Erica Wheeler (basketball)

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Erica Wheeler
Wheeler 20190901.jpg
Wheeler with Indiana Fever in 2019
No. 17 – Los Angeles Sparks
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1991-05-02) May 2, 1991 (age 30)
Miami, Florida
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight143 lb (65 kg)
Career information
High schoolParkway Academy
(Miramar, Florida)
CollegeRutgers (2009–2013)
WNBA draft2013 / Undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013Leonas de Ponce
2013–2014Mersin Kurtulus
2014–2015Sport Club do Recife
2015Atlanta Dream
2015New York Liberty
2015Atenienses de Manati
2015–2016Sampaio Basquete
2016–2019Indiana Fever
2016–2017Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca
2017–2018Adana ASKI Mersin
2021–presentLos Angeles Sparks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com

Erica Wheeler (born May 2, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Wheeler was undrafted out of Rutgers, but eventually made her way into the WNBA in 2015.

Early years[]

Wheeler grew up in the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City. Liberty City is one of the worst, most crime-ridden inner cities in America, and Wheeler saw two of her close friends die when she was young.[1] Wheeler attended Parkway Academy and was a member of the basketball team there.[2]

College career[]

Wheeler committed to play at Rutgers in 2009. Rutgers reached the NCAA Tournament in each of her first three seasons. Wheeler contributed as a junior, leading the team in steals, and averaging just under 10 points per game.[1] Prior to her senior year, Wheeler's mother died of cancer. However, Wheeler finished her senior season and graduated from Rutgers.[1]

Rutgers statistics[]

Source[3]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009-10 Rutgers 34 116 26.17 26.83 87.5 1.11 0.79 0.71 0.12 3.41
2010-11 Rutgers 33 321 37.99 36.18 71.11 3.03 1.76 0.06 1.70 9.73
2011-12 Rutgers 32 275 35.05 30.23 80.0 2.75 1.53 0.13 1.63 8.59
2012-13 Rutgers 30 315 35.44 29.21 75.0 3.23 2.37 0.13 2.53 10.5
Career Rutgers 129 1,027 35.22 31.4 77.0 2.5 1.6 0.1 1.6 7.062

Professional career[]

WNBA[]

Wheeler earned a try-out in 2015 for the Atlanta Dream after not being selected in the WNBA Draft.[1] Wheeler appeared in 17 games for the Dream in 2015, but was eventually cut. Wheeler then moved to the New York Liberty, and appeared three times.[1] In 2016, Wheeler was signed after training camp by the Indiana Fever.[4] Wheeler started 25 games for the Fever In 2017, Wheeler continued with the Fever and was second on the team in scoring, and led the team in assists.[4] In 2019, Wheeler became the first undrafted player ever in the WNBA to be named All-Star Game MVP.[5]

Before the start of the 2020 WNBA season, Wheeler tested positive for COVID-19, and developed health complications including fluid buildup around her heart. She was not cleared to resume playing basketball again until October, missing the entire COVID-shortened 2020 season, which ended October 6.[6]

Prior to the start of the 2021 WNBA season, Wheeler signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Sparks to be their new starting point guard.[6]

Overseas[]

Wheeler signed with Fabio Jardine who facilitated her move to the Brazilian league.[1] Wheeler continued to play overseas in the WNBA offseason making appearances in Puerto Rico, Turkey, and Brazil.[2]

After missing the 2020 WNBA season due to COVID, Wheeler signed with Turkey's Izmit Belediyespor and played in 16 games of their 2020-21 season and ranking second on the team with 15.1 points per game.[7]

WNBA career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career high ° League leader

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2015 Atlanta 20 0 11.4 .446 .300 .625 1.0 1.4 0.6 0.0 1.2 4.5
2016 Indiana 34 25 23.9 .418 .298 .833 2.1 2.8 0.6 0.0 2.0 8.4
2017 Indiana 34 26 26.4 .400 .331 .792 3.0 4.1 1.3 0.0 2.2 11.8
Career 3 years, 2 teams 116 67 21.9 .403 .317 .785 2.2 3.2 0.9 0.0 1.8 8.6

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2015 New York 3 0 2.7 .333 .000 .000 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.7
2016 Indiana 1 1 25.6 .500 1.000 1.000 3.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 10.0
Career 2 years, 2 teams 4 1 8.4 .444 1.000 1.000 1.0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.8 3.0

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Andrew Kahn (July 28, 2017). "Humble and hungry, Erica Wheeler becomes Fever standout after circuitous road to WNBA". ESPN. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Erica Wheeler basketball profile". basketball.eurobasket.com. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "NCAA® Career Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  4. ^ a b "Erica Wheeler Bio". WNBA. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Ryan Young (2019-07-27). "WNBA: Erica Wheeler leads Team Wilson at WNBA All-Star Game". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  6. ^ a b Megdal, Howard (March 1, 2021). "C. Vivian Stringer Is the Thread Between the W.N.B.A.'s Emerging Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 3, 2021). "Erica Wheeler is back in WNBA and says Sparks can win the championship". The LA Times. Retrieved September 24, 2021.

External links[]

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