Washington Mystics star Shakira Austin isn’t shying away from self-belief, sending a clear message to her WNBA peers.
Since being drafted third overall by Washington in 2022, Shakira Austin has quickly built a reputation as one of the league’s premier talents. She backed up her top-three pick status with an All-Rookie nod, but injuries ended up derailing her next couple of years.
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Fully healthy, she’s putting together her most complete season yet, leading the Mystics’ frontcourt while putting up career highs across the board with 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
She isn’t just boasting, her game really is standing out.
Shakira Austin predicts she’ll be the best in the WNBA
The confidence of Shakira Austin was on full show in an interview in Andscape.
She said: “I just know the type of player that I can be. I look around the league, and I don’t see anybody else that can do what I do,” Austin said. “I’ve always felt like that.”
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“A lot of people have mistaken my confidence for being ego-driven or maybe big-headed. A lot of times it’s just because they didn’t see the vision. They didn’t see the product that I was putting out matching how highly I thought of who I could be in this league.”
While scorers like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell, and Caitlin Clark lead the WNBA in pure point totals, Shakira Austin’s argument centers on her rare two-way versatility.
Standing 6-foot-5, she pairs rim protection with open-floor mobility, defending multiple positions while creating off the dribble, as well as sitting fourth overall for rebounds per game.
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