Seimone Augustus

College career

At LSU, Seimone Augustus was a two-time All-American who swept the Naismith College Player of the Year, Wooden Award, and Wade Trophy in both 2005 and 2006. She led the Lady Tigers to three straight Final Four appearances, though the team never advanced beyond the semifinal round. Over her collegiate career, she averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. As a senior, she won the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, given to the nation's top senior women's basketball player.

Augustus graduated from LSU in 2006. Her uniform number 33 was retired by the school on January 9, 2010, making her the first female athlete in school history to receive that honor. In January 2023, she became the first female athlete in school history to have a statue of her on campus, placed in front of the basketball training center next to statues of Bob Pettit, Shaquille O'Neal, and Pete Maravich. She also played alongside future WNBA teammate Sylvia Fowles during her time at LSU.

WNBA career

Augustus was drafted first overall in the 2006 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She was selected as a reserve for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, where she led the West squad with 16 points and won the Skills Competition the previous evening. She finished the 2006 season second in scoring at 21.9 points per game, a rookie record, and sixth in free throw percentage at .897. On August 20, she was named the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

In 2007, she improved to a career-high 22.6 points per game while shooting nearly 51% from the field, finishing second in scoring average to Seattle's Lauren Jackson. The Lynx finished 10–24, tied with the Los Angeles Sparks for the league's worst record. In June 2009, Augustus suffered a season-ending torn ACL against the Phoenix Mercury. Her return in 2010 was delayed by surgery to remove fibroid tumors, including one the size of a golf ball; she returned to play the final 25 games of the season.

In 2011, back to full strength, she led the Lynx in scoring and served as the team's lead defender as the Lynx posted a league-best 27–7 record. She made her first All-Star game since 2007, finished eighth in MVP voting, and was named Second Team All-WNBA for the third time. In the playoffs, she led the Lynx in scoring in five of eight games and scored 36 points in game two of the 2011 WNBA Finals, the second-highest total in Finals history. The Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream, and Augustus was unanimously named Finals MVP.

The Lynx returned to the finals the next two seasons, losing to the Indiana Fever in 2012 and defeating Atlanta again in 2013. Augustus was named first-team All-WNBA in 2012 and voted an All-Star Game starter in 2013.

Personal life

Augustus was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Seymore and Kim Augustus. Before her freshman year in high school, she was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women with a headline asking, 'Is She the Next Michael Jordan?' She played for Capitol High School in Baton Rouge, where she was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2002 WBCA High School All-America Game, scoring fourteen points and earning MVP honors.