Brunson, streaking Lynx visit Sky (Jul 06, 2018)
Minnesota Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson already boasted plenty of career accomplishments as a five-time WNBA champion, a four-time All-Star and a six-time All-Defense selection.
The powerful 36-year-old added another major milestone to her legacy: the WNBA's career rebound leader.
Brunson will play her first game since breaking the record when Minnesota (11-7) travels to take on the Chicago Sky (6-12) Saturday night at Wintrust Arena.
Brunson will be all business at tipoff.
Until then, she can enjoy the fact that she has more career rebounds (3,318) than any other player in league history, including previous record-holder Tamika Catchings (3,317) and previous runner-up Lisa Leslie (3,307), both of whom she surpassed Thursday night in Minnesota.
"This is a great feeling, individually," Brunson said to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "You know, this feels really good to kind of have your work pay off. I feel like I'm the type of player that I don't necessarily get the shine, the spotlight, the attention, so it feels good to be recognized for something that you feel you contribute all the time.
"The championships, that's about us being able to play together. So it's two different things."
To that end, Minnesota also has proved that it can play together this season. The Lynx have won eight of their last nine games as they look to defend last season's championship win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Maya Moore leads Minnesota with 19.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Next in scoring is Sylvia Fowles, a former Sky standout who is averaging a double-double with 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds.
Seimone Augustus rounds out the list of double-digit scorers at 10.4 points per game. The new history-maker, Brunson, is averaging 8.0 points and 7.3 boards.
Chicago is looking to snap a three-game skid that included losses to the New York Liberty, Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces. The Sky are in danger of posting back-to-back losing seasons barring a late turnaround.
"We just have to learn from this and bounce back," Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot said recently to the Chicago Daily Herald.
Allie Quigley leads Chicago with 16.8 points and 2.6 assists per game. Rookie Diamond DeShields has provided a much-needed boost in the paint, averaging 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. Others averaging in double digits include Vandersloot (10.6 points) and Cheyenne Parker (10.4 points).
Chicago is 4-5 at home. Minnesota is 5-4 on the road.