Lindsay Whalen

Sport: Basketball

Nation: United States of America

DOB: May 9, 1982

Hometown: Hutchinson, MN

Career Highlights: Possibly the most popular player in Minnesota basketball history - even over Kevin Garnett - Whalen is coming off her first championship in eight years as a professional. It came in her second season with the Minnesota Lynx, averaging 11.7 points and leading the WNBA in assists for the second time with 5.9 per game. Whalen spent her first seven seasons with the Connecticut Sun after a University of Minnesota career which included a trip to the Final Four and three NCAA tournaments - the program previously reached only one. Born, raised and married in Hutchinson, Minn., Whalen is the Golden Gophers' all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points. She became the first woman to be named Sportsperson of the Year by the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2004, beating out Garnett in his MVP season and former Twins ace Johan Santana in a year that he won the Cy Young Award. This will be her first Olympics, likely to serve as the backup point guard behind Sue Bird. That was Whalen's role in her lone appearance with the U.S. senior national team at the 2010 world championships, averaging 5.9 points as Team USA won gold. Whalen hadn't appeared in a meaningful U.S. game since the under-21 worlds in 2003. The two-time all-WNBA first teamer also has played in the EuroLeague, where she was named an All-Star three times while playing in the Czech Republic and Russia.

Olympic History: None