In 2014, Kayla Thornton played in arguably the greatest moment in UTEP women’s basketball history during the 2014 WNIT Championship.
A decade later, three weeks ago, she was starring in one of the greatest moments in professional women’s basketball historyand when his New York Liberty won Game 5 of the WNBA Championship on her 32nd birthday.
Sunday at the Don Haskins Centerwhere she lived for four glorious years, Thornton will see her number become the first women’s basketball jersey to hang from the rafters.
More: Irvin High School retires number of El Paso basketball legend and WNBA champion Kayla Thornton
It will be part of Kayla Thornton Day, in which UTEP’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder will be honored as her Miners take the floor against Morehead State for tip-off at 6 p.m.
“She’s a WNBA champion and she’s from El Paso, the 915,” her coach Keitha Adams said. “She was on the field on the biggest stage of the biggest game, in the biggest moment and they won it all.
“(She and Minnesota Vikings star Aaron Jones) love El Paso; they always come back. The night of the celebration, Kayla is back there, ‘9-1-5, 9-1-5.’ This is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate.”
Kayla Thornton Day will also allow him to catch up with his fans.
“It’s a lot, but most importantly, it’s a blessing,” Thornton said the day after winning the WNBA title, the first time in her career that she won the final game of a season. “I didn’t even understand that I am a champion. My messages, I have more than 300, I try to reach everyone and say thank you.”
His fans and UTEP can do that to him on Sunday.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article was originally published on El Paso Times: UTEP women set to honor their greatest player on Kayla Thornton Day
