You see her bounding down the lane. Nothing can stop a charging Brittany Sykes. Wide-eyed, locked in. A shooting guard by position, but really, she plays wherever she’s needed. She actually does have a soft side—but it doesn’t stop her from getting down in the paint when it counts.
Brittany Sykes is a fan favorite for her intense playing style, her flashiness, and her willingness to be as physical as it takes to make the play.
In an age where the WNBA is almost literally bursting with popularity—the league added a new team this season and plans to keep expanding year after year—Brittany Sykes is definitely a name worth your attention. Here’s everything you need to know.
College Career
Brittany Sykes started at Syracuse in 2012. She made the Big East All-Rookie Team and helped get them to the NCAA Tournament the next year. Things were rolling. Then she tore her ACL. Then she tore it again.
Those who know basketball understand that this alone could have been career-ending. That’s especially true of women’s ball, where ACL injuries seem to be both more common and more brutal.
Sykes stuck around.
She ended her Syracuse run with over 1,800 points and 800 rebounds—still the only player in program history to hit both. She left as one of the most decorated players the school ever had.
Where can you see Brittney Sykes play?
Brittany Sykes is currently associated with two professional basketball organizations. During the WNBA season, which begins in May and runs through October, Sykes plays for the Washington Mystics.
The Mystics have had decent runs over the years, but have struggled amid roster shake-ups. Most recently, their star player, Elena Delle Donne, recently retired at the relatively young age of 34 following a career plagued by chronic injuries.
Sykes, who joined the Mystics in 2023, has contributed valiantly to the squad and now assumes a leadership position. She also played an exciting role in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, which took place over two months this winter.
Unrivaled is a player-owned 3-on-3 league founded by Nafisa Collier and Breanna Stewart, two of the biggest names in the WNBA.
The premise was pretty simple: gather the 35 to 40 best players in the league in one venue and see what happens when you put them head-to-head in a fast-paced 3-on-3 format.
The results did not disappoint—and neither did Sykes. Her team, the Rose Basketball Club, won in the finals against Vinyl BC.
Will Sykes be getting a new ring this year?
Probably not. Unless she buys one herself. Okay, so it’s not all roses in Brittany Sykes’ world. Yes, that’s an Unrivaled pun.
Sykes herself is having a good season, but the Washington Mystics franchise is struggling.
They’re 3 out of 4 at the time of writing, and while a winning season is certainly more than possible, it is fair to say that they’ll need a fairly seismic shift in momentum in order to factor in any considerable kind of way this postseason.
It’s been a while since the Mystics factored in the playoffs at all—they missed the postseason in 2024 after back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. This season, getting to the postseason would be a pretty respectable goal.
It’s also relatively achievable because the WNBA is still a small town. The majority of teams do make it into the playoffs. As long as the Mystics can finish within the top 8 of 13 teams, they’ll find their way in. Sykes, at least, seems ready to make this happen.
Now, in terms of championship potential, the situation is a little different. If you are going to be using YouBet.com to place wagers on the WNBA this season, maybe don’t bet too much on the Mystics.
Their last championship victory occurred in 2019, with a very different team. Sykes, for her part, was still playing in Atlanta at the time, where she landed back in 2017 as the seventh overall pick.
Right now, her best chances at a championship are probably in Miami, where she still holds a spot on the Rose BC, where she plays an important role in a high-profile roster. For those who didn’t tune in, Sykes plays alongside the always-exciting Angel Reese.
She was also taking feeds from Chelsey Grey—quite possibly the greatest living point guard in the women’s side of the game. If you’re interested in watching this former Syracuse star do well, consider tuning into Rose BC basketball next winter.
That said, there’s still plenty of basketball to be played in the 2025 WNBA season. With a player like Brittney Sykes, never say never. She’s been down before. But like so many of the game’s best, Brittney Sykes knows how to get back up.
