Seimone Augustus

Seimone Delicia Augustus (born April 30, 1984) is an American professional women's basketball player with the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Dynamo Kursk and the U.S. national team. A five-time all-star, Augustus has become one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA, earning MVP honors while leading the Lynx to the 2011 WNBA championship, the first of three that she has won with the team.

Augustus was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; she is the daughter of Seymore and Kim Augustus.

Before her freshman year in high school, Augustus was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women, with a headline that asked, "Is She the Next Michael Jordan?" Augustus played for Capitol High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2002 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored fourteen points, and earned MVP honors.

Augustus in 2007

During her collegiate career with the LSU Lady Tigers, the two-time All-American won the Naismith College Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Wade Trophy in 2005 and 2006 while leading the LSU to three straight Final Four appearances. The Lady Tigers however, never advanced beyond the semi-final round. She averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her final year, she won the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, recognizing her as the nation's top senior women's basketball player. Augustus graduated from Louisiana State University in 2006. Her uniform number (33) was retired by LSU on January 9, 2010, making her the first female athlete in school history to receive that honor. Augustus had also played with future WNBA teammate Sylvia Fowles during her collegiate career at LSU.

College statistics

Source

2006–2008: Personal Success, Team Failure

Augustus was drafted No. 1 overall in 2006 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. Selected as a reserve for the 2006 WNBA All Star Game at Madison Square Garden, Augustus led the West squad with 16 points and won the Skills Competition the previous evening.

Augustus finished 2006 second to the Mercury's Diana Taurasi in scoring at 21.9 points per game, a rookie record. Only one player (Taurasi 2006), scored more points in a single season. In addition, she finished fifth in free throw percentage (.967). On August 20, Augustus was named the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

The former LSU star improved to a career-high 22.6 points per game in 2007, while shooting nearly 51% from the field. An All Star for the second straight year, Augustus finished second to Seattle's Lauren Jackson in scoring average and played in all 34 games. The Lynx however, finished 10–24 tied with Los Angeles Sparks for the league's worst record.

2009–2010: injuries

Augustus shoots a free throw in the 2016 WNBA Finals. At left are Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore.

In June 2009, Seimone suffered a season-ending injury, a torn ACL, against the Phoenix Mercury.

Augustus's return in 2010 was derailed by medical issues as well, as she was forced to undergo surgery to remove fibroid tumors, including one the size of a baby's head. Augustus had attempted to postpone surgery until after the season, but the pain was too difficult to play through. Despite the setback, Augustus returned to play the final 25 games of the season.

2011–present: A Dynasty in the Making

Augustus was finally back to full strength in 2011, and a part of a potent Lynx team that included a supporting cast of Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson and newly acquired rookie Maya Moore. Augustus led the team in scoring and served as the team's lead defender as the Lynx rolled to a league best 27-7 record. Augustus also made her first all-star game since 2007. She finished eighth in MVP voting, and was named Second Team All-WNBA for the third time in her career, and the first since 2007.

Augustus elevated her game in the playoffs. She led the Lynx in scoring in five of their eight games, and scored the second-highest number of points in WNBA Finals history – 36 – in game two of the 2011 WNBA Finals. The Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream in the title round, with Augustus being unanimously named Finals MVP.

The Lynx were not a flash in the pan; they would return to the finals the next two seasons, losing to the Indiana Fever in 2012, and defeating Atlanta again in 2013. Augustus continued to earn accolades during this time. She was named first-team all-WNBA in 2012, and voted an all-star-game starter in 2013.

During the 2015 season, Augustus was named a WNBA All-Star for the sixth time in her career while averaging 13.8 points per game. However, Augustus was battling a right knee injury and was out indefinitely midway through the season to have knee surgery. The Lynx had remained dominant; making a trade for star center Sylvia Fowles, strengthening their starting lineup as they finished first place in the Western Conference with a 22-12 record. Augustus was able to return in time for the playoffs and The Lynx would return to the finals for a rematch against the Indiana Fever, this time with the Lynx beating Indiana in a hard fought series 3-2 with the newly acquired Sylvia Fowles winning Finals MVP, as the Lynx won their third WNBA championship in five years.

In the 2016 season, the Lynx continued to be a championship contender in the league, as they finished with a franchise best 28-6 record. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Lynx were the number 1 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing the Phoenix Mercury. Prior to the playoffs, Augustus had signed a multi-year contract extension with the Lynx. The Lynx defeated the Mercury in a 3-game sweep, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the fifth time in six years. The Lynx were up against the Los Angeles Sparks, making it the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the Finals due to the new playoff format. However, the Lynx were defeated by the Sparks in five games. Also in 2016, Augustus was chosen to the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary.

Regular season

Postseason

In the 2006–07 and 2007–08 WNBA off seasons, she played for the Dynamo Moscow club in Russia.

During the 2008–09 WNBA offseason, Augustus played in the EuroCup for Galatasaray, a club based in Turkey. She would once again play for Galatasaray in the 2010-11 WNBA offseason.

Since 2013, Augustus has played three consecutive offseasons for Dynamo Kursk of the Russian League.

Awards and achievements

• 2004—Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball
• 2005—Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball
• 2007–08 Turkish Presidents Cup Winner with Galatasaray
• 2008–09 FIBA Eurocup Winner with Galatasaray
• 2008–09 FIBA Eurocup MVP with Galatasaray

Augustus is a current member of the U.S. women's basketball team and she earned a gold medal at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

Augustus was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational. While Augustus did not go to the World Championship, she was chosen for her second Olympic tournament. Augustus was ultimately selected to the 2014 FIBA World Championship, along with Lynx teammates Moore and Whalen, and the US went on to win the gold medal.

In April 2010, Augustus had surgery at Fairview Southdale Hospital to remove fibroids, a surgery that both her mother and grandmother had undergone. While her uterus was removed during the operation, her ovaries were left intact, making children via a gestational surrogate possible. She has said that she wants children someday. Augustus is openly lesbian. She became engaged to LaTaya Varner in 2010, and married her in Hawaii in 2015. Augustus is the cousin of former Mississippi State power forward, Kodi Augustus.