Aaliyah Nye made history during her rookie season and is widely recognized as the first Indigenous player to win a WNBA championship. Now, the 23-year-old guard is continuing her professional career with the playoff-bound Atlanta Dream.
Nye, a citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, was selected by the Las Vegas Aces with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She appeared in all 44 regular-season games before the Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals, securing the franchise’s third championship in four seasons.
“I’m so honored to be part of that history,” Nye told Cowboys & Indians. She said she hopes other Native players will follow and inspire young people to pursue their dreams.
Her professional journey took another turn in 2026. The Toronto Tempo selected Nye eighth overall in the league’s expansion draft but waived her before the regular season. The Atlanta Dream claimed her off waivers on May 9.
The Dream have clinched a place in the 2026 WNBA playoffs, but this season’s championship has not yet been decided. The playoffs are scheduled to begin Sept. 27 after the regular season concludes.
Before entering the WNBA, Nye established herself as one of the best long-range shooters in University of Alabama history. She became the Crimson Tide’s career leader in made three-pointers and set the program’s single-season record twice, making 108 in 2023–24 and 109 in 2024–25.
For Native basketball players and young athletes in Minnesota and across Indian Country, Nye’s success provides valuable representation at the sport’s highest level. Her journey from college record-setter to WNBA champion and playoff contender shows Native youth that they also belong on professional basketball’s biggest stages.
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