Bridget Carleton

Professional career

Bridget Carleton entered the WNBA as the 21st overall pick in the 2019 draft, selected by the Connecticut Sun in the second round. She earned a spot on the opening day roster but was let go after just four games. Later that year, on August 22, she signed a seven-day contract with the Minnesota Lynx, which then turned into a deal covering the rest of the 2019 season. Carleton made the Lynx roster again in 2020 and stepped into a key role, covering for an injured Sylvia Fowles.

In her first WNBA start on August 5, 2020, against the New York Liberty, she put up 25 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, becoming just the third player in league history to score at least 25 points and grab more than five rebounds in a debut start. Fowles was sidelined with a calf injury that night. On May 13, 2023, the Lynx faced the Chicago Sky in a preseason game in Toronto, marking the first WNBA game ever held in Canada, and Carleton became the first Canadian to play a WNBA game on home soil.

The 2024 season was a breakout year for Carleton: she doubled her playing time from the previous season and finished fifth in the league in three-point percentage. Head coach Cheryl Reeve remarked, "This Bridget is the one we've always envisioned." After the Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup, Napheesa Collier was named MVP but said, "I think Bridget deserves this," pointing to Carleton’s 23 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the championship game.

Carleton delivered in clutch moments throughout 2024, including a three-pointer with about three seconds left on September 17, 2024, against the Connecticut Sun that sealed the win and secured the second-place seed for the Lynx. She also received the 2024 Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award, an honor chosen by team staff and players for someone who best exemplifies kindness, selflessness, and care for others. General Manager Clare Duwelius said, "Like Syl did, Bridget leads with kindness, joy, authenticity, and selflessness." On April 3, 2026, Carleton was selected first overall in the WNBA expansion draft by the Portland Fire.

National team career

Bridget Carleton’s international career began in 2013 when she captained Canada’s U16 team at the FIBA Americas tournament, leading the squad in playing time and earning a silver medal. That same year, she won gold at the Canada Games with Ontario’s U17 side and later claimed another silver at the U18 FIBA Americas with the junior national team. She moved up to the senior squad in 2016, appearing in exhibition games, and was part of the 2017 team that successfully defended its FIBA AmeriCup gold.

In 2018, she helped Canada finish seventh at the FIBA World Cup, and in 2019 she added a silver medal from the FIBA AmeriCup. On June 29, she was selected for Canada’s 2020 Olympic team. In February 2024, Carleton played in the Sopron Olympic Qualifying Tournament, averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game with an efficiency rating of 12, helping Canada secure a spot at the 2024 Olympics.

Did You Know?

• Carleton finished second in Iowa State history with 2,142 career points.
• On January 17, 2024, she recorded 41 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in a EuroLeague game for SERCO UNI Győr.