Ann Wauters
A towering and technically brilliant center who dominated European basketball and helped shape the modern WNBA's global talent pool.
Born 1980 (age 46)·Belgian basketball player·Birthday: October 12·Generation X
Biography
Ann Wauters stood out not just for her 6'4" frame, but for a polished, intelligent game that made her one of Europe's most dominant players before becoming a WNBA trailblazer. Hailing from Belgium, she was a prodigy, turning professional at just 16. Her footwork, soft shooting touch, and defensive presence made her the cornerstone of powerhouse clubs like US Valenciennes Olympic, with whom she won multiple EuroLeague titles. Her arrival in the WNBA as the first overall pick in 2000 signaled a new era of international influence in the league. While team success in America was elusive for much of her career, her fundamental soundness and professionalism were undeniable. She finally captured a WNBA championship late in her playing days, a fitting capstone for a player who gracefully bridged two basketball continents.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ann was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ann Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Ann's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft by the Cleveland Rockers.
- Won the EuroLeague Women championship four times with different clubs.
- Earned a WNBA championship ring with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2008.
- Named the FIBA Europe Young Women's Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
Did You Know?
She was the first Belgian player, male or female, to be selected first overall in a major American sports draft.
Wauters speaks four languages: Dutch, French, English, and Spanish.
She served as a flag bearer for Belgium at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
After retiring, she moved into coaching, serving as an assistant for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.
“My height was a given; the skill was a choice I made every day.”
