EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Witnessing a historic moment, the El Paso native and former UTEP Miner had her jersey retired and hung from the rafters of the Don Haskins Center on Sunday.
Kayla Thornton, who played at UTEP from 2010-2014, recently achieved a milestone in women’s basketball by winning game five of the WNBA Championship with the New York Liberty against the Minnesota Lynx on October 10th.
Returning to her hometown of El Paso for the jersey retirement ceremony was an emotional experience for Thornton.
“I am truly thankful to God,” Thornton expressed. “Seeing the support from the community here is overwhelming. I try to hold back my tears because of my makeup, but being a small-town girl from West Texas, I want to inspire young girls to believe in their talents and strive for success through dedication and faith.”
While Thornton has accomplished a significant feat, her ambitions include winning a defensive player of the year award in the WNBA and securing another championship title in the future.
November 10th will now be recognized as “Kayla Thornton Day” in El Paso, Texas.
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