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Former Lynx star, Gopher's head coach nominated to basketball Hall of Fame

The four-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist is now a first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

MINNEAPOLIS — Four-time WNBA champion and current head coach of the Minnesota Gopher's women's basketball team Lindsay Whalen was nominated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Whalen's path to the Hall of Fame began in the late 1990s when, while a senior at Hutchinson High School, she committed to the University of Minnesota. There, she became the school's all-time points leader and ended her collegiate career second all-time in assists and third all-time in steals.  

In the WNBA, Whalen played her first five seasons with the Connecticut Sun before finishing her 15-year career with the Minnesota Lynx, where she won four WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). She ended her WNBA career with the most wins in league history with 323 career wins. She also finished third all-time for assists in the WNBA.

Her number was retired by both the Lynx and the Connecticut Sun.

Whalen also won two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.

In 2018, Whalen became the head coach of the Gophers women's basketball team. In her first three seasons, she led the Golden Gophers to an overall 45-39 record and a berth to the 2018-2019 WNIT. 

The finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be announced on Feb. 18, 2022 in Cleveland during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The full class of Hall of Fame inductees will be revealed during the NCAA Final Four in early April 2022.

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