Former Iowa basketball player Tangela Smith has been named one of 30 finalists for the WNBA’s top 15 players of all time award, according to a release.

Smith has spent 13 years in the league, and she is one of seven players in WNBA history to record 4,000 career points. She was drafted by Sacramento in 1998 (12th overall pick), and she played for the Monarchs for six years before moving on to the Charlotte Sting (2005-06) and Phoenix Mercury (2007-10).

In February, she signed a multiyear contract with the Indiana Fever. Terms of the contract weren’t disclosed.

The Chicago native ranks first in Iowa history in blocks (235), fourth in rebounding (859), and seventh in scoring (1,598). The 1998 Big Ten Player of the Year led the Hawkeyes to conference regular-season titles in 1996 and 1998 and a Big Ten Tournament championship in 1997.

Smith continued her strong play in the WNBA, and she is ranked in the top 10 in league history in six categories: points (sixth, 4,826), rebounds (sixth, 2,246), blocks (fourth, 541), field goals made (fourth, 1,972), field goals attempted (third, 4,648), and minutes (fourth, 12,033).

Fans can vote until midnight on July 14 at the WNBA’s website. The top 15 will be announced at the league’s All-Star Game on July 23.

— by Seth Roberts