Stars forward Sophia Young to retire at the end of the 2015 season
From the San Antonio Stars:
San Antonio Stars forward and 10-year WNBA veteran Sophia Young-Malcolm will retire at the conclusion of the 2015 WNBA season, the team announced today. Young-Malcolm will end her career as the Stars all-time leader in games played, points, rebounds, steals, minutes, field goals made and free throws made.
Young-Malcolm will be honored during a postgame ceremony, following the final home game of the season against fellow Baylor alum Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury, on Saturday, Sept. 5.
“It’s been 10 amazing years,” said Young-Malcolm. “I’m blessed to be a part of the SS&E organization and to be here for my entire career. I’m so privileged, and I cannot thank the fans, my teammates and my coaches enough for the blessing to be where I am and to play this sport that I love. I’m very happy I get to retire at the place that I started.”
A three-time WNBA All-Star, Young-Malcolm was named to the Stars All-Decade Team in 2012. She holds career averages of 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.59 steals in 30.9 minutes over 295 games. She was named to the All-WNBA First Team in 2008 and the All-WNBA Second Team in 2007, 2009 and 2012. Her best season came in 2009 when she averaged 18.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.33 steals in 33.7 minutes. Among Stars all-time leaders, Young-Malcolm ranks third in total assists (547) and third in points per game (14.4). On June 30 against the Phoenix Mercury, she became the 24th player in WNBA History to reach the 4,000 point plateau, scoring every one of them in a Stars uniform.
“Sophia has had an incredible WNBA career in San Antonio,” said Stars Head Coach and General Manager Dan Hughes. “Her career is a success story of fulfilling dreams, on and off the court. We thank Sophia for what she has meant to the Stars organization and look forward to seeing what life has in store for her after basketball.”
“Sophia has been an integral part of the Stars success for the past decade,” said RC Buford, president of sports franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “We admire her commitment to the organization and applaud her efforts in the San Antonio community. All of us at SS&E thank Sophia for her contributions and wish her the very best in retirement.”
In WNBA history, Young-Malcolm ranks 17th in points per game (14.4), 18th in steals (468), 21st in field goals made (1,633), 22nd in free throws made (944), 23rd in total points (4,273), 23rd in minutes per game (30.9) and 25th in rebounds (1,786).
Young-Malcolm has made the playoffs seven times in her career including in six straight seasons with the Stars from 2007 to 2012. She leads the Stars in field goals made (171), free throws made (113), rebounds (169) and steals (37) during the postseason. Additionally, she is tied for first in playoff games played (26), and ranks second in minutes played (886) and total points (456) in Stars playoff history.
In 2008, Young-Malcolm helped lead the Stars to the only WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history. San Antonio finished the regular season with a franchise-best 24-10 record, earning the best record in the Western Conference. The Stars posted playoff series victories over the Sacramento Monarchs and the Los Angeles Sparks before falling to the Detroit Shock in the 2008 WNBA Finals.
Young-Malcolm was originally selected by the Stars in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2006 WNBA Draft out of Baylor University. The 31-year-old spent four years with the Bears from 2002 to 2006 where she was a two-time All-American. In her junior season, she led the team to a National Championship victory over Michigan State in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
During the 2015 season, Young-Malcolm is averaging 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.19 steals in 27.5 minutes in 28 games.
