27 Facts About Aari McDonald

Aarion Shawnae McDonald is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association.

Aari McDonald was selected third overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA draft after playing college basketball at the University of Washington and the University of Arizona.

Aari McDonald was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team after averaging 9.8 points on the season, third on the team behind Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor.

Aari McDonald announced that she would leave the program and transfer after one season.

Aari McDonald cited departures of Plum, Osahor, head coach Mike Neighbors, assistant coach Morgan Valley, and the passing of her grandfather as reasons for her transfer.

Aari McDonald decided to transfer to play at Arizona for Adia Barnes, a former Washington assistant who was heavily involved in recruiting her to play for the Huskies.

Aari McDonald spent her first season with the program sitting out due to transfer rules and was a member of the scout team.

Aari McDonald made an immediate impact in her first year on the court for the Wildcats, tying the school's single game scoring record with 39 points against Loyola Marymount in the second game of the season.

Aari McDonald finished the season with 890 points scored, breaking a single-season record set by her coach Barnes, and was the second player in Pac-12 history to have 800 points and 150 assists, joining her former teammate Plum.

Aari McDonald was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and defensive team at the end of the season.

Aari McDonald racked up awards, being named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and United States Basketball Writers Association, a first-team All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pac-12 and on the Pac-12 All-Defensive team.

Aari McDonald was a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award and named the 2020 recipient of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, given to the top shooting guard in the country.

Aari McDonald was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first Arizona player to win the award since her head coach Adia Barnes.

Aari McDonald was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the second consecutive year she was named the winner.

Aari McDonald scored 33 points in the Wildcats' Elite Eight match against Indiana, despite suffering an ankle injury with more than two minutes remaining in the game.

Aari McDonald ended her college career after scoring double-digits in 93 consecutive games, which was the longest active streak.

Aari McDonald averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30 games in the 2021 WNBA season.

Aari McDonald was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

Aari McDonald returned to the Atlanta Dream for the 2022 WNBA season and averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 36 games.

Aari McDonald returned to the Dream in 2023 for a third season.

On February 1,2024, Aari McDonald was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks alongside the 8th pick in the 2024 WNBA draft in exchange for Jordin Canada and the 12th pick.

In October 2021, Aari McDonald had a four-game stint in Hungary with Uni Gyor MELY-UT.

Aari McDonald suffered a torn medial collateral ligament two days earlier against the UC Capitals but avoided a knee reconstruction.

Aari McDonald returned to the line-up for the final two regular-season games, scoring 24 and 26 points to help the Lynx clinch a playoff spot.

Aari McDonald finished as the league's scoring champion with 19.8 points per game and earned All-WNBL Second Team honors.

Aari McDonald scored 26 and 27 points in two semi-final games to lift the fourth-placed Lynx over the first-placed Townsville Fire to reach the WNBL grand final series.

Aari McDonald is currently engaged to former Arizona defensive back Devon Brewer, who proposed to her after the Wildcats were eliminated from the Pac-12 Tournament in 2020.