McWilliams-Franklin has had a long and successful WNBA career, earning two titles and recognition as one of the all-time great post players in league history. She ranks first in career offensive rebounds and second in career total rebounds. McWilliams-Franklin was selected by the
Orlando Miracle in the third round (32nd overall pick) of the
1999 WNBA draft. She starred for the Miracle for four years and remained with the franchise even when the it relocated to
Uncasville, Connecticut, and was renamed the
Connecticut Sun prior to the 2003 season. From 1999 to 2008, McWilliams-Franklin played in six
WNBA All-Star Games. She was also a member of the starting team of the
2004 WNBA All-Star squad that played against a select group of players (who were also WNBA players) from the
USA Basketball team. That game was held on August 4, 2004 at the historic
Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The game was held in place of the regular
WNBA All-Star Game and was a send-off for the USA Basketball squad prior to their participation at the
2004 Summer Olympics in
Athens, Greece. McWilliams-Franklin was the recipient of the 2005
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. She was awarded a
Tiffany-designed trophy and $5,000. In addition, she designated an additional $5,000 to go to the Mary Elizabeth House in
Richmond, Virginia. She was also 2nd team all WNBA in 2005. In February 2007, she was traded to the
Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the draft rights of
Érika de Souza and a future selection in the
2007 WNBA draft. On April 22, 2008 the Los Angeles Sparks traded McWilliams-Franklin to the
Washington Mystics for
DeLisha Milton-Jones. On August 12, 2008 McWilliams-Franklin was traded to the
Detroit Shock for
Tasha Humphrey,
Eshaya Murphy, and a second round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. Following the trade, McWilliams-Franklin won her first WNBA championship with the Shock as they defeated the
San Antonio Silver Stars in a 3-game sweep. On April 22, 2010, McWilliams-Franklin signed a free agent deal with the
New York Liberty. She was targeted as a key
free agent acquisition by
Minnesota Lynx head coach
Cheryl Reeve prior to the 2011 season. McWilliams-Franklin played as the team's starting center throughout the season, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game and 11.6 points per game. Lynx
Assistant Coach Jim Petersen credited McWilliams-Franklin with having an outsize impact on the team both on and off the court, saying, "You can talk all you want about the things she has done on the floor, but it is in the locker room, in the scouting reports, in the film sessions and just even around the airport -- she's somebody to talk to that has been there and done that. She has seen it all." Teammate
Candice Wiggins agreed, noting that the team had nicknamed her "Mama Taj", and that "she is like a coach, a big sister for us, off the court and on. She has taken us all in. We are like her little chickies and she is the mother hen." On October 4, 2012, McWilliams-Franklin played in her 59th postseason game, the most of any player in league history. McWilliams-Franklin retired at the end of the 2012 season, though in a 2013 interview, she said she had not completely ruled out a comeback as a player in 2014. Born Taj McWilliams, she married Reggie Franklin in 2000 and assumed a hyphenated surname. ==Career statistics==