DeLisha Milton-Jones

Delisha Milton-Jones

DeLisha Milton-Jones at the 2007 WNBA All-Star game.
No. 1 – Atlanta Dream
Position	Forward
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	(1974-09-11) September 11, 1974 Riceboro, Georgia
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Bradwell Institute (Hinesville, Georgia)
College	Florida (1993–1997)
NBA draft	1999 / Round: Supplemental / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Playing career	1999–present
Career history
1999–2004	Los Angeles Sparks
2005–2007	Washington Mystics
2008–2012	Los Angeles Sparks
2013	San Antonio Silver Stars
2013–2014	New York Liberty
2014–present	Atlanta Dream
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Women's basketball Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games 2000 Sydney Team competition 2008 Beijing Team competition FIBA World Championship 1998 Germany Team competition 2002 China Team competition 2006 Brazil Team competition Universiade 1997 Sicily Team competition

DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones (born September 11, 1974), née DeLisha Lachell Milton, is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. In her sixteen-season WNBA career, she has played for the Washington Mystics, the Los Angeles Sparks (twice), the San Antonio Stars, and the New York Liberty. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a two-time WNBA champion, and has been selected to the WNBA All-Star Game three times. As of the 2014 season, she is the oldest active player in the WNBA.

Early years

Milton-Jones was born in Riceboro, Georgia in 1974. According to a DNA analysis, she descended, mainly, from Yoruba people and Hausa people of Nigeria.^[1] She attended Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia, where she played high school basketball for the Bradwell Tigers. Milton-Jones graduated from Bradwell in 1993.

College career

Milton-Jones accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Carol Ross's Florida Gators women's basketball team from 1993 to 1997. She was a four-year letterman, and led the Lady Gators to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior in 1996–97, she was recognized as an All-American by the Associated Press, Kodak and the Basketball Times; she was also the winner of the Wade Trophy, recognizing the best women's basketball player in NCAA Division I.^[2]

Milton-Jones was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2007.^[3][4]

USA Basketball

Milton-Jones represented the USA at the 1997 World University Games held in Marsala, Sicily, Italy in August 1997. The USA team won all six games, earning the gold medal at the event. Milton-Jones averaged 10.3 points per game and recorded 14 steals, second highest on the team.^[5]

Milton-Jones was named to the U.S. national team in 1998. The national team traveled to Berlin, Germany in July and August 1998 for the FIBA World Championships. The U.S. team won a close opening game against Japan 95–89, then won their next six games easily. In the semifinal game against Brazil, the U.S. team was behind as much as ten points in the first half, but the U.S. team went on to win 93–79. The gold medal game was a rematch against Russia. In the first game, the Americans dominated almost from the beginning, but in the rematch, the Russian team took the early lead and led much of the way. With under two minutes remaining, the U.S. team was down by two points but the Americans responded, then held on to win the gold medal 71–65. Milton-Jones averaged 7.1 points per game.^[6]

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 teams that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China,^[7] as well as the U.S. women's teams that won world championships in 1998 and 2002.

Professional career

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 and a first-round draft pick in the 2004 off-season. In 2003, she won the Euroleague Championship with team Ekaterinburg in Russia. In the 2005–06 season, she won the Euroleague with Gambrinus Brno of the Czech Republic and for the season 2006–07 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.^[8] for whom she also played during the 2007-08 off-season.^[9]

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.^[10]

She played for the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA in 2013 before being released and then signed by the New York Liberty. On July 9, 2014, Milton-Jones was traded to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Swin Cash

Currently she is playing for the Atlanta Dream.

In August 2015, Milton-Jones played in her 497th WNBA game, now the most played by any WNBA player. She surpassed the record previously held by Tina Thompson.^[11]

Coaching career

She became the second woman (after Ashley McElhiney) 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, cleaning and playing tennis.

Europe

• 2001-2002: Lavezzini Basket Parma (Italy)
• 2002-2004: UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)
• 2007-2009: Ros Casares Valencia (Spain)

Awards and honors

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

WNBA

• 2015 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award^[12]

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

Bronze Medal

• 2006 FIBA World Championship

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)

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

See also

• List of Florida Gators basketball players in WNBA
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of Olympic medalists in basketball
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians

References

External links

• WNBA player profile of Delisha Milton-Jones
• USA basketball bio of Delisha Milton-Jones
• WNBA mini-interview with Delisha Milton-Jones