We often observe that an athlete has a rare combination of ability, persistence and intrinsic drive to win. Jessica Shepard: One of the most exciting players in professional basketball. Having an ability to affect the Jessica Shepards game in a variety of ways, Shepard achieved it from her early days as a collegiate star at UC-Davis all the way into standout careers in both the WNBA and various international leagues.
Her story is one of impressive accomplishments, the resilience to overcome obstacles large and small and an ever-changing game that will make her a valuable addition to any roster. Shepard, currently one of the top players with the Dallas Wings and an American-Slovenian professional basketball player.
Transitioning from a College Star to a Pro Jessica Shepards
The road to their professional career was a star-studded collegiate journey for Jessica Shepard. Shepard established her credentials as a prep star in the Nebraska high school ranks before making her mark at the NCAA level. With 2,227 career points she also secured a spot in state history, ending with the fourth-highest total ever in Nebraska prep history and all-time record for Class A (largest).
She was also 15th on the state list all-time in rebounding with her 1,031 rebounds, just outside the Class A record for a career. She averaged a Class A state-record 30.4 points per game alongside 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists during her junior season (2013-14), leading Fremont High School to a 22-4 record and berth into the state tournament. Including a career-high 46-point game, where she recorded four 40-point games.
She started her collegiate career at Nebraska, where she had an instant impact. Shepard smashed the Nebraska freshman scoring mark (574) and places second all-time in school history for freshmen with rebounds (266) as a true in 201515 season. She started all 30 games and recorded 10 double-doubles — a new freshman record — and also captured a conference-record 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards. Her top Nebraska performances, included in the 2016 season: — tied a freshman record with 35 points and set a career-high with 20 rebounds at Michigan (Jan. She earned First-Team All-Big Ten in 2016 and Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2017.
A two-year stint with the Huskers launched Shepard to transfer to The University of Notre Dame, where she found a way to raise her play another notch and enjoy an even more complete level of success. She finished her career with the Fighting Irish after winning a NCAA Championship 2018.
NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread wrote: Shepard played sparingly during her first two seasons at Notre Dame, but was a key member of one of the most prolific scoring starting fives in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history, as the 2015-16 Irish combined to score a record 10,230 points. Her talent was evident all four years as she became one of just 10 active Division I players to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, finishing at 2,340 points and 1,248 rebounds. Over 100 assists in her senior season illustrated too, a far more uncommon trait for a player of her size.
Top performances in Nebraska, Notre Dame
Jessica Shepard had an extremely successful collegiate career that showed she is a real prospect.
University of Nebraska (2015-2017):
Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2016)
• First-Team All-Big Ten (2016)
• Second-Team All-Big Ten (2017)
Shattered Nebraska Freshman Scoring Record: 574 Points
• Established an NU freshman record by registering 10 double-doubles.
• First player to have 30 points, and 20 rebounds in a game at Nebraska (35 points, 20 rebounds against Michigan).
• Acquired a conference-high 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors.
Sept 22, 2021 at the University of Notre Dame (2017-2019):
• NCAA Champion (2018)
• Two-time First-Team All-ACC (2018, 2019)
• Third-team All-American – AP (2019)
• Tied for the most double-doubles in a season at Notre Dame with 19.
• 34career double-doubles (fourth best all-time at Notre Dame).
• Topped the team in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the national title game against Villanova in 2018.
• Most rebounds (390) and highest average (10.3) in a single season at Notre Dame
• Ended his career with the best rebounding average in program history (9.2).
• Joined the 2,000 career points / 1,000 career rebounds club
WNBA: Resilience, Records & Moving On
The rookie season of Jessica Shepard in the WNBA is a professional career full of both greatest difficulties and biggest victories. In the 2019 WNBA Draft, she was selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 16th overall pick. But her first season was restricted after she sustained a torn ACL in her right knee during June 2019, only five games into her professional career. This ended her 2019 season and all of the 2020 season, as she would take the time off to heal and rehabilitate from injury.
That was the low point, however, as she bounced back to the court in 2021. It took a while for her to find her groove, but she remained committed to her craft and eventually broke out with a performance that cemented her in the WNBA history books.
Coming back from Injury and Accomplishing the Impossible: a Triple — Double
The treatment was tough on Jessica Shepard, who has had her ups and downs — but boy did it ever pay off in a big way. Playing for the Minnesota Lynx on August 22, 2025, she became the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in a game with over The performance was significant for a variety of reasons:
• Fastest Triple-Double in WNBA History: Shepard achieved her triple-double in 21 minutes and 57 seconds of play, the fastest in WNBA history.
First Player to Have a Triple-Double with 90%-Plus Field Goal Percentage: (22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on 10-of-11 shooting) became the only player in WNBA history to finish a game with a triple-double while shooting over 90% from the field.
Elite Company, Zero Turnovers: Shepard became just the third player (joining Alyssa Thomas and Sabrina Ionescu) in WNBA history to have 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 10+ assists with zero turnovers in a game.
This night is never going to be normal and it reinforced so many aspects of how her versatile skill set, most notably her passing for a big that teammates and coaches have pointed out before.
That wasn’t her only record of the triple-double kind. Jessica Shepard racked up her second career triple-double during a win over the Chicago Sky after signing with the Dallas Wings in May 2026. A little more than a week later, she one-upped herself against the Las Vegas Aces as only the second player in league history to post a 20-point, 20-rebound triple-double with 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists. This put her on par with Alyssa Thomas as only the second player to achieve this feat.
