DeLisha Milton-Jones
Encyclopedia
DeLisha Milton-Jones is an American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

 of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

 (WNBA). Milton-Jones played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

. In her twelve-season WNBA career, she has played for the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...

 and Los Angeles Sparks (twice). She is a two-time Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

ist and a two-time WNBA champion, and has been selected to the WNBA All-Star Game three times.

Early years

Milton-Jones was born in Riceboro, Georgia
Riceboro, Georgia
Riceboro is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. The population was 736 at the 2000 census. It is a part of the Hinesville-Fort Stewart metropolitan statistical area.-Geography:Riceboro is located at ....

 in 1974. She attended Bradwell Institute
Bradwell Institute
Bradwell Institute is a public high school located in Hinesville, Georgia. It serves the western half of Hinesville including western Fort Stewart, Walthourville, Allenhurst, and Gum Branch. The principal is Mr. Scott Carrier. Bradwell serves grades 9–12 with about 1,800 students currently enrolled...

 in Hinesville, Georgia
Hinesville, Georgia
Hinesville is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. The population was 30,392 at the 2000 census. Hinesville is also known to have been the home of three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Lyman Hall, George Walton and Button Gwinnett. The city is the county seat of Liberty...

, where she played high school basketball for the Bradwell Tigers. Milton-Jones graduated from Bradwell in 1993.

College career

Milton-Jones received an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...

 to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...

, where she played for the Florida Gators women's basketball
Florida Gators women's basketball
The Florida Gators women's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference...

 team from 1993 to 1997. She was a four-year letterman, and led the Lady Gators to four NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...

 in 1996–1997, she was recognized as an All-American by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

, Kodak and the Basketball Times; she was also the winner of the Wade Trophy
Wade Trophy
The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first–ever...

, recognizing the best women's basketball player in NCAA Division I.

Milton-Jones was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2007.

Professional career

Milton-Jones is well known for the unusual length of her arms, which give her an eighty-four inch wingspan—typical of that of a seven-foot person. She was a member of the U.S. national women's basketball team
United States women's national basketball team
The United States women's national basketball team are the defending Olympic champions in women's basketball. The team is composed of some of the top American players in the WNBA and the women's college game....

s that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney, Australia and the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing, China, as well as the U.S. women's teams that won world championships in 1998 and 2002.

In the WNBA, she played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1999 to 2004. She was traded to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...

 and a first-round draft pick in the 2004 off-season. In 2003, she won the Euroleague Championship with team Ekaterinburg in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. In the 2005–2006 season, she won the Euroleague with Gambrinus Brno of the Czech Republic and for the season 2006–2007 she signed a two year contract with Ros Casares Valencia of Spain. During the 2008–2009 WNBA off-season, Milton-Jones played for Ros Casares Valencia in Spain. for whom she also played during the 2007-08 off-season.

She is a two-time WNBA champion and has been selected to the WNBA All Star Game multiple times. In her WNBA career, she has scored 3,944 career points (16th all-time). On April 22, 2008, Milton-Jones was reacquired by the Los Angeles Sparks in a trade for Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

Coaching career

She became the second woman (after Ashley McElhiney
Ashley McElhiney
Ashley Reneé McElhiney is an American basketball coach and former college player. She is best known for having been the first female coach of a male professional basketball team, as the coach of the Nashville Rhythm of the American Basketball Association in the 2004-05 season.-Early life and...

) to coach a men's professional basketball team when, in 2005, she took over the ABA's Los Angeles Stars.

She appeared in the 2000 movie Love and Basketball as Delisha Milton. In her free time, she likes to relax by cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...

, cleaning and playing tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

.

Europe

  • 2001-2002:  Italy Lavezzini Basket Parma
  • 2002-2004:  Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg

Awards and honors

Milton-Jones has received numerous awards and honors, some of which are listed below.

Gold Medals

  • 2000 & 2008 Olympic Games
  • 2007 Tournament of Americas
  • 1998 & 2002 FIBA World Championship
  • 2002 Opals World Challenge
  • 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup
  • 1997 World University Games
  • 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival

Collegiate honors

  • 1997 SEC Player of the Year
  • 1997 State Farm Wade Trophy
  • 1997 First-team All-American
  • 1997 First-team All-Southeastern Conference
  • 1996 First-team All-Southeastern Conference
  • 1995 Second-team All-Southeastern Conference
  • 1994 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team
  • SEC Player of the Week (February 27, 1995; December 15, 1996; January 5, 1997; January 26, 1997)

