Tasha Butts

About

Former professional basketball player most widely remembered for playing as a forward on the Women's National Basketball Association team the Minnesota Lynx. Subsequent to her career on the court, she acted as an assistant coach during 17 seasons at NCAA schools including Louisiana State University, UCLA, and Georgia Tech. In April of 2023, she earned her first position as head coach, for the Georgetown University Hoya's. However, she sadly passed away of breast cancer before she got the chance to coach her first game with the team. 

Before Fame

She played collegiate basketball for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers while attending the University of Tennessee. After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in sports management and a minor in business administration, she was selected with the 20th pick in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx.

Trivia

Her high school jersey, which was number 23, was retired in December of 2000 from Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, GA. While attending, she was named consensus All-American and Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. She also broke the school's record for all-time leading scorer. The city of Milledgeville presented her with a key to the city and declared a date in August 2004 as, "Tasha Butts Day."

Family Life

After being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2021, she tragically passed away of complications from the disease in October of 2023 when she was just 41 years old. She was the daughter of Spencer, Sr., and Evelyn Butts. She had a brother named Spencer, Jr., and a nephew named Marquis.

Associated With

While playing for the Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee, she was coached by Hall of Famer Pat Summitt.