Kayla Alexander

Kayla Janine Alexander (born January 5, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Valencia Basket of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto and the EuroLeague. She played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange.^[1] After a successful career with the Orange, Alexander was drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars.

Kayla Alexander

No. 40 – Valencia Basket
Position	Centre
League	Liga Femenina EuroLeague
Personal information
Born	(1991-01-05) January 5, 1991 (age 33) Milton, Ontario, Canada
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Milton District (Milton, Ontario)
College	Syracuse (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–2017	San Antonio Stars
2015–2016	WBC Sparta&K
2016–2017	CJM Bourges Basket
2017–2018	Samsung Life Blueminx
2018	Indiana Fever
2018–2019	Adelaide Lightning
2019	Chicago Sky
2019–2020	Arka Gdynia
2020	Minnesota Lynx
2020–2021	BC Castors Braine
2021–2022	ASVEL Féminin
2022–2024	Tango Bourges Basket
2024–present	Valencia Basket
Career highlights and awards
FIBA Europe SuperCup Women (2022) FIBA Europe SuperCup Women MVP (2022) Coupe de France (2024) Coupe de France MVP (2024) Honorable Mention All-American – AP (2013) 2x First-team All-Big East (2011, 2013) Second-team All-Big East (2012) Big East All-Freshman Team (2010)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Women's basketball Representing  Canada FIBA AmeriCup 2019 Puerto Rico 2023 León

College career

Alexander played collegiately at Syracuse University from 2010 to 2013. After her four years, she was the school’s all-time leader in points (2,024), blocks (350), field goals (736), free throws made (552), free throws attempted (750) and games played (140). She became the second player from Syracuse to be selected in a WNBA draft.^[2]

WNBA career

Alexander was drafted eighth in the 2013 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars. Since her rookie season, she's been a reserve center on the Stars' roster and a key contributor in rebounding. In the 2016 season, she averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding with 8.0 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. In 2017, Alexander re-signed with the Stars in free agency.^[3]

On February 1, 2018, Alexander was traded by the re-branded Las Vegas Aces along with a third-round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft to the Indiana Fever in exchange for their second-round selection in the 2019 WNBA Draft.^[4]

Overseas career

In the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Alexander played in Russia for WBC Sparta&K. In August 2016, Alexander signed a short-term deal with CJM Bourges Basket of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball for the 2016-17 WNBA off-season.^[5]

In early 2020, she signed with Arka Gdynia of the Basket Liga Kobiet, but returned to Canada that March due to the cancellation of the season at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

On May 23, 2024, Alexander signed with Liga Femenina club Valencia, for the upcoming 2024–25 season.^[7]

Personal life

Alexander said she wanted to become a teacher once she retires from basketball.^[8] Her brother, Kyle played for the Miami Heat.

In 2019, Alexander wrote and illustrated a children's book, The Magic of Basketball.^[9] Her sister, Kesia, is credited as co-author.^[10][11]

Alexander is a devout Christian and frequently posts about her faith on social media.^[12]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career best	°	League leader

College

Year	Team	GP	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009-10	Syracuse	36	54.2%	0.0%	70.1%	4.8	0.1	0.6	1.9	10.8
2010-11	Syracuse	35	54.9%	0.0%	76.6%	6.9	0.0	0.7	2.6	14.8
2011-12	Syracuse	37	49.5%	0.0%	74.7%	7.5	0.3	0.6	2.6	14.8
2012-13	Syracuse	32	51.8%	0.0%	72.6%	8.7	0.3	0.6	2.9	17.9
Career		140	52.3%	0.0%	73.6%	6.9	0.2	0.6	2.5	14.5

Source^[13]

WNBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	San Antonio	33	1	11.2	.417	.000	.733	3.0	0.3	0.1	0.4	1.1	2.8
2014	San Antonio	33	0	9.0	.434	.000	.839	2.0	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.7	2.8
2015	San Antonio	29	0	12.3	.416	.000	.647	3.3	0.2	0.2	0.8	0.8	3.3
2016	San Antonio	25	0	19.6	.546	.000	.754	4.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	1.1	8.0
2017	San Antonio	34	10	15.4	.582	.000	.909	3.1	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.9	6.2
2018	Indiana	30	0	8.6	.541	.000	.824	2.2	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.6	2.7
2019	Chicago	3	0	6.7	.750	.000	.750	2.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	3.0
2020	Minnesota	16	0	5.6	.533	.000	.625	0.9	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.4	2.3
Career	8 years, 4 teams	203	11	11.8	.508	.000	.763	2.8	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.8	4.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2014	San Antonio	1	0	1.0	.000	.000	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2019	Chicago	2	0	1.5	1.000	.000	.000	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0
Career	2 years, 2 teams	3	0	1.9	1.000	.000	.000	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3

References

1. "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 29 Jul 2009, p. 12". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
2. "Silver Stars Select Kayla Alexander with the No. 8 Pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
3. "Stars Re-Sign Kayla Alexander - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
4. "Indiana Fever Acquire Kayla Alexander in Trade With Las Vegas". WNBA.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
5. "2016-2017 WNBA Overseas Signings - Women's Basketball 24.7". Women's Basketball 24.7. 2016-08-22. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
6. Dichter, Myles (18 March 2020). "Canadian athletes scramble to return home". CBC. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
7. "Kayla Alexander, a top-notch addition for Valencia Basket". www.valenciabasket.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
8. "WBB: Center Kayla Alexander Drafted 8th". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
9. "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 12 Sep 2019, p. 30". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
10. Nichols, Paula; Cseplo, Simone (September 8, 2020). "Kayla Alexander and The Magic of Basketball September 8, 2020". Olympic.ca. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
11. Loung, Steven (1 July 2020). "Q&A: Kayla Alexander on playing for Canada, writing her children's book". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
12. "28 Christian Athletes to Cheer On at the Paris 2024 Olympics". Christianity Today. July 24, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
13. "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-08-28.