Connecticut Sun guard, 11-year veteran Tiffany Hayes announces WNBA retirement
Connecticut Sun guard and 11-year WNBA veteran Tiffany Hayes is retiring from the league, she announced Wednesday.
Hayes said on the “Counted Me Out” podcast, “It’s the end.”
“You can still catch me overseas,” she said, via ESPN. “WNBA, this right here with the Connecticut Sun was my last season.”
Never strayed from her unique style, on or off the court.
Congratulations to Tiffany Hayes on a spectacular WNBA career — we are honored and thankful to have been a part of your journey. pic.twitter.com/O9NixdSvJS— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) December 13, 2023
Hayes won back-to-back national championships at UConn in 2009 and 2010, and was then selected by the Atlanta Dream with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft. She spent a decade playing for the Dream before she was traded to the Sun ahead of last season.
In total, Hayes averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists throughout her WNBA career. She made the playoffs six times, including last season with the Sun.
“We are so grateful for the season we had with Tip,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said in a statement. “She is the ultimate competitor and professional. She plays with passion, toughness, competes on both ends and leaves it all on the floor. I said it all season long.
“She’s one of the few players in the history of the league that can get downhill and beat people with that quick first step. She is elite in every sense of the word. We wish Tip the best and congratulate her on an outstanding career.”
Hayes, like many WNBA players, has spent most of her career playing overseas. She’s played in China, Turkey and Spain, and last played with Mersin in Turkey. Hayes, 34, said she will continue to play overseas but doubling up on basketball has just become too much.
"It's a lot of things," Hayes said, via ESPN. "I really feel like I'm older now. I've got a lot of stuff that I really always wanted to get into, but I'm so busy because I'm playing year-round. ... Plus my body, playing 11 seasons straight with no breaks, every year, two seasons in a year every time — that's a lot.
"I just figured I'd focus on one thing and then summertime, I can turn up my businesses, turn up time with my family, and just live like that. I want to see how that goes."
