There were times throughout last season when Aari McDonald wondered about her place in the WNBA.
The 5' 6" guard starred at Arizona, captivating national audiences in March 2021 as she led the Wildcats to the national championship game. Following her team’s runner-up finish, the Dream selected her No. 3 in the ‘21 draft, wanting to make her a franchise centerpiece.
But her whirlwind adjustment to the professional rank didn’t come easily. She missed her first seven field goal attempts and didn’t score a point until her third game. As Atlanta cycled through three head coaches, McDonald went from averaging 33.6 minutes during her senior season in college to just 16.4 as a pro rookie. “It was mental,” McDonald says of last year’s challenges. “It wasn’t nothing physical.”
