Taj McWilliams-Franklin was born on October 20, 1970 in El Paso, Texas. She is the daughter of Stephanie Wiggins and Marvin McWilliams.

High School
Taj attended T.W. Josey High School in Augusta, Georgia.

College
Taj went to Georgia State University in 1989. She played on the school's basketball team for one season. She then transferred to St. Edward's University as a Rhetoric major.

At St. Edward's, she set various school records: for career scoring (1,837 points), most points scored for a single season (760), highest scoring average (24.5 ppg) and highest field goal percentage (.640).

International
In 1993, there were no professional women's basketball leagues in the United States. Taj went overseas and played in Wolfenbuettel, Germany (1993-94); Contern, Luxembourg (1994-95); and in Galilee, Israel (1995-96), among many others.

ABL
Taj was the 40th overall pick in 1996 and played two seasons for the Philadelphia Rage of the American Basketball League (ABL).

WNBA
Taj was selected by the Orlando Miracle in the third round (the 32nd overall pick) of the 1999 WNBA Draft. She starred for the Miracle for 4 years and remained with the franchise when the Miracle relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut, and was renamed the Connecticut Sun, prior to the 2003 season. As of 2008, McWilliams-Frankin has played in six WNBA All-Star Games.

In February 2007, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the draft rights of Erika DeSouza and a future selection in the 2007 WNBA Draft.

On April 22, 2008 the Los Angeles Sparks traded her to the Washington Mystics for Delisha Milton-Jones.

Personal
Taj is married to Army Sgt. Reginald Franklin, who she met while playing basketball in Italy, and has two daughters, Maia and Michele. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish.