# Bridget Carleton

Bridget Carleton (born May 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Çukurova Basketbol of the Turkish Super League. She played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones and competed internationally with the Canada national team.
She participated at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
On March 14, 2019, Carleton was named second-team All-American by ESPN.
In her career playing at Iowa State University, she finished 2nd in the Cyclones' records for career scoring with 2,142 points. She ranks third in three areas: field goals with 713, steals with 211, and blocked shots with 124.

## Canadian national team

Carleton first played for Team Canada at the 2013 U16 FIBA Americas. She was named team captain, led the squad in minutes, and helped Canada to a silver medal. She also was a part of the U17 Ontario Team, which won Gold at the 2013 Canada Games. Carleton also played with the junior team that won silver at the U18 FIBA Americas.
Carleton joined the Senior National Team in 2016 and played in some exhibition games. She was a part of the 2017 squad that defended their gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament. In 2018, she helped Canada to a 7th-place finish at the FIBA World Cup, as well in 2019, winning silver at the FIBA AmeriCup.
On June 29, Carleton was named to the 2020 Canadian National Team that competed at the 2020 Olympics. This marks the first time in her career that she will compete at the Olympics.
She represented Canada in February 2024, at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Sopron, Hungary. She averaged 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Her efficiency per game was 12.

## WNBA
### Connecticut Sun (2019)

Carleton was drafted in the second round of the 2019 WNBA draft, 21st overall, by the Connecticut Sun. She ultimately made the opening day roster, but was later released after just four games.

### Minnesota Lynx (2019–present)

On August 22, Carleton signed a 7-day contract with the Minnesota Lynx, followed by a contract for the remainder of the 2019 season.
Carleton made the Lynx roster for the 2020 season, and became a key part of the team – filling in for the injured Sylvia Fowles. Carleton became the third WNBA player in history to score 25 or more points and have more than five rebounds in her first WNBA start in the August 5, 2020, game for the Minnesota Lynx against the New York Liberty. She scored 25 points, had seven rebounds and three assists. Carleton started in place of Sylvia Fowles, who was out with a calf injury.
On May 13, 2023, the Lynx played a preseason game against the Chicago Sky in Toronto, Canada, which was the first WNBA game to be played in Canada. At that game, Carleton was the first Canadian to play a WNBA game in Canada.
The 2024 season was a breakout one for Carleton in which she doubled her playing minutes over 2023 and ranked fifth in the league for her three-point percentage. Head coach Cheryl Reeve said about Carleton in 2024, "This Bridget is the one we've always envisioned." After the Commissioner's Cup win, Napheesa Collier was named the MVP, but after accepting the award, Collier said "I think Bridget deserves this" for Carleton's performance with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the Cup championship game. Carleton clinched games at key moments for the Lynx in the 2024 season, including a 3-point shot with about 3 seconds left in the September 17, 2024, game against the Connecticut Sun that locked in the win and the second place seed for the Lynx. Carleton won the 2024 Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award for the Lynx. The award winner is chosen by a committee of team staff and players who determine who "best embodies the altruistic traits of kindness, selflessness and overall regard for the well-being of others throughout the community." Minnesota Lynx General Manager Clare Duwelius said about Carleton, "Like Syl did, Bridget leads with kindness, joy, authenticity, and selflessness. Having her leadership in this space has played a huge role in the success we have enjoyed this season, both on and off the court."

## International career

In November 2023 Carleton signed with Hungarian team SERCO UNI Győr in the EuroLeague to play in 2023 after the completion of the WNBA season. On January 17, 2024 she netted 41 points against KGHM BC Polkowice and her amazing perimeter play contributed to her racking up a stellar performance efficiency valuation of 47 after also adding 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Since the 1996-97 season, it was the third highest behind Lara Mandic in 2002 who dropped 42 and modern day leader Victoria Bullet who scored a jaw-dropping 48 points for T.M.C Ahena Cesena in 1996.
Carleton signed to play in Hungary again after the completion of the 2024 WNBA season. She started the 2024–2025 season with Györ, but in December, she signed with Çukurova Basketbol of the Turkish Super League.

## Career statistics
### 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 |
| 2019 | Connecticut | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 2.8 | .500 | .500 | — | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 22 | 15 | 25.8 | .520 | .457 | .647 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 6.6 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 32 | 10 | 19.3 | .401 | .365 | .800 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.8 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 36 | 2 | 16.8 | .403 | .354 | .731 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 38 | 4 | 15.1 | .345 | .337 | .733 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | Minnesota | 39 | 36 | 29.9 | .444 | .444 | .789 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 9.6 |
| Career | 6 years, 2 teams | 175 | 67 | 20.4 | .420 | .397 | .740 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 5.4 |

#### Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 4 | 3 | 29.5 | .500 | .538 | — | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 6.3 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | .000 | — | — | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | .600 | .444 | .750 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | Minnesota | 12° | 12° | 33.8 | .435 | .339 | .947 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 9.3 |
| Career | 4 years, 1 team | 20 | 15 | 30.6 | .458 | .383 | .913 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 8.1 |

### EuroLeague

EuroLeague statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | PPG | PTS | RPG | APG | FGM-FGA | FG% | 3PM-3PA | 3P% | FTM-FTA | FT% |
| 2023-24 | SERCO UNI Győr | 8 | 35.8 | 17 | 136 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 5.8-13.8 | 41.8 | 2.8-6.9 | 40 | 2.8-3.5 | 78.6 |

### College

NCAA statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2015–16 | Iowa State | 27 | 323 | 33.7% | 32.9% | 80.5% | 6.7 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 12.0 |
| 2016–17 | Iowa State | 31 | 465 | 39.5% | 34.1% | 93.9% | 5.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 15.0 |
| 2017–18 | Iowa State | 31 | 594 | 38.7% | 33.0% | 82.5% | 6.5 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 19.2 |
| 2018–19 | Iowa State | 35 | 760 | 46.8% | 37.1% | 86.1% | 8.6 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 21.7 |
| Career | Career | 124 | 2142 | 40.5% | 34.3% | 85.7% | 7.0 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 17.3 |