In her seventh WNBA season following her historic Iowa women’s basketball tenure, Hawkeyes legend Megan Gustafson is finally a champion as she helped propel the Las Vegas Aces to a 97-86 victory in Game 4 and a four-game sweep of the best-of-seven WNBA Finals on Friday night over the Phoenix Mercury.
While serving in a depth role off the bench for Becky Hammon’s Aces squad, the 6-foot-4 center was still able to deliver impactful minutes in times when the team needed prolonged periods of rest for their All-Star caliber frontcourt.
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With Gustafson’s championship, she becomes the first former Hawkeye to capture a WNBA title since Tangela Smith (played at Iowa from 1994-98) won her second ring with Phoenix in 2009.
Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen took to social media to congratulate Gustafson on capturing the crown.
Gustafson starred with the Hawkeyes from 2015-19, where she set numerous program records and became the second women’s basketball player to have her No. 10 retired to the rafters of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
During her four years at Iowa, Gustafson averaged 20.8 points per game on 65.6% shooting from the floor, 50% from 3-point territory, and 76.8% from the free-throw line. She also averaged 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 assists, and 0.5 steals through 135 games played.
Mar 10, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, United States; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Megan Gustafson (10) celebrates the championship victory after the game against the Maryland Terrapins in the women’s Big Ten Conference Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
During her senior season in 2019, she scored 1,001 points to become just the fourth Division I women’s basketball player and first post to eclipse 1,000 points in a single season. She also led the nation in points (1,001), points per game (27.8), field goal percentage (.696), and double-doubles (33), en route to capturing the 2019 Naismith, Associated Press, ESPNw, and USBWA Player of the Year.
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Ironically, Gustafson played two seasons with the Mercury before signing with the Aces before the start of the 2024 season.
As she enters the offseason as a WNBA champion, celebrated children’s author, and soon-to-be newlywed, 2025 has been nothing less than spectacular for Gustafson, with much more to come in the future.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa women’s basketball star secures first WNBA championship
