The first women’s basketball game Natasha Howard ever attended in person planted a seed she didn’t even know was there.
“I never pictured myself being in the W,” recalled the 13-year veteran forward. “I was in high school, I think, and I went to see the Detroit Shock. I was like, wow, these girls are really hooping. It kind of opened my eyes. It kind of changed my perspective when it comes to being in the league. I never really pictured it until I went to a game.”
Over a decade and three WNBA championships later, the 6-foot-2 forward has returned to where she earned her first ring, Minnesota in 2017, signing as a free agent in mid-April. At 34, Howard is the Lynx’s oldest player.
She and forward Nia Coffey, who also signed as a free agent the same day, flew largely under the radar as offseason additions. But the two veterans have been key contributors as starters, averaging a combined 26.5 points and nearly 14 rebounds per game. Howard is averaging 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds; Coffey is averaging 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.
“We’re gonna always stay together,” Howard said after a recent practice. “That’s one thing I love about this team, we’re going to compete through adversity. We’re gonna always fight, and we’re gonna compete to the end.”
Howard played her college ball at Florida State, where she finished sixth all-time in the NCAA in field goal percentage. Indiana selected her fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She tied the league record for most blocks in a debut with six in her rookie season and appeared in the Finals that year, playing in all 34 games and starting 15.
Her second season followed a similar path, with another Finals appearance. In her third year, a sign-and-trade brought her to Minnesota, where she joined a formidable frontcourt rotation alongside Sylvia Fowles, Rebekkah Brunson and Janel McCarville that helped propel the Lynx to the 2015 championship.
Howard was later part of another sign-and-trade, this time to Seattle before the 2018 season. There she earned two more WNBA championships, won Most Improved Player and First Team All-Defensive honors in 2018, and took home All-WNBA First Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019. She is also a two-time WNBA All-Star (2019, 2022) and has won several overseas championships, including the WCBA title in China in April.
Returning to Minnesota is a full-circle moment for Howard, who said she always knew she would come back, even to finish her pro career in a Lynx uniform. She has reunited with Head Coach Cheryl Reeve and former teammates Brunson, McCarville and Lindsay Whalen, now all assistant coaches.
“The players I had around me here, they actually helped me in my next step with other teams,” Howard said. “I’m really grateful and thankful that I had those types of players around me: Lindsay, Rebekkah Brunson, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore. Those players helped me grow as a player but also as a person.”
“I’m glad to be back,” she added.
FINALLY…
Olivia Miles was named WNBA Rookie of the Month last week for games played May 8-31. The first-year point guard leads all rookies in scoring, assists, steals and efficiency.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.
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