Her Move to the Dallas Wings
April 2026: The Dallas Wings reached an expiring multi-year deal with Jessica Shepard before the first-ever WNBA season once again in the 2026 season. This move was a calculated pickup for the Wings, who acquired her from the Minnesota Lynx, where she spent five seasons. “As an organization, we are thrilled to welcome Jenna back home,” said Dallas Executive Vice President and General Manager Curt Miller in a team release.
“Jenna was one of the most versatile offensive players available this free agency period for us.” (ESPN’s) Miller called her a “great passer and facilitator, in addition to being a tremendous scorer around the rim,” also citing her high basketball IQ as something the team was thrilled to be able to pair with its young core.
She also has a former Notre Dame teammate — and WNBA champion — in Arike Ogunbowale, giving the Wings more of that familiar dynamic. In just months, Shepard has already made a strong impression with the Wings while showing that she can make immediate improvements in her game by averaging career-highs in points, rebounds and assists per game.
When it comes to the Wings’ rebuilding effort she is a key component, already leading them in both rebounding and assists per game while also being an ideal passing mate for their young backcourt of Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers. Her work behind the scenes has aided the Wings at a brilliant start to their 2026 season, during which they’re pacing the WNBA in assists per game alongside and 3-point percentage.
International Success and Versatile Play
In addition to her considerable WNBA accomplishments, Jessica Shepard has also enjoyed successful run on the international stage — just another feather in her versatile cap. She has played for various clubs across Europe, showing her versatility, and continuing to perform at a high level. Her career internationally has seen her work in:
• Italy: Dinamo Sassari (2021-2022), Reyer Venezia (2022-2024) and Famila Basket Schio (2025-2026). In Italy Serie A1 as a member of Schio in the 2025/2026 season, she averaged 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals across twenty Christmas games She topped the circuit in rebounds (9.5), double-doubles (six) and efficiency, while finishing second in scoring (17.0 points per game) over 15 Euroleague games.
• Greece: Athinaikos (2024-2025). She won All-Greek A1 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, First Team and All-Defensive Team in 2025.
On June 25, 2024, Shepard was granted citizenship in Slovenia, which made her eligible to play for the Slovenia women’s national basketball team. Date of Birth: November 20, 2000Years with the National Team: Senior internationalFIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 (qualifying) [2013-2025]Records for Slovenia: Appearances – 22 points + rebounds per game (1 in a series)-points+assists {{# Power plant FIBA}} Portrait of power plant # HREUPersistence】She competed at FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 32.6 minutes /Rich-assist Steve-27 over
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Her style of play is unique for her size (6’4″) – a combination only a few players possess. She probably has one of the great post scoring games, a silky mid-range jump shot, she boards up and — most impressively — passes like a guard. With a high basketball IQ, she has advanced ability to read the defense and find her teammates to score whether by scoring herself or creating a shot for one of her teammates making it extremely difficult for any offense. Defensively, she’s versatile to guard both 4 and 5, and occasionally even switch onto guards in the pick about roll situations.
Company Frequently QuestionJessica Shepard version 1.
We know that fans and enthusiasts tend to ask various specific questions regarding a particular player. So here we are answering some of the most common questions about Jessica Shepard.
Jessica Shepard has played for which teams?
Jessica Shepard has a well-travelled career, bouncing around in passerby teams at different levels (collegiate, WNBA and abroad).
• College:
o University of Nebraska (2015-2017)
o University of Notre Dame (2017-2019)
• WNBA:
o Minnesota Lynx (2019-2025)
o Dallas Wings (2026-Present)
• International Clubs:
o Dinamo Sassari (Italy, 2021-2022)
o Reyer Venezia (Italy, 2022-2024)
o Athinaikos (Greece, 2024-2025)
o Famila Basket Schio (Italy, 2025-2026)
While in WNBA, what is her most impressive record?
She holds the record for the fastest triple-double in WNBA history. Shepard had played 21 minutes and 57 seconds in a game between the Minnesota Lynx on August 22, 2025, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. This frees her up to then become the first WNBA player ever with a 30-point triple-double on 90% shooting (10-of-11)
College basketball was played at which institution?
Jessica Shepard played college basketball at two universities:
• The University of Nebraska (2015-2017)
• University of Notre Dame (2017–2019)
Final Thoughts: Jessica Shepard’s Legacy and Continued Journey
Professional basketball history of Jessica ShepardA Narrative Of Talent, Perseverance And Constant Growth Whether it was during her record-setting high school or collegiate careers at Nebraska and Notre Dame where she became an NCAA Champion up to taking over in the WNBA, Shepard has shown that she is a high level player every time she sets foot on the court. She fought through a major ACL injury in the early part of her professional career, showing how dedicated and driven she is.
She arguably has the most diverse skill set for a forward, as seen in her record-breaking triple-doubles (the fastest ones ever in league history and an extremely rare 20-point, 20-rebound triple-double). This continues to be the case since she was traded to Dallas Wings this year and her high basketball IQ and passing ability is integral to running their offense which will go a long way towards defining their success.
Gracing the world stage, her accolades from different European franchises and national representation for Slovenia in EuroBasket, highlight her global draw and style versatility. Going forward, Jessica Shepard remains a player to watch. The same can be said for what she brought to the court from a dynamic play, inspiring resilience, and exciting back-and-forth game that we can only hope leads to more unforgettable performances and lasting contributions to her legacy with the Dallas Wings and longer in women’s international basketball. This should all keep her as a force to be reckoned with for years, given her combination of scoring and rebounding prowess along with elite court vision.
