4-Time WNBA Champion Lindsay Whalen to Retire from Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen will retire from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2018 season, according to team:

"I would like to thank the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun and the Lynx for believing in me all these years," Whalen said in a statement Monday. "I look forward to the next chapter in my basketball career and wish my Lynx coaches and teammates all the best in the future."

Whalen, 36, is in her 15th WNBA season. For her career, she's averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the field. She is a six-time All-Star.

She is also the winningest player in WNBA history, with 322 career regular-season victories. Her 54 playoff wins are the second-most in league history. She reached the Final Four in college with the University of Minnesota and also won two gold medals with USA Basketball (2012, 2016).

Her 2,337 career assists are the third-most in WNBA history.

"My lasting impression of Lindsay is her energy and her vibe as a teammate," Seattle Storm superstar and fellow point guard Sue Bird said of Whalen, per Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. "She can simultaneously motivate you and make you smile. There is something special to that. It puts people in a good place."

She added: "She's out there to win. And she's willing to do whatever it takes."

Seattle head coach Dan Hughes, who coached Whalen on Team USA, broke down her game:

"Yes, the things you had to deal with at the point guard position was her physicality. Her ability to make skilled plays from a powerful position. But it was her mind that made her special. She understood the totality of what’s going on while at the same time playing to her strengths. She was unique. When she got in the lane and physically challenged you at the point guard position, it was hard to match that up. But she also had the skill, and she had a sense of timing about her that was very real."

Surely, Whalen will be a Hall of Famer. But her basketball career will continue after the Lynx, as she is taking over as the head coach of the women's team at the University of Minnesota for the 2018-19 season. Her great mind for the game, in other words, will continue to help shape the sport.