Karlie Anne Samuelson (born May 10, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA). In college, Samuelson played for

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. Her sisters are Bonnie and

Katie Lou Samuelson Katie Lou Samuelson (born June 13, 1997) is an American professional basketball player basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Samuelson i ...

Early life and college

An Orange County native, Samuelson is the second of three daughters of two former athletes, her father having played basketball in both

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

and England, where he met her mother, a former

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

player who reached the England national team. During her high school years, Samuelson played at Huntington Beach's Edison and Mater Dei High School, in Santa Ana before heading off to play in college at

alongside older sister Bonnie. Samuelson played from 2013 to 2017, while also graduating in human biology. Samuelson, who excelled as a three-point shooter, qualified twice for the NCAA final Four, in her freshman year of 2013, and later as a senior in 2017, where she had been a Regional All-Tournament Team before losing the semifinal with a sprained ankle.

Professional career

WNBA Career

After being undrafted in the 2017 WNBA draft, Samuelson joined the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

for the 2017 season and played 3 pre-season games, but a fractured left foot suffered during training camp led the team to waive her. Afterwards, she became an assistant coach for the Vanguard Lions, while pursuing a master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from

Concordia University Irvine Concordia University Irvine is a private Lutheran university in Irvine, California, United States. It was established in 1976 to provide a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod college to serve the Pacific Southwest and provide training for pastors, ...

, and also re-signed with the

for the 2018 WNBA season where she made the final roster. Samuelson made her WNBA debut on the 20th of May against the

scoring 3 points in 13 minutes of playing time, and ultimately appeared in 20 games of the 2018 season and 2 playoff games, averaging 4.2 minutes per game. While Samuelson left having played four games after to the return of starter

Jantel Lavender Jantel Lavender (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 ...

, the Sparks eventually brought her back for the rest of the season in June. After being waived during the Sparks training camp, Samuelson joined them late in the

2019 WNBA season The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Seattle Storm were the defending champions. The regular season began on May 24, with the Atlanta Dream hosting the Dallas Wings and the New York ...

, following her appearance for Great Britain in

EuroBasket Women 2019 The 2019 EuroBasket Women, European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2019, was the 37th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. The tournament was co-held in Riga, ...

. In August 2019, she played four games for the

Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Wings compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team is owned by a group ...

, who renewed her contract in 2020 and also signed her younger sister

, but both were waived before the season begun. At the same time the Samuelson sisters were playing together in Spain for Perfumerías Avenida. Karlie signed again with the Sparks again in 2021, where she made her first start in the league, but she was ultimately released in August, and again joined her sister on the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...

. In May 2022, the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

signed Samuelson to a hardship contract. Samuelson rejoined the Sparks for the

2023 WNBA season The 2023 WNBA season was the 27th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, repeated as champions after defeating the New York Liberty 3 games to 1 in the Finals. The regular s ...

, having her most productive WNBA season yet, playing 34 games and ranking sixth among the league's 3-point shooters with an 42.6% average. Prior to the

2024 WNBA season The 2024 WNBA season was the 28th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season began on May 14, 2024, and ended on September 19. The 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup was held from June 1 to 25. The 2024 WNBA All-St ...

, Samuelson signed with the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...

. It was her overall 18th WNBA contract, and the first that encompassed a whole season.

Europe and Australia

Samuelson made her professional debut in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

's Serie A1 with Pallacanestro Vigarano, but left the team in January 2018, having played 13 games for Vigarano, alleging personal reasons. Following the Sparks' elimination in the 2018 WNBA playoffs, Samuelson signed to play for

BC Castors Braine BC Castors Braine (English: Basketball Club Braine Beavers) is a basketball club, with both men's and women's sections, based in the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium. The women's team plays in the National First Division and won the title ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. She averaged 16 points per game on the season in the

national league National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, and 9.7 per game in the

Euroleague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. After she and Katie were waived by the Dallas Wings in 2019, the sisters both signed to play for

CB Avenida Perfumerías Avenida Baloncesto formerly C.B. Halcón Viajes, is a women's professional basketball team based in Salamanca, Spain. The team currently plays in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. In 2011 Perfumerías Avenida won the Euroleague Women, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, with whom she won two

