RhyneHoward

Accolades: 

• 2 x WNBA All-Star (2022, 2023)
• WNBA Kia Rookie of the Year (2022)
• Associated Press Rookie of the Year (2022)
• WNBA Kia Rookie of the Month (August 2022)
• WNBA Kia Rookie of the Month (July 2022)
• WNBA Kia Rookie of the Month (June 2022)
• WNBA Kia Rookie of the Month (May 2022)
• WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (5/15/22)
• Associated Press Player of the Week (5/16/22)

2023 Highlights with the Dream  

• Played and started in 39 regular season games with the Dream 
• In her first WNBA Playoff appearance in which she dropped 36 points, Rhyne Howard made both league and franchise history.  
• With those 36 points she became the youngest player in WNBA history to score 30+ points in the postseason and scored the most ever points for a WNBA playoff debut.  
• Recorded her first career double-double with a career-best 10 rebounds and a team-high 20 points in the Dream’s season opener at Dallas (5/20), adding two assists and 3 steals.  
• Dished out her highest assist count of her career with 8 against the Mystics (6/30) 
• Scored a career-high and historic 43 points on 70% shooting (14/20) against the Sparks (7/2), becoming the only the second Dream player ever to score 40 + points.  
• Dropped 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals against Chicago (7/9) 
• Became the fastest Dream player to reach 1000 career points (59 games) vs. the Mystics (7/30). 
• Howard became the 10th player in WNBA history and first for the Dream to earn 14 games with 20+ points, 2+ 3PM, and 70 + FG % in under two seasons (5/30) 

2022 Season (Atlanta):

• Put up 16 points off 4 three’s in her WNBA debut, with a team-leading 4 blocks and 2 steals. She is the first rookie in WNBA history to record 4 blocks and 4 made three-pointers in their debut.
  • Her 12 three-point attempts stands as the most by a Dream player since Renee Montgomery took 13 in 2019.
• Topped her previous game with 21 points off 5 made three’s and pulled down 8 rebounds in a win over Los Angeles (5/11).
• Scored 33 points in win over Indiana (5/15) with 17 points in the first quarter alone, which was tied for the third-most scored in a single quarter by a first-year player in the WNBA and the most ever scored by a rookie in a first quarter of any WNBA game.
• WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (5/15) and AP Player of the Week (5/16).
  • The first rookie to win the award in the first week of their WNBA career since Tamika Catchings in 2002, and the first Dream rookie to ever earn the WNBA Player of the Week award.
• Howard eclipsed 100 points in only five games, the seventh-most by a rookie in their first five games in league history. She reached 123 after the May 20th game against Washington, the sixth-most of any rookie in league history in that time span and the most by any Dream rookie.
• Led the team with 25 points at Phoenix (6/10) off a season-high 6 made three’s.
• Named the WNBA Kia Rookie of the Month for June: through the month of June, she averaged 14.3 points and 2.7 assists, making 5.3 field goals and 2.1 three-pointers per game, all of which ranked first among rookies.

Howard in the News:

• Bally Sports Southeast Halftime Feature on Rhyne Howard with Tabitha Turner
• Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard wins WNBA Rookie of the Year award | M.A. Voepel for ESPN.com, August 25, 2022
• The Dream’s Clean-Slate Strategy Made Space for a Star: Rhyne Howard | Erica Ayala for The New York Times, June 23, 2022
• WNBA Rookie Rhyne Howard Wants Young Black Girls in Sports To Feel ‘Invited To Play’ | D’Shonda Brown for Girls United, August 2, 2022
• No. 1 Overall Pick Rhyne Howard Signs Multi-Year Deal With Jordan Brand | Brooks Warren for SLAM, May 6, 2022

College: Kentucky’s first player ever drafted No. 1 overall by a WNBA franchise. She leaves Lexington as the program’s all-time top three-point shooter and a two-time SEC Player of the Year. The 21-year-old from Cleveland, Tenn. started in 114 games over the course of her four-year career with the Wildcats. She totaled 2,290 career points and is one of only nine players in women’s basketball history to be named to the Associated Press First Team three times. She finished the 2021-22 season as the only player in the nation with over 600+ points, 200+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 70+ steals and 35+ blocks. During her college career, Howard averaged 20.1 points (20.5 in 31 games during the 2021-22 season alone), 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 33 minutes per game during her career. Personal: member of Zeta Phi Beta, a historically African American sorority. Organized a Unity Fair and Social Justice March on campus and was joined by dozens of student-athletes and hundreds of fellow community members. It was solely organized by the team and spearheaded by Howard, aimed to bring awareness to police brutality, inform their peers on how these issues affect the black community, encourage their peers to exercise their right to vote, demand justice for injustices, provide mental health information and resources, and spread love through tough times.

USA Basketball: 

• Honors: 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup All-Star Five and 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship MVP.
• Gold Medal: 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup (along with teammate Naz Hillmon) and 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
• Silver Medal: 2019 Red Bull USA Basketball 3×3 Nationals.
• As a member of the 2018 USA U18 National Team, Howard helped her team earn a 6-0 record by starting in five of six games and averaged 8.5 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and tied for a team-high with 3.0 assists per game.
• Competed for Drive in the 2019 Red Bull USA Basketball 3×3 Nationals where she helped lead her team to a silver medal and a 6-2 record where she scored 11 of her team’s 20 points in the championship game.
• Member of the 2019 USA U19 World Cup Team that finished with a 7-0 record and earned the gold medal with a 74-70 overtime victory over Australia in Bangkok, Thailand. Howard started all seven games and averaged a team-high 13.1 points per game and added 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Named to the 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup Team on June 6, 2021.

Personal:

• Daughter of Rhvonja “RJ” Avery, who played at the University of Florida, and James Howard.
• Member of Zeta Phi Beta
• Majored in Digital Media and Design