Sonja L. Henning (born October 4, 1969) is an American attorney and former collegiate and professional

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...

player. Born in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, she grew up in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, where she attended

Horlick High School William Horlick High School (also known as Horlick or Racine Horlick High School) is a comprehensive public four-year high school in Racine, Wisconsin with an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students. The school opened to students in 1928, after ...

. While at Horlick, Henning earned 12 varsity letters in tennis, track and field, and most notably basketball as a 4-year starter at guard. Henning lead the Racine Horlick Rebels to 2 WIAA basketball tournament appearances, including the championship game in 1987 (her senior year). At the end of Henning's prep basketball career in 1987, Sonja became the state of Wisconsin's all time leading scorer with 2,236 points, a two-time first-team all-state selection, and was tabbed as the 1987 Wisconsin Miss Basketball.

Stanford University

Henning played for Stanford and helped the team win the 1990 NCAA women's basketball championship. She attended

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 ...

and played for its women's basketball team from 1987 to 1991. She helped the

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

win the 1990 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship game, defeating

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

88-81 with 21 points and nine rebounds. The following year, Henning was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and a

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n in her senior season. An

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

major, Henning graduated from Stanford in 1991 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree. After graduation, there were few opportunities for women to play professional basketball in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the time, so Henning started her professional career playing in a women's professional basketball team in

Uppsala, Sweden Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the capital Stockholm, it is ...

in 1992.

USA Basketball

Henning was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in

Sao Paulo, Brazil SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

. The event was known as the Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament at the time. The event was held in August 1988, when the USA team defeated the host team Brazil by a score of 70–68 to win the championship. Henning sank two free throws with under one second remaining in the game to win the final game and the gold medal. Henning represented the US at the World Championships held in

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population of 2,075,600 . Greater Kuala Lum ...

in July 1990. The team won all eight games, earning the gold medal. Henning scored 2.0 points per game. Henning again represented the USA at the 1990 Goodwill Games held in Seattle, WA during August 1990; the USA team won the gold medal. Henning also played with the USA team at the

1991 Pan American Games The 1991 Pan American Games, officially known as the XI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Havana 1991 (), were held in Havana, Cuba from 2 to 18 August 1991. There were 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the Pan American Sports Organi ...

. The team finished with a record of 4–2, but managed to win the bronze medal. The USA team lost a three-point game to Brazil, then responded with wins over Argentina and Cuba, earning a spot in the medal round. The next game was a rematch against Cuba, and this time the team from Cuba won a five-point game. The USA beat Canada easily to win the bronze. Gordon averaged 3 points per game.

Duke University

After playing one season in Sweden, she enrolled in

Duke University Law School The Duke University School of Law is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit that began in 1868 as the T ...

in 1992 where she obtained a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1995. Shortly after graduating from Duke, Henning starting working as an attorney specializing in

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

and

employment law Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...

for the

Littler Mendelson Littler Mendelson P.C. is a U.S.-based law firm that specializes in labor and employment law. They have been widely described as a "union busting" firm. The firm has offices in 28 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, ...

law firm in

Los Angeles, California 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, ...

Resuming professional basketball

In 1996, the American Basketball League (ABL) was formed, and Henning tried out for a playing spot on a team in the new league. Henning was eventually drafted by the

San Jose Lasers The San Jose Lasers were a women's professional basketball team in San Jose, California. It was a member of the American Basketball League. Their home games were primarily held at the San Jose State Event Center with an occasional game being ...

, a team which also featured former Stanford players

Jennifer Azzi Jennifer Lynn Azzi ( ; born August 31, 1968), is an American business development officer and former basketball player and coach. Since 2021, she has been the chief business development officer for the Las Vegas Aces. Azzi played collegiate bask ...

