selection in the 2007 WNBA Draft

2007 WNBA Draft

The 2007 WNBA Draft was the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league....

.

On April 22, 2008 the Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks

traded McWilliams-Franklin to the Washington Mystics

Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...

for Delisha Milton-Jones

DeLisha Milton-Jones

DeLisha Milton-Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association . Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. In her twelve-season WNBA career, she has played for the Washington Mystics and Los...

. On August 12, 2008 McWilliams-Franklin was traded to the Detroit Shock

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

for Tasha Humphrey

Tasha Humphrey

Tasha Humphrey is a professional basketball player. She played the center position for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA until being waived 6 July 2009. Her father is former Green Bay Packers player Donnie Humphrey.-College career:Completed her career as Georgia's second all-time scorer and...

, Eshaya Murphy

Eshaya Murphy

Eshaya "Shay" Murphy is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA.Murphy attended college at USC and graduated in 2007. Following her collegiate career, she was selected 15th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx...

, and a second round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft.

On April 22, 2010, McWilliams-Franklin signed a free agent deal with the New York Liberty

New York Liberty

The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

.

McWilliams-Franklin was targeted as a key free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

acquisition by Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx

head coach Cheryl Reeve

Cheryl Reeve

Cheryl Reeve is an American basketball head coach, currently the head coach of the reigning Women's National Basketball Association champion Minnesota Lynx.-Career:...

prior to the 2011 season. McWilliams-Frankin played as the team's starting center throughout the season, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game and 11.6 points per game. Lynx Assistant Coach Jim Petersen

Jim Petersen

James "Jim" Richard Petersen is a retired American basketball player, and a current assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. He played as either a power forward or a center.-High school / College:...

credited McWilliams-Franklin with having an outsize impact on the team both on and off the court, saying, "You can talk all you want about the things she has done on the floor, but it is in the locker room, in the scouting reports, in the film sessions and just even around the airport -- she's somebody to talk to that has been there and done that. She has seen it all."

Teammate Candace Wiggins agreed, noting that the team had nicknamed her "Mama Taj," and that "she is like a coach, a big sister for us, off the court and on. She has taken us all in. We are like her little chickies and she is the mother hen."

Despite her age, McWilliams-Franklin was a key contributor to the Lynx's 2011 WNBA championship

2011 WNBA Finals

The 2011 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2011 season of the Women's National Basketball Association , and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, swept the champions of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Dream in three...

. She started 33 of 34 games during the regular season, and during the playoffs led her team in points once and assists

Assist (basketball)

In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

three times, the last despite playing with a knee sprain

Sprain

A sprain is an injury in a joint, caused by the ligament being stretched beyond its capacity. A muscular tear caused in the same manner is referred to as a strain. In cases where either ligament or muscle tissue is torn, immobilization and surgical repair may be necessary...

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 1999

1999 WNBA season

-External links:**...

| align="left" | Orlando

Orlando Miracle

| 32 || 32 || 32.6 || .480 || .444 || .667 || 7.5 || 1.6 || 1.8 || 1.2 || 2.50 || 13.1
|-
| align="left" | 2000

2000 WNBA season

-External links:**...

| align="left" | Orlando

Orlando Miracle

| 32 || 32 || 34.3 || .524 || .294 || .713 || 7.6 || 1.7 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 2.59 || 13.7
|-
| align="left" | 2001

2001 WNBA season

-External links:**...

| align="left" | Orlando

Orlando Miracle

| 32 || 32 || 33.1 || .474 || .200 || .744 || 7.6 || 2.2 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 2.50 || 12.6
|-
| align="left" | 2002

2002 WNBA season

-External links:***...

| align="left" | Orlando

Orlando Miracle

| 13 || 12 || 29.5 || .500 || .333 || .871 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 1.69 || 8.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003

2003 WNBA season

-External links:***...

| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 34 || 34 || 28.9 || .442 || .279 || .745 || 6.7 || 1.4 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 1.59 || 10.4
|-
| align="left" | 2004

