Kayla Thornton
Kayla Bianca Thornton is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association. She has previously played in the WNBA for the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty, with whom she won the 2024 WNBA Championship. In college, Thornton played for the University of Texas at El Paso.
Career
From 2010 to 2014, Thornton played for the University of Texas at El Paso. She was El Paso's all-time leading scorer and led the team to a record 29 wins in their 2011-12 season.Thornton was not selected in the 2014 WNBA draft. She signed with the Washington Mystics for the 2015 season and played in 10 games. She returned to the WNBA for the 2017 season, signing with the Dallas Wings. She spent six seasons in Dallas before being traded on January 16, 2023 to the New York Liberty in a three-team deal. Thornton played a significant role as a sixth man, and helped propel the team to the 2023 and 2024 WNBA Finals, the latter of which they would win.
On December 6, 2024, Thornton was selected as the Golden State Valkyries' pick from the New York Liberty's 2024 roster in the WNBA's expansion draft. She started all 22 of her appearances for Golden State in 2025, averaging 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists en route to her first career All-Star selection. On July 25, 2025, Thornton was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing right knee surgery.
Thornton is known for her defensive play, and her ability to guard players in any position. In the WNBA offseason, Thornton has played in Australia, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, Russia and South Korea.