Each week, we will provide an update on the Minnesota Lynx players overseas and how they are performing as part of our Lynx Offseason Update series.
With the WNBA in a bit of a holding pattern until the calendar flips over to 2025 and we start thinking about things like free agency, the WNBA Draft and eventually the 2025 WNBA season, the offseason continues across the globe WNBA players.
For the Minnesota Lynx, they currently have a total of 12 players under team control spread out across the world playing either overseas or remaining here in the United States for offseason competition. Those 12 players are Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alissa Pili, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Dorka Juhász, Diamond Miller, Myisha Hines-Allen, Maïa Hirsch and Jessica Shepard.
As the offseason continues and as others wait for the start of their seasons, let’s take a look at how each of the Lynx players performed over the past week with the latest edition of our Lynx Offseason Update series.
Bridget Carleton — UNI Györ (Hungary)
Carleton is back with UNI Györ for a second straight offseason after a strong season in Hungary last year, and she’s gotten off to another great start in both Hungary-A Division action and Euroleague contests.
Carleton has not only contributed offensively, but she has done a nice job on the boards and has put together a well-rounded season thus far. This past week, she had one of her quietest performances offensively, but impacted the game in many other ways.
Season Stats:
- Hungary-A Division: 5 games — 12.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 31.2 MPG
- Euroleague: 2 games — 15.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 36.0 MPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 8 vs. Miskolc (72-58 win): eight points (4-7 FG, 0-5 3pt), nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal over 35 minuites
Alanna Smith — Shandong (China)
Smith has been all over the globe over the course of her WNBA career, currently playing for Shandong in China. During her career, Smith has played in Australia, Poland, and Turkey before landing with her current Chinese squad.
So far this offseason, Smith has put together many impressive performances across 11 China-WCBA games, once again dominating over the past week with a double-double in two of her three outings.
Season Stats:
- China-WCBA: 11 games — 15.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.2 SPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 8 vs. Sichuan (91-72 loss): 12 points (4-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and one steal
- Dec. 11 vs. Jiangsu (77-72 win): 12 points (4-10 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds and one steal
- Dec. 13 vs. Shanghai (79-78 win): 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-5 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals
Dorka Juhász — Famila Schio (Italy)
Juhász is back in Italy again this year, coming off a strong campaign with Famila Schio last offseason and looking to build upon that this season as she prepares for her third WNBA campaign in 2025.
Juhász has seen a limited role for most of the offseason in Italy, but she has recently earned more playing time and has taken advantage of that extra time with strong outings both offensively and one the glass. In her lone game of the week, Juhász tallied season-high marks in scoring, rebounds and minutes played.
Season Stats:
- Italy-Serie A1: 4 games — 5.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 15.0 MPG
- Euroleague: 2 games — 5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 18.5 MPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 14 vs. Brescia (84-67 win): eight points (3-5 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 14 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 26 minutes
Diamond Miller — Gorzow Wielkopolski (Poland)
Miller had her season cut short last offseason while dealing with a knee injury, only appearing in three games in Hungary before returning to Minnesota to rehab her injury.
So far in Poland-OBLK and EuroCup action in Poland, Miller has made the most out of her opportunities thus far. Over the past week, she stepped up on the glass and remained dominant offensively while tallying her first double-double of the offseason.
Season Stats:
- Poland-OBLK: 5 games — 16.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 30.4 MPG
- EuroCup: 3 games — 13.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 31.3 MPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 11 vs. Besiktas (80-64 loss): 11 points (2-7 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 1-3 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one steal over 35 minutes
- Dec. 14 vs. Polkowice (75-64 loss): 23 points (8-11 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals over 37 minutes
Natisha Hiedeman — Inner Mongolia (China)
As a soon-to-be WNBA free agent, Hiedeman is spending her offseason ahead of WNBA free agency overseas with Inner Mongolia in China. During her career, Hiedeman has also spent time in Israel, Russia, and Sweden before arriving in China.
With her Chinese squad, Hiedeman has gotten off to a nice start to China-WCBA play while providing a boost to her team as a floor general. Over the past week, she had a breakout performance on Dec. 8, setting a new season high in assists while posting her fifth game with 20 or more points.
Season Stats:
- China-WCBA: 11 games — 14.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 8 vs. Guangdong (92-90 win): 21 points (6-10 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven assists, six rebounds and two steals
- Dec. 11 vs. Shanxi (109-102 win): no points (0-1 FG), three rebounds and two assists
- Dec. 13 vs. Beijing (83-76 loss): nine points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals
Myisha Hines-Allen — Heilongjiang (China)
Also a soon-to-be free agent, HInes-Allen is spending her offseason in China while playing for Heilongjiang in the same league as her Lynx teammates Smith and Hiedeman. During her career, Hines-Allen has also played in France, Italy, South Korea, Russia and Turkey.
Hines-Allen has been on a tear so far this offseason, averaging north of a double-double in 12 China-WCBA contests. Over the past week, she took her game to the next level with two impressive 30-point double-doubles, one of which ended with over 20 boards.
Season Stats:
- China-WCBA: 12 games — 20.2 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.6 SPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 9 vs. Henan (80-74 win): 36 points (14-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 13 rebounds, five steals and four blocks
- Dec. 12 vs. Shaanxi (75-70 win): 33 points (10-21 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 21 rebounds, six assists and one steal
- Dec. 14 vs. Shaanxi (82-63 loss): four points (2-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal
Jessica Shepard — Athinaikos AS Vurona (Greece)
Some may have forgotten about Shepard since she didn’t play in the WNBA in 2024 on a suspended contract while remaining overseas, but the veteran is still under control of the Lynx.
Shepard has dominated in Greece while playing with Athinaikos AS Vurona, averaging 30 points and a double-double in Greece-A1 play, hauling in her sixth straight double-double in her lone appearance over the past week.
Season Stats:
- Greece-A1: 6 games — 30.0 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 33.3 MPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 8 vs. Proteas (91-73 win): 29 points (9-14 FG, 11-16 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal over 35 minutes
Maïa Hirsch — ESB Villeneuve (France)
Hirsch has yet to appear with the Lynx or in the WNBA after being drafted 12th overall by Minnesota in 2023 but is still under team control as she remains in France with ESB Villeneuve.
So far this offseason, Hirsch hasn’t appeared in many games for her French squad but returned to the court on Dec. 8 for the first time since Oct. 6. Though she didn’t contribute much off the bench, it’s at least a bright spot to see Hirsch back on the court.
Season Stats:
- France-BWL: 3 games — 4.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 BPG, 14.3 MPG
Recent Games:
- Dec. 8 vs. Landes (81-70 loss): no points, one rebound, and one steal over nine minutes
Not Yet Underway
While the players listed above have already begun their seasons across the globe, four more Lynx players will remain in the country and will take part in leagues in the United States at the start of the 2025 calendar year.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams are taking part in the new Unrivaled league, which is co-founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart. Former Lynx General Manager Clare Duwelius is also taking part in that league as an executive, serving as its General Manager and Executive Vice President.
Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league featuring six players on six teams, will kick off its inaugural season in Miami on Jan. 17.
The fourth Lynx player remaining in the country but still playing is rookie Alissa Pili, who will take part in the Athletes Unlimited league. Athletes Unlimited, which was founded in 2022, will be taking the league to Nashville this season, kicking off the year on Feb. 5.
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.