Former UConn women’s basketball star Morgan Tuck announces retirement from WNBA

After a five-year pro career, former UConn star Morgan Tuck has announced her retirement from the WNBA due to injury.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the WNBA,” she said in a release. “I have tried everything physically possible to be ready for the upcoming 2021 WNBA season. Unfortunately, it will not be possible. This was a hard decision to make but I have to listen to what my body is telling me. I am glad that in my final season I was able to win a WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm.”

Tuck suffered a bone bruise in her right knee as a freshman at UConn which resulted in doctors discovering she was missing cartilage. She missed most of her sophomore campaign due to a major surgery that added cartilage but made it so her knee was that of a middle-aged woman.

Though Tuck could’ve returned for a fifth season of eligibility in 2016-17, she decided to declare for the WNBA Draft to maximize her earnings as a professional before the knee finally gave out.

The Connecticut Sun drafted Tuck with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. She spent the first four years of her career there before signing with the Seattle Storm in free agency last year. Tuck played in just 10 games inside the bubble with the Storm and helped win the 2020 WNBA title.

Over her five seasons, she averaged 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game.

At UConn, Tuck was a member of the Huskies’ heralded 2012 recruiting class that also included Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. Together, the trio won a record four consecutive national championships while Tuck earned All-American honors as a senior.