Meet the Faces of Power of the dream
In 2020, the WNBA played a pivotal role in flipping a senate seat. Learn more about the players featured in Power of the Dream who helped organize and lead the league in its historic activism.
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Jaylyn Agnew
College: Creighton University
WNBA Seasons: 2020
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Jaylyn Agnew played high school ball in Andover, Kansas, before committing to Creighton University. The Washington Mystics drafted Agnew in the 2020 draft. She was waived but found her home with the Atlanta Dream shortly after. After the 2020 season, she continued playing professional basketball overseas before retiring from playing in 2023.
Agnew is now an assistant coach at her alma mater, Creighton University.
Sue Bird
College: University of Connecticut
WNBA Seasons: 2002-2022
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The legendary Sue Bird needs no introduction, but we’ll give you one anyway. Bird was an elite basketball player even as a kid in Syosset, New York. She played her way to two NCAA Championships for UConn before being drafted to the Seattle Storm with the number one overall pick in 2002. Bird spent twenty years of her life with the Storm, bringing four WNBA titles to the Emerald City while also playing in Russia in the offseason.
Outside of basketball, Bird is a co-founder of both TOGETHXR and A Touch More, as well as an LGBTQIA+ icon and activist.
Layshia Clarendon
College: University of California, Berkeley
WNBA Seasons: 2013-Present
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After leading the Cal Berkeley Bears on a Final Four run in the NCAA Tournament, Layshia Clarendon was drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Indiana Fever. After bouncing around to different teams throughout their career, Clarendon is at the top of their game, now with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Although Clarendon’s leadership is crucial to their game on the court, they also take the lead outside the lines. In December 2020, Clarendon announced they were trans and nonbinary, effectively becoming the first openly non-cisgender athlete in WNBA history.
Angel McCoughtry
College: Louisville
WNBA Seasons: 2009-2022
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Angel McCoughtry had a legendary career at Louisville, leading the Cardinals to an NCAA Championship in 2009 before being drafted number one overall to the Atlanta Dream. 2009 was a banner year, as McCoughtry finished off the season by winning the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award. McCoughtry led the Dream and was an All-Star before taking a break and sitting out the 2017 season. After several injuries, McCoughtry left the Dream in 2020 and signed with the Las Vegas Aces. McCoughtry retired in 2022 after a contract buyout with the Minnesota Lynx.
McCoughtry now owns an ice cream shop and recently produced a new horror film titled Lanier.
Nneka Ogwumike
College: Stanford University
WNBA Seasons: 2012-Present
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Nnemkadi (Nneka) Ogwumike was a powerhouse at Stanford, rising to third in career points scored. After concluding her time with the Cardinal, Ogwumike was drafted number one overall to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012, where she was also crowned Rookie of the Year. Ogwumike spent the next eleven years of her career leading the Sparks before leaving in free agency for the Seattle Storm ahead of the 2024 season.
In 2016, Ogwumike was elected President of the WNBA Player’s Association (WNBPA). She has been re-elected three times since then and helped usher in the most progressive collective bargaining agreement (CBA) of any professional sports league in 2020.
Elizabeth Williams
College: Duke University
WNBA Seasons: 2015-Present
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Elizabeth Williams earned Freshman of the Year honors at Duke after putting together a stellar first season for the Blue Devils in 2011. As a senior, Williams was also a finalist for National Player of the Year. In 2015, she was drafted fourth overall by the Connecticut Sun. After just one season, Williams was traded to the Atlanta Dream. She played with the Dream for three seasons and, in the 2020 season, was the most senior player on the young Atlanta squad. Williams is now with the Chicago Sky but is unfortunately out for the 2024 season due to injury.