Sydney Wiese announces retirement from WNBA

“One cannot simply choose a few pictures to truly encapsulate a journey that has spanned the majority of my life. To have played and loved a game as deeply as this, for as long as this- it is a blessing,” Wiese wrote.

“I started playing because I wanted to accomplish things. I wanted to succeed, overcome, prove myself. I continued playing to love others through those inevitable trenches that only bball brings, connecting with others worldwide, and enjoying the simple privilege it is to compete between those lines. When I started playing, I had so much anxiety to be great. It fueled my work.”

The guard continued, “As I continued playing, my motivation shifted to wanting to be the best I could be for my teammates. The women beside me each and every season inspired me to give everything I had, in every moment. My journey is nothing without the people who have been with me along the way. I am overflowing with gratitude for each and every one❤️.”

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In 2016, Wiese led the Beavers to their only Final Four appearance and is the Pac-12’s all-time leader with 373 career 3-pointers. During her collegiate career, she won a gold medal from the 2015 World University Games in South Korea.

She was the 11th overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft after a spectacular senior year in which she averaged 15.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The Phoenix, Arizona, native was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks and spent four seasons there. In 90 games with Los Angeles, she shot 39.5% from 3-point range, and in 2020, she ranked third in the WNBA at 47.2%.

In May 2020, she signed a multiyear extension with the Sparks, but she was traded to the Washington Mystics the following year, which would be her last season in the WNBA. She averaged 4.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game during her time in Washington.

Wiese dealt with injuries in her career, including a torn ACL in 2022. She recovered to sign training camp contracts with the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but was waived in training camp in both years.

She also spent time overseas during the WNBA offseason, playing in Australia, Israel, Spain, Italy and Turkey between 2017 and 2024.

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Following Wiese’s announcement, former Los Angeles teammate and current Washington guard Brittney Sykes described her as a “soulmate.” They were so close, Sykes said, that when Wiese was traded to Washington, she chose to wear No. 15 — the same number Sykes was wearing in Los Angeles.

“My first year with the Sparks was in the bubble [in 2020], so I got the honor of living with her and Marie Gülich,” Sykes told The Next on Saturday. “And they were teammates [at Oregon State]. And then me and Marie were teammates in Atlanta. So it all kind of just worked out for the best.

“Me and Syd always knew each other … being opponents with each other, but it was always just a friendly type of thing. And then we became brothers. I don’t know how else to put it. … People like to say that me and Syd are the same person. She’s just Syd.”

Mystics head coach Eric Thibault told The Next that he has a soft spot for players like Wiese who are acquired late in preseason and “just jump in and go with the flow.” He continued, “I wish her well. I don’t doubt she’ll have a good second career doing whatever it is she wants to do.”

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In July, Oregon State announced that Wiese was returning to the program as an assistant coach. Following the news, she shared in a blog post on Oregon State’s website, “Even as I have been away playing in different cities, living in different countries, I have never felt more at home than in Corvallis. Through prayer and conviction rooted in deep belief toward this university, it is a privilege to commit to Oregon State a second time- as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program.”

The Next’s Jenn Hatfield contributed reporting for this story.