INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever guard Bridget Pettis retired from the WNBA on Tuesday, ending a career in which she played in 217 of a possible 220 games.
Pettis was one of four players who entered the 2003 season having played in every WNBA game since the league's inception in 1997. She ranks fifth in league history in games played and was in 203 straight games before sitting out against Detroit on July 16 last season. She missed two other games last season.
"I have had the opportunity to play for two great organizations in the WNBA," Pettis said in a statement released Tuesday. "I enjoyed it to the fullest. ... It has been a dream come true and I have really enjoyed it."
Pettis spent five seasons with the Phoenix Mercury before being traded to the Fever before the draft in 2002.
She intends to continue competing in the Italian women's pro league, in which she has played the last eight seasons.
Pettis graduated from Florida in 1993, where she helped the Gators earn their first NCAA tournament appearance. She then played three years professionally in Turkey before joining the Italian team and competing in the WNBA.