Ariel Atkins
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Ariel Atkins · see source
Ariel Atkins is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. Drafted seventh overall by the Washington Mystics in 2018, she helped the team reach the WNBA Finals in her debut season and win the championship in 2019.
Atkins earned an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in 2021. She has been selected to the WNBA All-Defensive Team five times, the only player to do so in her first five years in the league as of 2025. Off the court, she served as a player development coach at the University of Michigan during the 2023–2024 off-season.
Professional career
Ariel Atkins entered the WNBA as the seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft, selected by the Washington Mystics in the first round. She joined a lineup that included Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver, and Natasha Cloud. In August 2018, Atkins was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in her debut season, and the following month she made the All-Rookie Team. On October 10, 2019, Atkins and the Mystics won their first WNBA Championship, defeating the Connecticut Sun three games to two.
In September 2020, she earned her third All-Defensive Second Team selection in as many seasons. Atkins signed a multi-year extension with Washington in August 2023. On February 23, 2025, she was traded to the Chicago Sky for the 2025 third overall pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and the right to swap 2027 first-round picks. On April 12, 2026, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Rickea Jackson.
Internationally, Atkins played the 2018–19 season with InvestInTheWest ENEA Gorzów Wielkopolski in Poland and the 2019–20 off-season with the Perth Lynx in Australia. On February 21, 2025, Unrivaled signed her to a relief player contract. In September 2025, she joined Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball for its fifth season in Nashville.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Olympic Games — 2020 Tokyo Team
- Gold World Cup — 2022 Australia
- Gold FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship — 2014 United States Team
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Ariel Atkins (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Atkins was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in her rookie year (2018) and again in 2020, her third season.
- She scored a career-high 16.2 points per game during the 2021 WNBA regular season.
- Atkins graduated from the University of Texas in May 2018 with a major in sport management.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Ariel Atkins born?
Ariel Atkins was born on 30 July 1996 in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
What position does Ariel Atkins play?
Ariel Atkins's position is listed as Shooting guard.
More in Basketball Players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ariel Atkins (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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