Minnesota Lynx Offseason Update Vol. 1: Overseas Play Gets Underway

Although the WNBA is still taking place with two teams left standing ahead of the WNBA Finals starting Oct. 8, the offseason is underway for the Minnesota Lynx who fell in the first round of the postseason.

For multiple Lynx players, their time on the court doesn’t end with the conclusion of the 2023 WNBA campaign while starting their seasons overseas around the globe.

Nine Lynx are planning to play overseas this offseason, including Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Nina Milić, Tiffany Mitchell, Lindsay Allen, Jessica Shepard, Dorka Juhász, Diamond Miller and Bridget Carleton. Five of those players are playing in Turkey, two in Italy and one in Hungary and one in Spain.

As players take part in overseas play, we will provide you with a weekly update on those Lynx players and how they have performed as of late in our Lynx Offseason Update.

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Napheesa Coller, Kayla McBride and Nina Milić

Istanbul, Turkey

Global powerhouse Fenerbahçe will not only have another stacked roster this season, but three of those players will be Lynx players with Collier, McBride and Milić all playing together in Istanbul, Turkey in EuroLeague and Turkey-KBSL action.

Collier is playing overseas for the first time since 2020 when she played for French club Montpellier while averaging 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 14 appearances. According to our Jack Borman, Collier likely won’t play overseas for the entire offseason.

McBride is once again playing for Fenerbahçe for the third straight year, coming off another strong season overseas last offseason. Last year, McBride averaged 19.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals over 22 Turkey-KBSL games to go along with 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 18 EuroLeague contests.

Milić is making her first appearance in Turkey this offseason after playing in France-LFB and EuroCup action with Flammes Carolo in France last offseason. Milić, who was one of the regular contributors off the bench for the Lynx in 2023, averaged 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 games with Flammes Carolo last offseason while posting 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 10 EuroCup contests.

About a week after the Lynx playoff run concluded in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs, this trio went right overseas and helped Fenerbahçe take home the FIBA Supercup, with Collier claiming the MVP award in the game. Fenerbahçe, which started its year in the middle of September, will continue its season this week.

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Tiffany Mitchell

Istanbul, Turkey

Mitchell follows up a strong offseason last year and her first season with the Lynx in the WNBA over the summer by heading to Istanbul, Turkey to play for Galatasaray in the Turkey-KBSL.

While playing out of position most of the WNBA season with Minnesota, Mitchell finished with season averages of 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 33 games in her eighth year this summer. Last offseason, she played in Australia for the Melbourne Boomers of the Australian Women’s National Basketball League, averaging a league-best 21 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and two steals a contest.

Mitchell will play alongside Washington Mystics forward Myisha Hines-Allen and former Lynx forward Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan with Galatasaray, which began its season in mid-September and will return to the court this weekend.

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Lindsay Allen

Istanbul, Turkey

Allen, who is still recovering from a thumb injury that cut her season short in Minnesota this summer, was set to play in Istanbul, Turkey with Emlak Konut in the Turkey-KBSL this offseason after a strong year with the Lynx, but is no longer with the team.

Allen took over the starting point guard spot in her sixth WNBA year in 2023, finishing with 6.2 points, a career-high 4.5 assists and a career-best 2.4 rebounds in 17 starts and 29 appearances.

Allen has played overseas in Russia, Australia and Poland earlier in her career, taking the court for Russian squad Dynamo Moscow in 2017, Australian squad Melbourne Boomers in 2018 and 2019, Russian team Nika Syktyvkar in 2020 and most recently Polish team Gorzów Wielkopolski in 2022. With Gorzów Wielkopolski, Allen averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 29 Poland-OBLK games and 12.1 points, 6.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 10 EuroCup contests.

Allen was going to fellow WNBA player Alanna Smith of the Chicago Sky and former WNBA player Sydney Wiese, among others, with Emlak Konut, which got its season underway in mid-September. Her next move is to be determined.

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Jessica Shepard

Venice, Italy

Shepard, coming off a 2023 WNBA season that was filled with injuries or illness while only playing in about half of Minnesota’s regular-season games, will return overseas this offseason to play in Italy’s Serie A1 with Umana Reyer Venezia in Venice, Italy.

This will be Shepard’s third straight offseason in Italy and second straight stint with Umana Reyer Venezia, whom she was a double-double machine for last offseason. In 27 Italy Serie A1 games last year, Shepard averaged 19.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28.6 minutes, while averaging 16.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 29.8 minutes over 12 EuroCup contests.

Umana Reyer Venezia’s season began on Sunday and will continue action this weekend.

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Dorka Juhász

Schio, Italy

After a strong rookie season, Juhász will head overseas to place with Famila Basket Schio in the EuroLeague.

Juhász, a Hungary native, was one of the top three rookies in the WNBA in 2023, averaging six points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 22 starts over 38 games. While making perhaps a larger impact than some thought she would with Minnesota, Juhász will join Atlanta Dream forward Rhyne Howard to form an impressive pairing in Italy’s Serie A1 play.

Famila Basket Schio had its season get underway on Sunday and will resume the start of its season this week.

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Diamond Miller

Györ, Hungary

Miller is coming off a rookie season that was filled with learning experiences, all of which she will carry with her into the offseason while playing overseas in Hungary with UNI Györ.

Miller put together a rookie season with the Lynx in 2023 where she averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals over 26.1 minutes in 32 contests, ranking second among rookie players in scoring, fifth in rebounds, third in assists and tied for third in steals over the summer.

Miller joins fellow WNBA players Kristine Anigwe (Chicago Sky), Destiny Slocum (Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream) and Cyesha Goree (Washington Mystics) with UNI Györ, which played its first game of the year on Sept. 30 and will continue the season this week.

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Bridget Carleton

To Be Determined

Carleton is returning overseas to play this offseason, coming off a WNBA season where she was once again a valued veteran spark off the Lynx bench. According to our Jack Borman, Carleton has not yet signed with a club but is nearing a decision.

The Canadian wing played for Perfumerías Avenida last offseason, joining the team in late November and playing in EuroLeague and Spain-LF Endesa action. In EuroLeague play, Carleton averaged 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.8 minutes over 12 games, while averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 23.6 minutes over 23 Spain-LF Endesa contests.