Ryneldi Becenti

Education

Becenti attended Window Rock High School in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and in 1989, Scottsdale Community in Phoenix. She was the country’s top junior college point guard in 1990-1991, and left Scottsdale a two-time NJCAA All-American.

Becenti was an All-Pac 10 First Team selection in both her seasons at Arizona State University, and a two-time honorable mention All-America honoree. She also turned out for the United States of America at the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, New York, where her team won the bronze medal.

Career

She became the first Native American to play in the Women's National Basketball Association when she played for the Phoenix Mercury in 1997. In 1994, Becenti was playing professional basketball in Sweden. She also played in Greece and, briefly, Turkey.

In 1997, she signed with the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association as a free agent and played in their inaugural season.

In 1998, she was drafted by the Chicago Condors in the American Basketball League.

Achievements

• In 1996, she became the first and only woman to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. in 2013, she was the first women's basketball player to have her jersey (Number 21) retired by Arizona State University.