2018 WNBA Unsung All-Stars: Shekinna Stricklen, Connecticut Sun

2018 WNBA Unsung All-Stars: Shekinna Stricklen, Connecticut Sun

Why the Connecticut Sun's Shekinna Stricklen deserves a spot on the 2018 WNBA All-Star team.

Why the Connecticut Sun's Shekinna Stricklen deserves a spot on the 2018 WNBA All-Star team.

To see the original list of the 2018 Unsung WNBA All-Stars, click here.

Who is Shekinna Stricklen?

Shekinna (pronounced "Shuh-KEE-nah")  “Strick” Stricklen is a six-year veteran who was drafted second overall by the Seattle Storm in 2012.

She is one of the many WNBA players from the University of Tennessee and was part of the last team to play under legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt before she retired. Stricklen was traded to the Connecticut Sun in January 2015 and re-signed a multi-year contract with the Sun in February 2018. Stricklen wears #40 for Connecticut. You can follow her on Twitter.

What is her playing position?

Stricklen is formally listed as a 6’2” shooting guard (or “2 guard”) but as the WNBA moves toward more positionless basketball, she is simply listed as a guard on team rosters.  She can also play at the 3 (small forward) position. has provided clutch shooting and high energy that tends to dictate Connecticut’s rhythm, as she did against the New York Liberty on June 7, when the Sun won on New York’s home court.

Why should she be an All-Star?

On a team with household names like Chiney Ogwumike and Jasmine Thomas, it can be easy to be overlooked -- even when you’re 6’2”. But if you’ve ever watched a Connecticut Sun game (and if you haven’t, then you should. Follow the team on YouTube.), you can see that Stricklen tends to be one of the brighter rays of the Sun.

While Stricklen has played fairly well for most of this season, this should automatically grant her an All-Star spot:

Just behold. Did you hear the angels singing on high when this three-pointer went in? AND she got fouled, so it was a 4-point play. Replay this shot a few times or ten. The dish, the drive, the shot, the buzzer-beating win...it was fifty shades of glorious. My soul continues to say yes.

Ironically, this was the game in which Stricklen did not start for the first time this season, as head coach Curt Miller opted for a larger lineup.  Stricklen took her bench role in stride because that’s what professionals do. She was rewarded for her equanimity.

It could be argued that Stricklen is the soul of this team. Most of the team’s wins this season have come when Stricklen scores in the double digits and/or at least 8 points in a game. If she’s quiet, there’s a pretty good chance that the team is losing -- even with a fully healthy lineup.

While Stricklen’s no joke on the court, she likes to have fun off of it. She’s certainly a lively, opinionated personality.

And she likes hot wings.

Cast your WNBA All-Star votes now!

The voting period ends July 12. You can vote by:

  • Downloading the WNBA app (it’s free, for both iOS and Android)  and casting your vote for Stricklen under the All-Star tab on the left-hand menu (you can only vote once per 24 hours)
  • Going to the WNBA All-Star player page on the WNBA website and vote for Stricklen there (you can only vote once per 24 hours)
  • Tweet Shekinna Stricklen #WNBAVote (1 player per tweet; 10 tweets per Twitter handle, per day. Each tweet must be for a different player.)

Thanks for stopping by.

To see the original list of the 2018 Unsung WNBA All-Stars, click here.

Who is Shekinna Stricklen?

Shekinna (pronounced "Shuh-KEE-nah")  “Strick” Stricklen is a six-year veteran who was drafted second overall by the Seattle Storm in 2012.

She is one of the many WNBA players from the University of Tennessee and was part of the last team to play under legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt before she retired. Stricklen was traded to the Connecticut Sun in January 2015 and re-signed a multi-year contract with the Sun in February 2018. Stricklen wears #40 for Connecticut. You can follow her on Twitter.

What is her playing position?

Stricklen is formally listed as a 6’2” shooting guard (or “2 guard”) but as the WNBA moves toward more positionless basketball, she is simply listed as a guard on team rosters.  She can also play at the 3 (small forward) position. has provided clutch shooting and high energy that tends to dictate Connecticut’s rhythm, as she did against the New York Liberty on June 7, when the Sun won on New York’s home court.

Why should she be an All-Star?

On a team with household names like Chiney Ogwumike and Jasmine Thomas, it can be easy to be overlooked -- even when you’re 6’2”. But if you’ve ever watched a Connecticut Sun game (and if you haven’t, then you should. Follow the team on YouTube.), you can see that Stricklen tends to be one of the brighter rays of the Sun.

While Stricklen has played fairly well for most of this season, this should automatically grant her an All-Star spot:

Just behold. Did you hear the angels singing on high when this three-pointer went in? AND she got fouled, so it was a 4-point play. Replay this shot a few times or ten. The dish, the drive, the shot, the buzzer-beating win...it was fifty shades of glorious. My soul continues to say yes.

Ironically, this was the game in which Stricklen did not start for the first time this season, as head coach Curt Miller opted for a larger lineup.  Stricklen took her bench role in stride because that’s what professionals do. She was rewarded for her equanimity.

It could be argued that Stricklen is the soul of this team. Most of the team’s wins this season have come when Stricklen scores in the double digits and/or at least 8 points in a game. If she’s quiet, there’s a pretty good chance that the team is losing -- even with a fully healthy lineup.

While Stricklen’s no joke on the court, she likes to have fun off of it. She’s certainly a lively, opinionated personality.

And she likes hot wings.

Cast your WNBA All-Star votes now!

The voting period ends July 12. You can vote by:

  • Downloading the WNBA app (it’s free, for both iOS and Android)  and casting your vote for Stricklen under the All-Star tab on the left-hand menu (you can only vote once per 24 hours)
  • Going to the WNBA All-Star player page on the WNBA website and vote for Stricklen there (you can only vote once per 24 hours)
  • Tweet Shekinna Stricklen #WNBAVote (1 player per tweet; 10 tweets per Twitter handle, per day. Each tweet must be for a different player.)

Thanks for stopping by.

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