The town of Carolina and the Gigantes of the Women’s Superior Basketball League (BSNF) retired the jersey of Carla Cortijo Sánchez in recognition of a career that includes four championships with the franchise and her place as the first Puerto Rican player trained on the island to play in the WNBA. Carolina mayor José Carlos Aponte praised her as a figure who represented Carolina and Puerto Rico with extraordinary pride and an example of discipline for local youth.
With the tribute, Cortijo became the second Gigantes figure whose jersey is retired and permanently displayed at the Coliseo Guillermo Angulo, alongside Rodsán Rodríguez’s. With Carolina, the former point guard contributed to the national championships of 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and was named Finals MVP in 2014 and 2015. Internationally, she was part of the Puerto Rico national team that won the gold medal at the 2011 Guadalajara Pan American Games, scoring 29 points, six rebounds and 10 assists in the 85-67 win over Mexico, plus silver medals at the 2012 and 2014 CentroBasket tournaments and the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games.
She played four NCAA Division I seasons at the University of Texas, then joined the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2025 she entered the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame as the only woman in that year’s class, and she currently serves as co-owner of the Gigantes.