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 1999
1999 WNBA season
-External links:**...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 32 || 32 || 26.1 || .530 || .000 || .791 || 5.5 || 1.6 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 2.22 || 9.9
|-
| align="left" | 2000
2000 WNBA season
-External links:**...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 32 || 32 || 30.7 || .512 || .250 || .745 || 6.1 || 2.1 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 2.09 || 11.8
|-
| align="left" | 2001
2001 WNBA season
-External links:**...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 32 || 27 || 29.3 || .453 || .343 || .794 || 5.3 || 2.1 || 1.5 || 0.9 || 1.81 || 10.3
|-
| align="left" | 2002
2002 WNBA season
-External links:***...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 32 || 25 || 30.2 || .487 || .420 || .740 || 6.6 || 1.4 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 2.94 || 11.3
|-
| align="left" | 2003
2003 WNBA season
-External links:***...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 31 || 30 || 35.0 || .424 || .377 || .804 || 7.1 || 2.1 || 1.6 || 1.3 || 2.55 || 13.4
|-
| align="left" | 2004
2004 WNBA season
-External links:***...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 19 || 19 || 31.8 || .404 || .297 || .726 || 4.7 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 0.5 || 2.53 || 9.8
|-
| align="left" | 2005
2005 WNBA season
-External links:***...


| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


| 33 || 30 || 32.4 || .417 || .328 || .798 || 5.2 || 1.8 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 2.27 || 11.9
|-
| align="left" | 2006
2006 WNBA season
-External links:*******...


| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


| 23 || 20 || 29.3 || .472 || .430 || .810 || 4.9 || 2.1 || 1.5 || 0.7 || 2.91 || 14.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007
2007 WNBA season
-External links:* * * * * * * *...


| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


| 34 || 34 || 33.6 || .349 || .235 || .845 || 6.4 || 1.6 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 3.56 || 13.4
|-
| align="left" | 2008
2008 WNBA season
-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 31 || 31 || 32.8 || .480 || .358 || .774 || 6.3 || 2.4 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 3.09 || 13.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA season
The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 33 || 33 || 31.6 || .401 || .293 || .757 || 4.8 || 2.2 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 2.24 || 10.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010
2010 WNBA season
The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 34 || 34 || 32.2 || .470 || .317 || .866 || 4.7 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 2.82 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2011
2011 WNBA season
The 2011 WNBA season is the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA Draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 34 || 34 || 26.2 || .462 || .352 || .831 || 4.6 || 2.0 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 2.44 || 11.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" | 13 years, 2 teams
| 401 || 381 || 30.8 || .446 || .332 || .795 || 5.6 || 2.0 || 1.4 || 0.7 || 2.57 || 12.1

Postseason

|-
| align="left" | 1999
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 4 || 4 || 31.8 || .450 || .000 || .429 || 5.3 || 2.5 || 1.8 || 1.5 || 1.25 || 9.8
|-
| align="left" | 2000
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 4 || 4 || 34.0 || .541 || .000 || .833 || 5.5 || 3.0 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 2.50 || 12.5
|-
| align="left" | 2001
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 7 || 7 || 32.3 || .547 || .375 || .684 || 6.3 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 1.57 || 12.3
|-
| align="left" | 2002
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 6 || 3 || 34.0 || .450 || .563 || .938 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 1.7 || 1.5 || 1.83 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | 2003
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 9 || 9 || 37.6 || .443 || .556 || .771 || 6.3 || 2.8 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 2.22 || 14.6
|-
| align="left" | 2006
2006 WNBA Playoffs
The 2006 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2006 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion Sacramento Monarchs 3-2.-Format:...


| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


| 2 || 2 || 34.5 || .379 || .444 || 1.000 || 9.0 || 2.5 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 3.00 || 14.0
|-
| align="left" | 2008
2008 WNBA Playoffs
The 2008 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2008 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0.-Format:...


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 6 || 6 || 34.3 || .407 || .357 || .733 || 6.0 || 1.8 || 1.3 || 0.7 || 2.17 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA Playoffs
The 2009 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2009 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 6 || 6 || 31.7 || .351 || .308 || .625 || 5.8 || 2.5 || 1.7 || 0.2 || 2.17 || 9.0
|-
| align="left" | 2010
2010 WNBA Playoffs
The 2010 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2010 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....


| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| 2 || 2 || 35.5 || .360 || 1.000 || .500 || 8.5 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 2.50 || 10.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" | 9 years, 2 teams
| 46 || 43 || 34.0 || .442 || .456 || .738 || 6.3 || 2.3 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 2.04 || 12.0

See also


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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