Sky guard Allie Quigley names her 7 best shooters in WNBA playoffs

Sky star Allie Quigley doesn’t remember much of her father, who died of cancer when she was 7. However, she’s reminded of him every time she watches film.

Quigley, who won her second-straight WNBA All-Star three-point contest in July, shoots just like her dad, and she wrote about the importance of being a strong shooter in her column published to the Players’ Tribune website on Tuesday.

After her father’s passing, Quigley became closer to her three siblings. Basketball was one of the sports they would play together. Her and her sister, Sam, would usually team up to play their two brothers, Ryan and Jake.

“Basketball was always number one — my true love,” Quigley wrote. “Playing against the boys, my sister and I, we developed this unstoppable two-woman game. Sam, true to form — she would do all of the dirty work: checking Ryan on D, grabbing rebounds, setting picks, coming up with steals, diving for loose balls … she did it all. Sam got in there. And that left me with one simple role — the one thing that I had to do, every game, in exchange for Sam’s grinding: shoot it.

“I was our shooter.”

Quigley grew up to believe that a shooter was only one part to a basketball team’s success. However, the game has changed over the years and now more than ever a strong shooter is an integral part to winning championships. (Just look at Steph Curry.)

With that in mind, Quigley shared her list of the seven best shooters in the WNBA postseason. She also urged basketball fans to tune in to the WNBA playoffs over the next few weeks and watch them.

Unsurprisingly, Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi and Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore top Quigley’s list, respectively.

Quigley deemed Taurasi the “GOAT.” Taurasi, who has been playing professionally longer than LeBron James and is arguably just as dominant as the King, averaged 20.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during the regular season. She also shot 44.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.

“This is going to sound crazy to say, but I actually think Diana is an underrated shooter,” Quigley wrote. “People get fixated on calling her the greatest player of all time (which she is), or on the fact that she’s an insane competitor, or a brilliant playmaker, or an unstoppable all-around scorer … But as a pure shooter? I’m telling you: She’s number one on the list.”

Quigley also believes that the Mercury are the biggest “sleeper” this postseason.

“I’ll just say this: Only one team in the world can say they have the best shooter in the world,” Quigley wrote. “Only one team in the WNBA has Diana Taurasi.”

Other notables on Quigley’s list include Washington Mystics guard Kristi Toliver and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird. In a surprise move, Quigley left off Storm forward Breanna Stewart from her list. Stewart averaged 21.8 points per game this regular-season, which was good for second in the WNBA.

Here’s Quigley’s list of seven best WNBA shooters

1. Diana Taurasi

2. Maya Moore

3. Kristi Toliver

4. Sue Bird

5. Renee Montgomery

6. Jewell Loyd

7. DeWanna Bonner