2004 WNBA season

-External links:***...

| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 34 || 34 || 33.3 || .477 || .000 || .602 || 7.2 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 1.3 || 2.15 || 12.1
|-
| align="left" | 2005

2005 WNBA season

-External links:***...

| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 34 || 34 || 31.9 || .495 || .222 || .787 || 7.3 || 1.9 || 1.1 || 0.7 || 1.74 || 13.9
|-
| align="left" | 2006

2006 WNBA season

-External links:*******...

| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 32 || 32 || 31.0 || .498 || .125 || .736 || 9.6 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 2.44 || 12.8
|-
| align="left" | 2007

2007 WNBA season

-External links:* * * * * * * *...

| align="left" | Los Angeles

Los Angeles Sparks

| 29 || 27 || 29.3 || .490 || .231 || .773 || 5.9 || 1.7 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 1.72 || 11.1
|-
| align="left" | 2008

2008 WNBA season

-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....

*
| align="left" | Washington

Washington Mystics

| 26 || 26 || 33.2 || .525 || .280 || .730 || 7.3 || 1.6 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 2.88 || 13.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008

2008 WNBA season

*
| align="left" | Detroit

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

| 7 || 7 || 26.4 || .422 || 1.000 || .909 || 6.7 || 1.9 || 0.4 || 0.7 || 1.29 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | 2008

2008 WNBA season

| align="left" | Total
| 33 || 33 || 31.7 || .506 || .308 || .776 || 7.2 || 1.6 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 2.55 || 12.8
|-
| align="left" | 2009

2009 WNBA season

The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008...

| align="left" | Detroit

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

| 34 || 34 || 30.4 || .491 || .200 || .750 || 6.6 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 1.94 || 9.8
|-
| align="left" | 2010

2010 WNBA season

The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...

| align="left" | New York

New York Liberty

| 34 || 34 || 29.2 || .511 || .261 || .826 || 5.4 || 2.0 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 1.53 || 10.6
|-
| align="left" | 2011

2011 WNBA season

The 2011 WNBA season is the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA Draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV...

| align="left" | Minnesota

Minnesota Lynx

| 34 || 33 || 28.4 || .444 || .222 || .770 || 6.0 || 2.4 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 1.56 || 8.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" | 13 years, 7 teams
| 407 || 403 || 31.1 || .487 || .277 || .737 || 7.0 || 2.0 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 2.05 || 11.6

Postseason

Orlando Miracle

| 3 || 3 || 35.7 || .474 || .000 || .778 || 7.7 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 1.0 || 1.67 || 14.3
|-
| align="left" | 2003
| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 4 || 4 || 30.5 || .511 || .200 || .941 || 7.5 || 1.3 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 1.50 || 16.3
|-
| align="left" | 2004
| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 8 || 8 || 31.5 || .402 || .500 || .667 || 7.4 || 1.9 || 1.5 || 0.8 || 1.62 || 10.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005
| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 8 || 8 || 35.5 || .511 || .333 || .789 || 9.4 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 1.4 || 2.00 || 15.9
|-
| align="left" | 2006

2006 WNBA Playoffs

The 2006 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2006 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion Sacramento Monarchs 3-2.-Format:...

| align="left" | Connecticut

Connecticut Sun

| 5 || 5 || 32.6 || .429 || .000 || .667 || 9.4 || 2.2 || 0.4 || 0.8 || 1.80 || 12.8
|-
| align="left" | 2008

2008 WNBA Playoffs

The 2008 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2008 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0.-Format:...

| align="left" | Detroit

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

| 9 || 9 || 32.6 || .490 || .500 || .864 || 7.0 || 2.1 || 1.0 || 1.3 || 1.89 || 12.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009

2009 WNBA Playoffs

The 2009 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2009 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....

| align="left" | Detroit

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

| 5 || 5 || 26.8 || .643 || 1.000 || .500 || 4.4 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 2.60 || 7.6
|-
| align="left" | 2010

