Kayla Alexander

Kayla Alexander
No. 40 – Valencia Basket
PositionCentre
LeagueLiga Femenina
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1991-01-05) January 5, 1991 (age 33)
Milton, Ontario, Canada
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolMilton District (Milton, Ontario)
CollegeSyracuse (2009–2013)
WNBA draft2013: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2017San Antonio Stars
2015–2016WBC Sparta&K
2016–2017CJM Bourges Basket
2017–2018Samsung Life Blueminx
2018Indiana Fever
2018–2019Adelaide Lightning
2019Chicago Sky
2019–2020Arka Gdynia
2020Minnesota Lynx
2020–2021BC Castors Braine
2021–2022ASVEL Féminin
2022–2024Tango Bourges Basket
2024–presentValencia Basket
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA AmeriCup
Silver medal – second place 2019 Puerto Rico
Bronze medal – third place 2023 León

Kayla Janine Alexander (born January 5, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Valencia Basket of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto and the EuroLeague. She played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange.[1] After a successful career with the Orange, Alexander was drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars.

College career

[edit]

Alexander played collegiately at Syracuse University from 2010 to 2013. After her four years, she was the school’s all-time leader in points (2,024), blocks (350), field goals (736), free throws made (552), free throws attempted (750) and games played (140).[2] She became the second player from Syracuse to be selected in a WNBA draft.[3]

Alexander's No. 40 jersey was retired by Syracuse University on December 8, 2024.[2][4]

WNBA career

[edit]

Alexander was drafted eighth in the 2013 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars. Since her rookie season, she's been a reserve center on the Stars' roster and a key contributor in rebounding. In the 2016 season, she averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding with 8.0 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. In 2017, Alexander re-signed with the Stars in free agency.[5]

On February 1, 2018, Alexander was traded by the re-branded Las Vegas Aces along with a third-round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft to the Indiana Fever in exchange for their second-round selection in the 2019 WNBA Draft.[6]

Overseas career

[edit]

In the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Alexander played in Russia for WBC Sparta&K. In August 2016, Alexander signed a short-term deal with CJM Bourges Basket of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball for the 2016-17 WNBA off-season.[7]

In early 2020, she signed with Arka Gdynia of the Basket Liga Kobiet, but returned to Canada that March due to the cancellation of the season at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

On May 23, 2024, Alexander signed with Liga Femenina club Valencia, for the upcoming 2024–25 season.[9]

Personal life

[edit]

Alexander said she wanted to become a teacher once she retires from basketball.[10] Her brother, Kyle played for the Miami Heat.

In 2019, Alexander wrote and illustrated a children's book, The Magic of Basketball.[11] Her sister, Kesia, is credited as co-author.[12][13]

Alexander is a devout Christian and frequently posts about her faith on social media.[14]

Career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

[edit]
Year Team GP FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009-10 Syracuse 36 54.2% 0.0% 70.1% 4.8 0.1 0.6 1.9 10.8
2010-11 Syracuse 35 54.9% 0.0% 76.6% 6.9 0.0 0.7 2.6 14.8
2011-12 Syracuse 37 49.5% 0.0% 74.7% 7.5 0.3 0.6 2.6 14.8
2012-13 Syracuse 32 51.8% 0.0% 72.6% 8.7 0.3 0.6 2.9 17.9
Career 140 52.3% 0.0% 73.6% 6.9 0.2 0.6 2.5 14.5

Source[15]

WNBA

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2013 San Antonio 33 1 11.2 .417 .000 .733 3.0 0.3 0.1 0.4 1.1 2.8
2014 San Antonio 33 0 9.0 .434 .000 .839 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.7 2.8
2015 San Antonio 29 0 12.3 .416 .000 .647 3.3 0.2 0.2 0.8 0.8 3.3
2016 San Antonio 25 0 19.6 .546 .000 .754 4.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 1.1 8.0
2017 San Antonio 34 10 15.4 .582 .000 .909 3.1 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.9 6.2
2018 Indiana 30 0 8.6 .541 .000 .824 2.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.6 2.7
2019 Chicago 3 0 6.7 .750 .000 .750 2.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 3.0
2020 Minnesota 16 0 5.6 .533 .000 .625 0.9 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 2.3
Career 8 years, 4 teams 203 11 11.8 .508 .000 .763 2.8 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.8 4.0

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014 San Antonio 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2019 Chicago 2 0 1.5 1.000 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Career 2 years, 2 teams 3 0 1.9 1.000 .000 .000 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 29 Jul 2009, p. 12". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  2. ^ a b Alumkal, Nicholas (5 December 2024). "Kayla Alexander's jersey retirement honors trailblazing career". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Silver Stars Select Kayla Alexander with the No. 8 Pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  4. ^ "Kayla Alexander's Jersey to be Raised in JMA Dome Rafters". Syracuse University Athletics (Press release). 25 October 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Stars Re-Sign Kayla Alexander - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  6. ^ "Indiana Fever Acquire Kayla Alexander in Trade With Las Vegas". WNBA.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "2016-2017 WNBA Overseas Signings - Women's Basketball 24.7". Women's Basketball 24.7. 2016-08-22. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  8. ^ Dichter, Myles (18 March 2020). "Canadian athletes scramble to return home". CBC. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Kayla Alexander, a top-notch addition for Valencia Basket". www.valenciabasket.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  10. ^ "WBB: Center Kayla Alexander Drafted 8th". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  11. ^ "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 12 Sep 2019, p. 30". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  12. ^ Nichols, Paula; Cseplo, Simone (September 8, 2020). "Kayla Alexander and The Magic of Basketball September 8, 2020". Olympic.ca. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  13. ^ Loung, Steven (1 July 2020). "Q&A: Kayla Alexander on playing for Canada, writing her children's book". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  14. ^ "28 Christian Athletes to Cheer On at the Paris 2024 Olympics". Christianity Today. July 24, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
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