Alaina Denise Coates

Alaina Denise Coates is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and Nesibe Aydn Gençlik ve Spor Kulübü in Turkey. She was a member of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team. Alaina was born to Gary and Pamela Coates on April 7, 1995.
Coates had a fantastic high school career. She was a McDonald’s All-American as well as a Parade All-American. She was named the 2013 Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, SCBCA Class 4A Player of the Year, Charlotte Observer South Carolina Miss Basketball, and a three-time SCBCA Class 4A all-state pick. She averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game as a senior while leading her team to back-to-back state titles (including an undefeated 29-0 season in 2012-2013.)

Professional Career of Alaina Coates

Due to her impressive performance at School and College level, Coates was included in the 2017 WNBA draft.

Coates with Chicago Sky (2017)

Alaina was drafted second overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft by Chicago Sky. Some big expectations were made about her but a serious injury forced her out of the start of the season. She made a strong comeback and played a number of matches for Sky but the same injury got the better of her again and her season ended in a disappointing way. In her first season, she played a total of 32 games, averaging 11.4 minutes per game. She had an impressive Field Goal Percentage of 56.8 but had zero three-pointers in the whole season. She also had a free throw percentage of 62.5 and 1.2 average rebounds, the best season score in her career.

Overseas season of Alaina with Zhejiang Far East of the Chinese League (2018)

She had a small stint overseas with Zhejiang Far East of the Chinese League, which turned out to be an unsuccessful one. Alaina failed to impress in the Chinese league and as a result, decided to head back to the Women’s NBA.

Coates Stint with Atlanta Dream (2019)

Coates was transferred to the Minnesota Lynx on May 21, 2019, in return for a 2020 third-round draught selection. She was waived by the Minnesota Lynx on July 14, 2019, and then signed by the Atlanta Dream on July 17, 2019. She played a total of 23 games with Atlanta, averaging almost the same as his first stint with Chicago Sky. She averaged 7.3 minutes per game and had a 53.3 Field Goal Percentage. Coates had zero three-pointers and her free-throw percentage was 57.1. She was excellent at rebounds, averaging defensive rebounds per game was 0.9 and 1.7 rebounds on average.

Alaina’s Draft to Washington Mystics (2020)

On June 29, 2020, Coates joined the Washington Mystics and made her debut on the first day of the season. This was a season of mixed emotions, with most of the stats going even below of her previous season. She played just 20 games throughout the season, with a field goal and free throw percentage of 53%. But in terms of Assists per game, this was her best season, averaging an assist every two games.

Coates’ current season with Indiana Fever (2022)

Alaina Coates was drafted as the 2nd pick by Indians Fever in 2022 and she seems to be getting back to her best with time. She had a brilliant start to the season. In the eight games she has played so far, her field goal percentage is 64 and her free throw percentage is a whopping 91, which shows the form she is in. she is having the best season of her career as well when it comes to points per game (3.5).