| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1971 Fort Defiance, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Window Rock (Fort Defiance, Arizona) | ||||||||||||||
| College |
| ||||||||||||||
| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Phoenix Mercury | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Ryneldi Becenti (born August 11, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player. She became the first Native American to play in the WNBA when she played for the Phoenix Mercury in 1997.[1]
Becenti attended Window Rock High School in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and in 1989, Scottsdale Community College in Phoenix. She was the country's top junior college point guard in 1990–91, and left Scottsdale a two-time NJCAA All-American.[1]
Becenti was an All-Pac 10 First Team selection in both her seasons at Arizona State University, and a two-time honorable mention All-America honoree. She also turned out for the US at the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, New York, where her team won the bronze medal.[1][2][3]
In 1994, Becenti was playing professional basketball in Sweden. She also played in Greece and, briefly, Turkey. In 1997, she signed with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA as a free agent and played in their inaugural season. In 1998, she was drafted by the Chicago Condors in the American Basketball League.[4][5][6]
In 1996, she became the first and only female basketball player to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.[1]
in 2013, she was the first women's basketball player to have her jersey (No. 21) retired by ASU.[2]
