By Brady Entwistle
Minnesota Lynx great, Seimone Augustus, will be getting her jersey number retired on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at the Target Center before the team's game against Los Angeles.
Drafted first overall by the organization in 2006, the former LSU standout quickly became one of the premier athletes in the league, being named Rookie of the Year and achieving All-Star status eight times, as well as receiving 3 Olympic gold medals and earning MVP during the Lynx’s route to the 2011 WNBA Championship title. During her fourteen-year tenure with Minnesota, Augustus was a part of three other championship teams, winning in 2013, 2015, and 2017, and played alongside the likes of Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson, Sylvia Fowles, and Lindsay Whalen, who got her own jersey retired during the 2019 season.
Augustus’ name became synonymous with the Minnesota Lynx, contributing to the team’s winning culture and prominence as a dynasty in the WNBA. She leads the franchise in “total points (5,881), field goals made (2,401), games played (370), and games started (365),” as noted by the Lynx. In an age inundated by trades and free agency signings, Augustus remained a member of Minnesota’s team for almost the entirety of her professional career, before joining the Los Angeles Sparks for one season in 2020. She announced her retirement a year later, joining the Sparks’ coaching staff, which she currently remains a part of.
Augustus has opened up about her experience with the team and reflected on the event, saying: “The Minnesota Lynx organization, fans, and community will always have a special place in my heart. I poured my soul into this city for 14 years and created incredible memories on and off the court. I’m proud to be a part of a group of women that delivered four championships and made history. I’m forever grateful to Los Lynx Nation and honored that my jersey will be in the rafters of the Target Center,” via the Minnesota Lynx.
“Money Mone,” as Augustus is commonly referred to, wore the number 33 and it was announced last year that the Minnesota Lynx would be retiring her jersey. Augustus is set to return to the Target Center this Sunday as the Minnesota Lynx face off against the Los Angeles Sparks. Per the Lynx’s statement on the event, “The pregame ceremony is scheduled to commence at 5:25 p.m. CT. It will feature a tribute video highlighting Augustus’ illustrious career on and off the court, a celebratory on-court program including remarks from Augustus and the banner unveil.” Fans will also be given the opportunity to take photos with a standee and receive a Seimone Augustus poster, while players and coaching staff will wear special warm-ups.
Seimone Augustus has accomplished a lot during her impressive basketball career and is even set to become the first female athlete to get a statue at LSU, so for fans of the game, her jersey retirement this Sunday is well deserved. Augustus’ former teammate and current Lynx assistant coach, Rebekkah Brunson, will also get her jersey number (32) retired on Sunday, July 3, after its scheduled 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and creation of the bubble.
Last year, current Lynx coach and General Manager, Cheryl Reeve, said: “It will be an amazing moment to have both Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus honored when we can share this experience with more fans next season. Both players were instrumental in the franchise’s historic run of four championships in seven seasons. I’m thrilled to know their numbers will soon join Lindsay’s in the rafters,” as reported by the Lynx.