Tamera Young
Encyclopedia
Tamera Young is an American basketball
player for the Chicago Sky
.
Pittsburgh Steelers
and a 13-year National Football League
veteran (Steelers 1993-96, 2005; Seattle Seahawks
1997-2003). She attended the same high school, Emsley A. Laney High School
, as basketball
legend Michael Jordan
.
in the Colonial Athletic Association
. She set numerous records while in college, including the conference's all-time scoring record. As a senior, she led JMU to the third round of the 2008 WNIT
, before ultimately losing to The University of Kentucky
. She is most famously known for wearing pigtails during her games.
by the expansion team Atlanta Dream
. In her first season with the Dream she wore the number 23 on her jersey. In her second season she switched to the number 11, which she wore in college. While playing for the Atlanta Dream, Young's per game averages included 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 27.4 minutes a game.
On August 12, 2009, Young was traded to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Armintie Price
.
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 Chicago Sky
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...
.
Personal
She is the daughter of Greg Young and Lynda Nichols-Brown and John Brown. She has an older brother, A.J., and two older sisters, Nikia and Valerie. Her cousin, Willie Williams, was a cornerback for the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and a 13-year National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
veteran (Steelers 1993-96, 2005; Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
1997-2003). She attended the same high school, Emsley A. Laney High School
Emsley A. Laney High School
Emsley A. Laney High School is a high school in Wilmington, North Carolina, named in honor of a distinguished local businessman who served on the New Hanover County Board of Education 1941-1973....
, as 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...
legend Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
.
College career
Tamera played collegiately at James Madison UniversityJames Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
in the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
. She set numerous records while in college, including the conference's all-time scoring record. As a senior, she led JMU to the third round of the 2008 WNIT
2008 Women's National Invitation Tournament
The 2008 Women's National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 48 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. The 40th annual tournament was played from March 19, 2008 to...
, before ultimately losing to The University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. She is most famously known for wearing pigtails during her games.
WNBA career
Young was drafted in the first round with the eighth overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....
by the expansion team Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
. In her first season with the Dream she wore the number 23 on her jersey. In her second season she switched to the number 11, which she wore in college. While playing for the Atlanta Dream, Young's per game averages included 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 27.4 minutes a game.
On August 12, 2009, Young was traded to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Armintie Price
Armintie Price
Armintie Ada Price is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream. Price, who played collegiately at the University of Mississippi, was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2007 WNBA Draft...
.