Alysha Clark is a professional basketball player in the WNBA. She was born on July 7, 1987, in Denver, Colorado to Kenneth and Jan Clark and is one of eight siblings. She attended Mt. Juliet High School (where she starred in volleyball and track, only playing basketball in her senior year to stay fit), and then went on to attend Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University.

She began tearing up the court in college being named Player of the Year during all four years she played (two at Belmont and two at Middle Tennessee State). While at Belmont, she was also named Freshman of the Year. As a senior, she averaged 27.5 points per game, setting a school record and leading the NCAA in scoring. Although she was drafted by the San Antonio Storm in 2010 (17th pick) she failed to make the team and spent that year (and the following) playing in the Israeli National League.

In 2012, she turned pro and was hired by the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. She helped lead her team to the championship in 2018 and 2020. In 2019, she was named to the All-Defensive Second Team and, in 2020, was unanimously chosen for the All-Defensive First Team.

Besides playing in the WMBA, she has also made an impact across the Atlantic in international play during the off season. She played on Ramat Hasharon of the Israeli National League from 2010 to 2013 (being awarded the Domestic Player of the Year Award and being selected to the All-Israeli First team during her first year). In the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, she played for the Maccabi Ashdod winning the Israeli League Championship both years, while also being named the Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and being selected as a First Team all-star.

It wasn’t until she began playing in Israel that she was considered Jewish (her maternal grandparents were Jewish). She subsequently began to explore her Jewishness and became an Israeli citizen.

Clark then played in Turkey followed by Poland for the next two years. In 2018/19 and 2019/20, she played in France, winning the French League Championship during the 2018/19 season.

After nine years playing with Seattle, she joined the Washington Mystics in 2021.

Alysha Clark was inducted into the Middle Tennessee University Hall of Fame.

[Last Updated: 4/21 by Aryeh Lev]

Sources: “About Alysha Clark,” WNBA.com.
“Don’t Underestimate Israeli-American Basketball Star Alysha Clark,” HeyAlma.com.
“WNBA Champion Alysha Clark Signs with Mystics,” WNBA.com.

Photo: Danny Karwoski, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.