# Kayla Thornton

Kayla Thornton (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In college, Thornton played for the University of Texas at El Paso.

## Career

Thornton was El Paso's all-time leading scorer. She led the team to a record 29 wins.
Thornton was not selected in the 2014 WNBA draft. She signed with the Washington Mystics for the 2015 season and played in 10 games. She returned to the WNBA for the 2017 season, signing with the Dallas Wings. She spent six seasons in Dallas before being traded on January 16, 2023 to the New York Liberty in a three-team deal.
On December 6, 2024, Thornton was selected as the Golden State Valkyries' pick from the New York Liberty's 2024 roster in the WNBA's expansion draft.
Thornton is known for her defensive play, and her ability to guard players in any position. In the WNBA offseason, Thornton has played in Australia, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, Russia and South Korea.

## Career statistics

| † | Denotes season(s) in which Thornton won a WNBA championship |

### WNBA
#### Regular season

Stats current through end of 2024 season
WNBA regular season statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2015 | Washington | 10 | 0 | 8.8 | .333 | .000 | .667 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.2 |
| 2016 | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) | Did not play (waived) |
| 2017 | Dallas | 34 | 1 | 17.2 | .412 | .279 | .800 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 6.8 |
| 2018 | Dallas | 34 | 32 | 28.6 | .447 | .355 | .860 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 9.2 |
| 2019 | Dallas | 27 | 25 | 30.4 | .343 | .272 | .931 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 10.4 |
| 2020 | Dallas | 22 | 14 | 25.3 | .429 | .347 | .875 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | Dallas | 31 | 25 | 27.6 | .421 | .349 | .849 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 7.5 |
| 2022 | Dallas | 36 | 35 | 29.2 | .471 | .329 | .829 | 5.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 8.0 |
| 2023 | New York | 40° | 0 | 17.3 | .433 | .313 | .767 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 4.5 |
| 2024$^†$ | New York | 40° | 11 | 20.3 | .379 | .357 | .846 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5.5 |
| Career | 9 years, 3 teams | 274 | 143 | 23.5 | .411 | .327 | .841 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 7.0 |

#### Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2017 | Dallas | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 | Dallas | 1 | 1 | 30.0 | .571 | .000 | — | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| 2021 | Dallas | 1 | 1 | 16.0 | .000 | .000 | — | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 | Dallas | 3 | 3 | 26.3 | .526 | .500 | 1.000 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 8.3 |
| 2023 | New York | 10 | 0 | 10.1 | .444 | .400 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 3.2 |
| 2024$^†$ | New York | 11 | 0 | 12.5 | .333 | .176 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.0 |
| Career | 6 years, 2 teams | 27 | 5 | 13.7 | .405 | .289 | 1.000 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.2 |

### College

NCAA statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2010–11 | UTEP | 30 | 12 | 19.9 | .428 | .143 | .678 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 7.0 |
| 2011–12 | UTEP | 32 | 32 | 24.9 | .480 | .381 | .730 | 7.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 9.8 |
| 2012–13 | UTEP | 32 | 31 | 31.2 | .410 | .285 | .705 | 8.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 15.3 |
| 2013–14 | UTEP | 34 | 33 | 31.3 | .430 | .277 | .777 | 10.1 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 19.5 |
| Career | Career | 128 | 108 | 27.0 | .433 | .285 | .736 | 8.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 13.1 |