Holly Winterburn, an offseason acquisition, suffered an injury playing with the Turkish club Beskitas.
Holly Winterburn, who signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream this WNBA offseason, will miss the entire season, the team announced Monday. Winterburn, a 5’11 British guard who played for the Oregon Ducks in college, had been thriving on the Turkish club Besiktas when she suffered a season-ending injury.
Winterburn averaged 15.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds this season, playing alongside fellow WNBA players Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces) and Temi Fagbenle (Golden State Valkyries) in the Turkish Super League. She also plays for the Brittish National Team.
HOLLY WINTERBURN TO WIN THE EUROCUP FINALS FOR THE LONDON LIONS pic.twitter.com/CuseCVcpQE
— Brian Bosché (@BrianPBosche) April 10, 2024
In an official press release, the Dream announced they will retain Winterburn’s exclusive WNBA playing rights.
The Atlanta Dream have plenty of backcourt options next season
Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray headline the Dream’s roster, with all three guards averaging at least 10 points per game. Howard and Gray are both multi-time All-Stars; Howard averaged 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game last season, while Gray averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
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Canada, meanwhile, is a pure facilitator who averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 assists last year. All three standout Dream guards played for Unrivaled this offseason.
Off the bench, the Dream have Maya Caldwell, who averaged 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds last season, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who had a great season with the Washington Mystics last year, averaging 7.5 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 rebounds in her 8th year as a pro. Walker-Kimbrough was one of the league’s most effective bench players last year, and served as a great offseason pick-up for Atlanta.
Ashley Joens, a former Iowa State guard who was selected with the No. 19 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, will also be in the mix at training camp. Winterburn would have also been on the roster as a potential backup guard option, but given her overseas injury, that will no longer be the case.
In addition to backcourt depth, the Dream have a slew of strong post players in the miss for next season, headlined by offseason acquisitions Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, in addition to returning forward Naz Hillmon. Griner, who has spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury, and Jones, who has spent her entire career with the Connecticut Sun, look to anchor a revamped Dream roster looking to make a postseason splash this season.
The Dream finished 15-25 last year and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, in two games, to the New York Liberty.
