- Sonja Henning
Sonja L. Henning (born
October 4 ,1969 inJackson, Tennessee ) is anattorney and a former collegiate and professionalbasketball player. She grew up inRacine, Wisconsin and attended"The" William Horlick High School .Stanford University
She attended
Stanford University and played for its women's basketball team from1987 to1991 . She helped the Cardinal win the1990 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship game, defeatingAuburn University . The following year, Henning was namedPac-10 Player of the Year and aKodak All-American in her senior season.During the summer of
1990 , she was a member of the 1990 U.S. National Team that won the World Games andGoodwill Games .An
economics major, Henning graduated from Stanford in1991 with aBachelor of Arts degree.After graduation, there were few opportunities for women to play professional basketball in the
United States at the time, so Henning started her professional career playing in a women's professional basketball team inUppsala, Sweden in1992 .Duke University
After playing one season in Sweden, she enrolled in
Duke University Law School in1993 where she obtained aJuris Doctor in1995 .Shortly after graduating from Duke, Henning starting working as an attorney specializing in labor and
employment law for theLittler Mendelson law firm inLos Angeles, California .Resuming professional basketball
In
1996 , the American Basketball League (ABL) was formed, and Henning tried out for a playing spot on a team in the new league. Henning was eventually drafted by theSan Jose Lasers , a team which also featured former Stanford playersJennifer Azzi , Anita Kaplan, and Val Whiting.She played for the Lasers for two seasons, then joined the Portland Power until financial difficulties led to the ABL's demise in
1998 .Henning joined the
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) after being selected in the second round (24th overall pick) by theHouston Comets during its 1999WNBA Draft and helped the Comets to its third straight WNBA championship season. During that same year, she also served as the president of the WNBA Players Union.In
2000 , the WNBA held anexpansion draft for current players to join newly-formed teams. Henning was selected by theSeattle Storm and played with the team from 2000 to part of the2002 season until she was traded back to the Comets.After the 2002 season ended, she became a
free agent , and signed a contract with theWashington Mystics inMay 5 ,2003 , but was waived by the team three weeks later. InJune 2003 , Henning signed a contract with theIndiana Fever and played for them during that season.Henning served as president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association from 2001 to 2003.
She retired from the WNBA in
2004 .Life after basketball
After serving two years as general counsel for Lucy.com, a startup
Internet company that sells women's sporting apparel, Henning joined the law firm Tonkon TorpLLP , located inPortland, Oregon . She is currently an attorney specializing in labor and employment litigation matters.A civic activist, Henning currently serves on the board of directors for the
Urban League of Portland.In
May 2005 , Henning was elected to a seat on the Portland School Board in a landslide victory with over 70 percent of the vote.Career Statistics
WNBA Career Totals
WNBA Career Playoff Averages
External links
* [http://www.tonkon.com/attorneys/dspLawyer.cfm?attorney=Sonja_Henning Tonkon Torp LLP biography]
* [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sonja_henning/ WNBA player profile]
* [http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2004/janfeb/classnotes/henning.html 2004 "Stanford Magazine" article: Whatever Happened To...Sonja Henning]
* [http://www.wnba.com/fever/news/feature_henning_030731.html 2003 Indiana Fever article]
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