, Anita Kaplan, and Val Whiting. She played for the Lasers for two seasons, then joined the Portland Power until financial difficulties led to the ABL's demise in 1998. Henning joined 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) after being selected in the second round (24th overall pick) by the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

during its 1999

WNBA draft The WNBA draft is an annual draft (sports), draft held by the Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and List of WNBA players, professional women's basketball p ...

and helped the Comets to its third straight

WNBA championship The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the win ...

season. During that same year, she also served as the president of the WNBA Players Union. In 2000, the WNBA held an

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

for current players to join newly formed teams. Henning was selected by 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 ...

and played with the team from 2000 to part of the 2002 season until she was traded back to the Comets. After the 2002 season ended, she became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, and signed a contract 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 ...

on May 5, 2003, but was waived by the team three weeks later. In June 2003, Henning signed a contract with the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

and played for them during that season. Henning served as president of the

Women's National Basketball Players Association The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) is the players' union for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It formed in 1998 and was the first trade union for female professional athletes. History The Women's Nat ...

from 2001 to 2003. She retired from the WNBA in 2004.

Life after basketball

After serving two years as general counsel for Lucy.com, a startup

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

company that sells women's sporting apparel, Henning joined the law firm Tonkon Torp LLP, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. She is currently an attorney specializing in labor and employment litigation matters. Henning was vice president of North American League Partnership for Nike. Henning currently serves on the board of directors for the

Urban League of Portland Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

. In May 2005, Henning was elected to a seat on the Portland School Board with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Career statistics

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 32 , , 32 , , 24.9 , , .444 , , .317 , , .611 , , 2.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.9 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, 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 ...

, 32 , , 32 , , 30.6 , , .351 , , .379 , , .607 , , 2.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

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, 32 , , 28 , , 28.2 , , .318 , , .182 , , .514 , , 2.2 , , 2.9 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.3 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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

, 8 , , 5 , , 25.9 , , .364 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002* , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 10 , , 22.7 , , .346 , , .250 , , .455 , , 2.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002 , style="text-align:left;", Total , 31 , , 15 , , 23.5 , , .351 , , .188 , , .467 , , 2.7 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.4 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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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 ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003* , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 23 , , 1 , , 12.6 , , .262 , , .000 , , .250 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003 , style="text-align:left;", Total , 24 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .256 , , .000 , , .250 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 5 years, 4 teams , 151 , , 108 , , 24.5 , , .356 , , .278 , , .547 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 3.2

Playoffs

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, 6 , , 6 , , 22.7 , , .348 , , .111 , , .333 , , 3.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 16.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 2 years, 1 team , 9 , , 9 , , 20.4 , , .250 , , .091 , , .333 , , 2.4 , , 1.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , , 2.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;" , 1987-88 , 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, , -, , -, , 44.2, , 0.0, , 75.9, , 4.3, , 4.0, , 1.7, , 0.1, , -, , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 1988-89 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 30, , -, , -, , 49.8, , 43.2, , 72.9, , 4.1, , 5.7, , 1.9, , 0.1, , -, , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 1989-90 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 33, , -, , -, , 45.1, , 25.6, , 73.8, , 4.2, , 6.7, , 2.3, , 0.2, , -, , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 1990-91 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 32, , -, , -, , 45.5, , 38.0, , 63.1, , 6.0, , 7.4, , 2.8, , 0.3, , -, , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Career , 127, , -, , -, , 46.0, , 36.4, , 70.5, , 4.6, , 6.0, , 2.2, , 0.2, , -, , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="14", Statistics retrieved from

Sports-Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey Ref ...

References

External links

Tonkon Torp LLP biographyWNBA player profile
* ttp://www.wnba.com/fever/news/feature_henning_030731.html 2003 Indiana Fever article {{DEFAULTSORT:Henning, Sonja 1969 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Sweden American women lawyers American women's basketball players Basketball players from Portland, Oregon California lawyers Duke University School of Law alumni Houston Comets players Indiana Fever players Basketball players at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in basketball Oregon lawyers Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Point guards Portland Power players San Jose Lasers players School board members in Oregon Seattle Storm players Basketball players from Racine, Wisconsin Stanford Cardinal women's basketball players Women's National Basketball Association executives William Horlick High School alumni United States women's national basketball team players Goodwill Games gold medalists Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games 20th-century American sportswomen