Liga Femenina de Baloncesto The Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, also known as Liga Femenina Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of sports league, league competition for women's basketball in Spain. It is the women's equivalent of the men's Liga ACB and is run by ...

championships. She left Spain in 2021 and signed with Australian team

Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The Fire are based in Townsville, Queensland, and play their home games at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Ce ...

in 2022. Samuelson signed with the London Lions ahead of the 2023–24 season. She would be chosen as the

2023–24 EuroCup Women The 2023–24 EuroCup Women was the 22nd edition of FIBA Europe's second-tier international competition for women's basketball clubs under such name. LDLC ASVEL Féminin are the defending champions, but won't defend their title because they're ta ...

Player of the Month for February 2024 by leading the Lions in their quarterfinals victory over Melikgazi Kayseri scoring 44 points and shooting almost 63 percent in both games. The Lions would then win over

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

, in the final, where Samuelson was chosen as Finals MVP for averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and an efficiency of 17.0 across both games of the decision. She played for

Çukurova Basketbol Çukurova basketbol Mersin (ÇBK Mersin), for sponsorship reasons Çimsa ÇBK Mersin, is a Turkish professional women's basketball club based in Mersin, Türkiye. The club was founded in 2015 and currently competing in the Women's Basketball Su ...

of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

during the 2024–2025 season.

International career

Like her sister Bonnie, Samuelson chose to play internationally for the

Great Britain women's national basketball team The Great Britain women's national basketball team represents Great Britain in international women's basketball. The current governing body for the Great Britain team was formed by the national basketball organisations of England (Basketball Engla ...

, using her mother's nationality. She debuted for the team in February 2018, playing two games in the EuroBasket Women 2019 qualification. In November, Samuelson helped the British team win the final two games, granting them a spot in

. During the European tournament, Samuelson averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds as the British team finished in fourth place. She also played the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, missing the Olympic qualifying spot while averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2 rebounds.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

''Stats current through end of 2024 season'' , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 20 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .389 , , .313 , , —, , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .143 , , .167 , , —, , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .286 , , .333 , , —, , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", ''2020'' , colspan=13 style="text-align:center;", ''Did not play (waived)'' , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 3 , , 15.8 , , .382 , , .478 , , .714 , , 2.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .300 , , .125 , , 1.000 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 1 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .333 , , .333 , , —, , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 23 , , 26.1 , , .463 , , .426 , , .941 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 29 , , 19 , , 24.5 , , .409 , , .398 , , .923 , , 2.6 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 8.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 5 teams , 105 , , 45 , , 18.9 , , .419 , , .397 , , .919 , , 2.1 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.6 , , 5.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , —, , —, , —, , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 1 year, 1 team , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , —, , —, , —, , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0

College

, - , width="10%" style="text-align:center;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;" ,

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, 32, , 2, , 15.5, , .404, , .348, , .907, , 1.2, , 1.3, , 0.4, , 0.1, , 0.7, , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:center;" , 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 29, , 16, , 23.0, , .430, , .398, , .483, , 2.4, , 1.0, , 0.5, , 0.1, , 1.1, , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:center;" , 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 35, , 35, , 30.4, , .455, , .473, , .909, , 3.4, , 2.2, , 1.1, , 0.2, , 1.1, , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:center;" , 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 38, , 35, , 33.5, , .482, , .485, , .864, , 3.4, , 2.7, , 1.1, , 0.2, , 1.4, , 12.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Career , 134, , 88, , 26.1, , .454, , .443, , .833, , 2.7, , 1.9, , 0.8, , 0.2, , 1.1, , 8.7

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelson, Karlie 1995 births Living people British women's basketball players American women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American people of English descent Dallas Wings players Los Angeles Sparks players Sportspeople from Fullerton, California Seattle Storm players Stanford Cardinal women's basketball players Shooting guards Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California) alumni Basketball players from Huntington Beach, California Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) alumni Phoenix Mercury players Naturalised basketball players Washington Mystics players 21st-century American sportswomen Minnesota Lynx players Undrafted Women's National Basketball Association players