2010 WNBA Playoffs

The 2010 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2010 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....

| align="left" | New York

New York Liberty

| 5 || 5 || 30.4 || .447 || .000 || .727 || 8.6 || 2.6 || 0.6 || 1.0 || 3.00 || 8.4
|-
| align="left" | 2011

2011 WNBA Playoffs

The 2011 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2011 season. Four teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs seeded 1 to 4 in a tournament bracket, with the two opening rounds in a best-of-three format, and the final in a...

| align="left" | Minnesota

Minnesota Lynx

| 8 || 8 || 30.3 || .455 || .000 || .833 || 5.3 || 3.3 || 0.60 || 1.25 || 2.25 || 10.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" | 9 years, 6 teams
| 55 || 55 || 31.8 || .474 || .250 || .790 || 7.3 || 2.1 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 2.04 || 12.1

Overseas career

McWilliams-Franklin began her playing career overseas. She played in Wolfenbuettel, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

(1993–94); Contern

Contern

Contern is a commune and town in southern Luxembourg. It is located east of Luxembourg City., the town of Contern, which lies in the south-west of the commune, has a population of 1,083. Other towns within the commune include Medingen, Muhlbach, Moutfort, and Oetrange....

, Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

(1994–95); and in Galilee

Galilee

Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...

, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

(1995–96).

She also spent the off-season playing in a professional league in 1999-2001Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

for Familia Schio. After the birth of her daughter, she went to Spain to play for Puig D'En Valls, Ibiza, Spain in 2003. Next, she played for Brno

Brno

Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

, Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

in 2004, and Lavezzini Parma (Italy) in 2005.

In 2005, McWilliams-Franklin played in the Korean women's league with the Shinhan Bank S-Birds, and toured Australia, matching up with Dandenong Rangers

Dandenong Rangers

The Dandenong Jayco Rangers are an Australian Women's Basketball League team based in Melbourne, Australia. Historically, they have been one of the more successful franchises in league history, but over recent years have struggled to make the playoffs, generally finishing 5th or below...

in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. After the Korean season, she went to Salamanca, Spain, where she won a title, beating Barcelona in 5 games. She played half a season in Spartak Region, Moscow, Russia, then returned to Shinhan S-birds in Korea for the Korea professional season in 2006. She won the Korean title and was MVP of the finals in 2006, beating the Samsung team and Lauren Jackson

Lauren Jackson

Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...

. After having knee surgery in the 2007 offseason, she played in winter of 2007 in Israel. In 2008, she played for Galatasaray

Galatasaray Women's Basketball Team

Galatasaray Medical Park is the women's basketball section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey. The club is sponsored by Medical Park....

, Turkey, which won the Turkish President's Cup.. In winter of 2009, she returned to Famila Schio Beretta. She then returned to Brno for the whole season 2009-2010.

In 2011, she played with the Spanish club Ros Casares Valencia

Ros Casares Valencia

Ros Casares Valencia is a women's professional Basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team currently plays in league Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.-Club names:* Dorna Godella* Costa Naranja* Ros Casares Godella* Ros Casares Valencia...

on a short-term deal, and finished out the season with the WBC Spartak Moscow Region team that finished second in Euroleague Women

EuroLeague Women

The EuroLeague Women is the highest professional basketball league in Europe for women’s clubs.Unlike Euroleague for men, the competition is entirely organized by FIBA Europe.-Between 2004-2011:...

Honors

2007-2008 Turkish Presidents Cup Winner with Turkey Galatasaray
Galatasaray Women's Basketball Team
Galatasaray Medical Park is the women's basketball section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey. The club is sponsored by Medical Park....

Personal

McWilliams-Franklin was born in El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

. She has three daughters, and is married to Reginald Franklin. She lives in the San Antonio area.

Also is a vegan along with Nakia Sanford

Nakia Sanford

Nakia Sanford is a professional basketball player. She currently plays the center position for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.-College career:...

, who was a teammate on the Washington Mystics.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.