Erica Wheeler is a professional basketball player known for her tenacity, skill, and inspiring journey to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
She grew up in the challenging environment of Liberty City, a neighborhood marked by crime and hardship.
Wheeler went undrafted out of Rutgers University in 2013 but carved out a successful career in the WNBA, currently playing as a guard for the Indiana Fever.
Siblings
Erica has two siblings Lauren, 24, and her twin sister, Katie, 20.
However, compared to their popular sister not much is known about the two including their personal lives or career pursuits.
College and WNBA career
Wheeler’s college basketball career began when she committed to Rutgers University in 2009, joining the Scarlet Knights under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer.
At Rutgers, she played from 2009 to 2013 and made an immediate impact.
The team reached the NCAA Tournament in each of her first three seasons, with Wheeler emerging as a key contributor.
As a junior, she led the team in steals and averaged just under 10 points per game, showcasing her defensive prowess and scoring ability.
Her senior year, however, was marred by personal tragedy when her mother passed away from cancer.
Despite this emotional blow, Wheeler returned to Rutgers after briefly stepping away, channeling her grief into her best collegiate season.
She averaged a career-high 10.5 points per game, along with 2.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 steals across 30 games.
Though her assist-to-turnover ratio (71 assists to 83 turnovers) reflected the struggles of that year, her perseverance earned her an Honorable Mention All-Big East nod.
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Wheeler graduated with a degree in Labor Studies, fulfilling a promise to her mother, but her stats weren’t enough to secure a spot in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
WNBA career
Undeterred by going undrafted, Wheeler’s professional career began overseas in Puerto Rico, Turkey, and Brazil, where she honed her skills and won championships.
Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she earned a tryout with the Atlanta Dream, marking her WNBA debut.
After a brief stint with the Dream and then the New York Liberty, she found a home with the Indiana Fever in 2016.
Wheeler started 25 games in her first season with the Fever, proving her worth alongside legends like Tamika Catchings.
Her career trajectory soared in 2019 when she became the first undrafted player in WNBA history to be named All-Star Game MVP, scoring 25 points and dishing out seven assists.
Wheeler’s journey took her to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2021 and back to the Atlanta Dream in 2022 before she returned to the Fever in 2023.
During the 2024 season, she served as a veteran backup to rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, averaging 3.6 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 39 games.
Accolades
Wheeler was named a WNBA All-Star in 2019 as a reserve, becoming only the fifth undrafted player in league history to earn this honor, and in the same year, she made history as the first undrafted player to win WNBA All-Star Game MVP with a standout performance of 25 points and seven three-pointers.
Before her college career, she was recognized as a McDonald’s All-American in 2009, marking her as one of the top high school prospects in the country.
During her senior year at Rutgers in 2013, she earned an Honorable Mention All-Big East despite personal challenges.
With the Indiana Fever, she set a single-game franchise record with 12 assists on June 6, 2023, and became the first Fever player to record 200 assists in a regular season in 2023.
Internationally, she won championships in Puerto Rico in 2013 and Brazil in 2015, along with EuroCup titles and Finals MVP honors with Nadezhda Orenburg in Russia.
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