WNBA star Lindsay Whalen to retire

Four-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen announced Monday she will retire at the end of the Minnesota Lynx’s season.

Whalen has played 15 years in the league, the past nine with her hometown Lynx. The point guard is a five-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA First Team selection.

The former University of Minnesota star already has her next job lined up, having agreed in April to coach the women’s basketball team at her alma mater.

“I would like to thank the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun, and the Minnesota Lynx for believing in me all of these years,” Whalen said in a statement. “I look forward to the next chapter in my basketball career and wish my Lynx coaches and teammates all of the best in the future.”

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Whalen, 36, was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the No. 4 overall pick after leading the Gophers to the 2004 Women’s Final Four. The Hutchinson, Minnesota, native played her first six seasons with Connecticut before being traded to the Lynx in 2010.

While the Lynx did not make the playoffs in their first year with Whalen, they drafted Maya Moore with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 and began a run that saw them make the WNBA Finals six times, winning four titles.

Whalen is Minnesota’s career assists leader with 2,337, which places her third all-time in the WNBA behind Sue Bird and Ticha Penicheiro. She’s averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds in her career so far.

The Lynx have already qualified for a spot in this year’s playoffs and have three more regular season games left on their schedule. They play Tuesday at home against the Chicago Sky, Friday at Connecticut and Sunday at home against the Washington Mystics.