Chennedy Carter is again putting up ridiculous numbers playing in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). Carter is leading the league in scoring, averaging 30.9 points per game while shooting 52.8% from two-point range.
Alongside her dominant scoring display, Carter is tallying 6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for the Shanghai Swordfish. This on-court success is nothing new; last year, she was named Player of the Year in the WCBA.
The dynamic guard has been out of the WNBA since the 2024 season, when she led the Chicago Sky in scoring, averaging 17.5 points and 3.1 assists per game.
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But, she was not signed to a WNBA team this past season; instead, she played for the Mexican club Adelitas de Chihuahua, while spending the last few offseasons playing in China.
Chennedy Carter’s WNBA tenure was marred by off-court issues
Before her season in Chicago, Carter played for the Atlanta Dream for two seasons after being drafted fourth overall in 2020. But that tenure ended abruptly; in 2021, she was suspended by the Dream for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
She then spent a season with the Los Angeles Sparks, but in 2022, the Los Angeles Times reported that Carter was benched by the Sparks due to “poor conduct.”
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Why Carter did not sign with a WNBA team ahead of the 2025 season is an open question; the Sky declined to extend her a qualifying offer despite her strong 2024 season,
Several other WNBA players have stood out in China this season; Golden State Valkyries forward Temi Fagbenle is averaging 17.6 points and 8 rebounds per game, Dallas Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen is averaging 17.9 points per game and 7.9 assists, and Seattle Storm forward Tiffany Mitchell is averaging 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Still Carter has stood above the pack with her consistent on-court play. Whether a return to the WNBA is in the future remains to be seen. But, she is just 27 and clearly talented enough to play in the WNBA. Carter continues to show what she’s capable of — only she’s doing so in China.
