Ariel Atkins

American basketball player (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ariel Atkins (born July 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. In addition to her playing career, she served as a player development coach at the University of Michigan during the 2023–2024 off-season.[1][2]

PositionShooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Born (1996-07-30) July 30, 1996 (age 29)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Quick facts No. 3 – Chicago Sky, Position ...
Ariel Atkins
Atkins with the Fenerbahçe in 2024
No. 3 – Chicago Sky
PositionShooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-07-30) July 30, 1996 (age 29)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight167 lb (76 kg)
Career information
High schoolDuncanville (Duncanville, Texas)
CollegeTexas (2014–2018)
WNBA draft2018: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted byWashington Mystics
Playing career2018–present
Coaching career2023–present
Career history
Playing
2018–2024Washington Mystics
2018–2019InvestInTheWest ENEA Gorzów
2019–2020Perth Lynx
2020Elazığ İl Özel İdarespor
2021–2022BC Prometey
2024–2025Fenerbahçe
2025Rose BC
2025–presentChicago Sky
Coaching
2023–2024Michigan (assistant)
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoTeam
World Cup
Gold medal – first place2022 Australia
FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place2014 United StatesTeam
Close

Drafted 7th overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2018 WNBA draft, Atkins quickly established herself as a key player. She helped lead the Mystics to the WNBA Finals in her debut season and was a pivotal figure in their 2019 WNBA Championship victory. Atkins' defensive prowess earned her 5 selections to the WNBA All-Defensive Team.[3] She is the first, and as of 2025, the only player to do so in her first five years in the league.[4]

In 2021, Atkins won her first Olympic Gold medal with Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

College career

Born in Dallas, Texas, Atkins attended Duncanville in Duncanville, Texas. She played college basketball at the University of Texas, where she was recognized for her athletic performance, academic achievements, community service, and leadership.[5]

Professional career

WNBA

Washington Mystics (2018–2024)

At the 2018 WNBA draft, Atkins was drafted by the Washington Mystics in the first round, as the seventh overall pick.[6] Atkins would join a Mystics line-up alongside players such as Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver & Natasha Cloud. In August 2018, Atkins was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in her debut season.[7] Later in September 2018, Atkins was also named to the All-Rookie Team.[8]

On October 10, 2019, Atkins and the Mystics took home their first WNBA Championship after defeating the Connecticut Sun, 3–2.[9] In September 2020, Atkins was named to the All-Defensive Second Team for the third time in her three career seasons.[10]

In August 2023, Atkins signed a multi-year extension to stay in Washington with the Mystics.[11]

Chicago Sky (2025–present)

On February 23, 2025, Atkins was traded to the Chicago Sky in exchange for the 2025 third overall pick, the 2027 second-round pick, and the rights to swap 2027 first-round picks.[12][4]

International

Atkins has also played internationally. She spent the 2018–19 season with InvestInTheWest ENEA Gorzów Wielkopolski in Poland and played for the Perth Lynx in Australia during the 2019–20 off-season.[citation needed]

Unrivaled

On February 21, 2025, Unrivaled signed Atkins to a relief player contract.[13]

Athletes Unlimited

In September 2025, Atkins joined Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball for its fifth season in Nashville, adding to her professional résumé alongside her WNBA and international career.[14]

National team career

2020 Olympics

In late March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government postponed the 2020 Summer Olympics until the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On June 21, 2021, Atkins was named to the 12-player roster for Team USA for the 2020 summer Olympics.[16] She and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeating Japan 90–75 in the final.[17]

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 best ° League leader
† Denotes season(s) in which Atkins won a WNBA championship

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current through end of 2025 regular season

More information Year, Team ...
WNBA regular season statistics[18]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2018 Washington 292422.5.432.357.8242.42.11.30.31.311.3
2019† Washington 333324.3.416.357.8112.81.91.50.51.010.3
2020 Washington 222231.0.438.411.8862.92.41.80.31.914.8
2021 Washington 303030.6.407.359.8312.82.61.60.52.016.2
2022 Washington 363630.0.420.365.8453.32.31.40.31.414.6
2023 Washington 272725.1.414.339.8973.12.31.20.31.311.5
2024 Washington 404029.9.437.357.8483.43.11.50.42.314.9
2025 Chicago 343428.6.444.361.8603.43.61.60.72.513.1
Career 8 years, 2 teams 25124427.8.426.362.8503.02.61.50.41.713.4
All-Star 2015.8.444.333—2.52.50.50.00.55.0
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Playoffs

More information Year, Team ...
WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2018 Washington 9927.9.480.424.8793.71.91.10.10.815.2
2019† Washington 9919.8.373.333.9292.72.30.80.01.27.3
2020 Washington 1136.0.375.0001.0004.04.02.00.00.013.0
2022 Washington 2233.0.379.5001.0001.55.50.50.01.015.5
2023 Washington 2233.5.345.2501.0005.53.02.0°1.51.513.5
Career 5 years, 1 team 232326.0.416.371.9073.32.61.10.21.011.9
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College

More information Year, Team ...
NCAA statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014–15 Texas 271923.9.363.288.8253.41.31.20.22.29.7
2015–16 Texas 271421.0.536.356.8193.91.31.30.21.411.2
2016–17 Texas 323226.6.456.377.8184.21.62.00.31.412.8
2017–18 Texas 353527.7.534.420.8595.53.22.50.62.014.9
Career 12110025.1.475.373.8314.31.91.80.41.712.4
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Off the court

Philanthropy

In February 2024, Atkins joined the WNBA Changemakers Collective and their collaboration with VOICEINSPORT (VIS) as a mentor, "aimed at keeping girls in sport and developing diverse leaders on the court and beyond the game."[19][20]

References

External links

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