Crystal Dangerfield Bio
Crystal Simone Dangerfield is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. A point guard, she rose to national attention as the top-ranked point guard in her high school class before starring for the UConn Huskies in college. Drafted in the second round of the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year after leading her team in scoring.
Standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, Dangerfield was the shortest player in the WNBA during the 2024 season. Across her career, she has also played overseas and for several WNBA franchises, earning a reputation as a quick, scoring-minded guard.
Early Life and Background
Crystal Simone Dangerfield was born on May 11, 1998, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She is the youngest daughter of Christopher and Davonna Dangerfield, both of whom served in the United States Army. She grew up alongside an older brother named Komar and an older sister named Brooke, in a household shaped by military service and community involvement.
Dangerfield began playing basketball at the age of five and quickly developed a passion for the sport. She attended Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, where she was a member of the school’s collegiate academy and earned honor roll status for four years. She served as Blackman’s starting point guard for all four seasons and helped the team win Tennessee Class AAA state titles in 2015 and 2016.
During her high school years, Dangerfield also represented USA Basketball, winning gold medals in 2013 and 2015. She was named Miss Basketball Tennessee in both her junior and senior seasons and was a three-time Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year. Her senior year brought national recognition, including selection as a McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic All-American, along with the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year award. ESPNW ranked her as the best point guard and third overall prospect in the 2016 women’s class.
Path to Basketball
Coming out of high school as the nation’s top-ranked point guard, Dangerfield chose to play college basketball at the University of Connecticut, joining the storied UConn Huskies program. The Huskies had won a record eleven national championships, including four in a row, before her arrival. Dangerfield studied business and majored in communication while balancing a demanding athletic schedule.
She faced physical setbacks during her college career, undergoing offseason hip surgeries in 2016 and 2019. In her sophomore year, she dealt with shin splints, and later battled back spasms, with her team at one point down to only eight healthy players. Despite the injuries, she continued to develop into one of the conference’s top guards.
Following the 2019–20 season, Dangerfield was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. She earned multiple American Athletic Conference honors, including selection to the 2017 All-Freshman Team, the 2018 and 2019 All-Tournament Teams, the 2019 and 2020 First Teams, and the 2019 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team. She finished her UConn career ranked sixth in assists and ninth in three-pointers made in program history.
Crystal Dangerfield Career
Early Career (2020)
Crystal Dangerfield entered the WNBA after being selected with the 16th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx coaching staff initially described her role as a reserve providing short bursts of relief. However, a string of injuries and Odyssey Sims’s maternity leave forced the team to elevate her into the starting point guard role by midseason.
Once promoted, Dangerfield delivered immediate production, averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. She earned the WNBA Rookie of the Month award for both August and September, establishing herself as one of the league’s top newcomers.
Minnesota Lynx Breakthrough (2020–2021)
In her rookie campaign, Dangerfield became the lowest draft pick ever seriously considered for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors. She went on to win the Associated Press Rookie of the Year, ESPN Rookie of the Year, and the league’s official Rookie of the Year award. She was also named to the 2020 AP All-Rookie Team and finished the year as the Lynx’s leading scorer at 16.2 points per game.
Her second WNBA season with Minnesota was limited, and on May 3, 2022, she was waived by the Lynx. The brief stint ended her first chapter in the league on a quiet note but left her with a Rookie of the Year trophy as a foundation for the next phase of her career.
Later WNBA Stops (2022–2024)
Following her release from Minnesota, Dangerfield signed a hardship exception contract with the Indiana Fever on May 6, 2022. Days later, on May 21, 2022, she joined the New York Liberty on another hardship exception. Her time in New York involved multiple short-term deals before the Liberty signed her to a rest-of-season contract on July 3, 2022.
On January 16, 2023, Dangerfield was traded to the Dallas Wings as part of a three-team deal. On May 4, 2024, the Wings traded her to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for a 2025 draft pick. After appearing in fifteen games for the Dream, she was waived on June 26, 2024. Shortly after, on July 4, 2024, she signed a seven-day hardship contract with the Los Angeles Sparks, followed by a second seven-day deal on July 13, 2024.
International Career (2021–2022)
During the 2021–22 WNBA offseason, Dangerfield played overseas for Elitzur Ramla in Israel. She helped the team capture an Israeli league championship that season, adding an international title to her résumé.
Driving Style and Strengths
Dangerfield is known for her quickness, scoring instincts, and three-point shooting ability. Her speed allows her to penetrate defenses and create scoring opportunities despite her 5-foot-5 frame. She has also shown playmaking skills, ranking among UConn’s all-time leaders in assists.
Notable Events and Milestones
Dangerfield’s signature achievement came in 2020, when she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year as a second-round pick, an unusually high honor for a draft slot that low. She was also part of two Tennessee high school state championship teams and won a gold medal with USA Basketball.
Crystal Dangerfield Career Wins
Across her professional career, Crystal Dangerfield has collected one major team title and several individual awards. Her most prominent honors include the 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year award and an Israeli league championship during the 2021–22 season with Elitzur Ramla.
WNBA Highlights
Dangerfield’s top WNBA accolade is her 2020 Rookie of the Year season, during which she averaged 16.2 points per game for the Minnesota Lynx. She also earned WNBA Rookie of the Month honors in both August and September of that year. She was a member of the WNBA All-Rookie Team and captured multiple Rookie of the Year awards from outlets including the Associated Press and ESPN.
Other Wins and Performances
At the high school level, Dangerfield helped Blackman win Tennessee Class AAA state championships in 2015 and 2016. She won an Israeli league title with Elitzur Ramla in 2022 and added gold medals with USA Basketball in 2013 and 2015. She was also a two-time First-Team All-AAC selection in 2019 and 2020.
Crystal Dangerfield Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Crystal Dangerfield was raised in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, by her parents, Christopher and Davonna Dangerfield, both of whom served in the U.S. Army. She has an older brother, Komar, and an older sister, Brooke. While her family provided a supportive foundation, Dangerfield’s path to basketball stardom was driven largely by her own dedication from the age of five.
Personal Life
Dangerfield has been active in charitable work throughout her career, supporting causes such as Let’s Move!, the Foundation for Life, Bikes for Kids, and Athletes for Hope. During college, she volunteered with Bags of Love, a nonprofit organization that helps children, teens, and young adults impacted by cancer. She is a lesbian.
2025 Season Performance
As of the 2025 season, Crystal Dangerfield is listed as a free agent after her most recent WNBA stint with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024. Her status leaves the next phase of her career open, with potential opportunities in the WNBA, overseas leagues, or both. Given her proven scoring ability and Rookie of the Year pedigree, she remains an attractive option for teams in need of a quick, experienced point guard.
Dangerfield’s career has been marked by resilience through injuries and roster changes, qualities that could appeal to franchises looking for backcourt depth. Her international experience in Israel adds another layer of versatility to her profile. A return to the WNBA roster remains a realistic possibility as training camps approach.
With her track record of overcoming adversity and producing at a high level, Dangerfield enters the 2025 calendar focused on finding the right fit to extend her professional career. Whether back in the WNBA or playing abroad, her next chapter will be closely watched by fans who followed her rise from a top-ranked high school recruit to a Rookie of the Year.
