Latasha Byears

Last updated
Latasha Byears
Personal information
Born (1973-08-12) August 12, 1973 (age 50)
Memphis, Tennessee
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school Bolton (Arlington, Tennessee)
College
WNBA draft 1997: undrafted
Playing career1997–2011
Position Power forward
Career history
1997–2000 Sacramento Monarchs
1998–99 Sporting Athens
2001–2003 Los Angeles Sparks
2001 MiZo-Pécsi VSK
2003–05 Ceyhan Belediyespor
2005 Dynamo Energia Novosibirsk
2005–06 TED Kayseri Koleji
2006 Washington Mystics
2006–07 CSKA Sofia
2007–2008 Houston Comets
2008–09Duda Leszno
2009–10 Beroe Stara Zagora
2010–11 Dunav 8806
Career highlights and awards
Career WNBA statistics
Points 1,935 (7.7 ppg)
Rebounds 1,204 (4.8 rpg)
Assists 200 (0.8 apg)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Latasha Nashay Byears (born August 12, 1973) is a former American professional women's basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Sacramento Monarchs, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Washington Mystics, and for the Houston Comets. Byears ranked eighth all-time in the WNBA in field goal percentage (.514) and was among the top 10 rebounders in the league's history as of 2003.

Contents

Nicknamed "Tot", Byears usually played the position of power forward. However, the openly lesbian Byers became associated with legal controversy outside of her basketball career. [2]

College years

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Byears grew up in Millington, Tennessee and went to high school in nearby Arlington, Tennessee. Afterwards, Byears played two years in Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, located in Miami, Oklahoma. She later transferred to DePaul University in Chicago, where she averaged 22.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game during the 1995–1996 season, a performance that earned her a first team All-American. On 23 January 2011 Byears inducted to DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame. [3]

WNBA career

Despite not being selected at the first WNBA draft, the Sacramento Monarchs invited Byears to their training camp prior to their inaugural season in 1997. Byears then starred for the Monarchs for the next four seasons.

After the 2000 season ended, Byears was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, where she was a crucial part of a championship win for the team. [2] She was arrested on March 1, 2001 for driving under the influence of marijuana. [4] Because of this, she had to miss the first match of the 2001 regular season due to a suspension. [5] On July 11, 2002, she fought Michelle M. Marciniak on the court in a game against the Seattle Storm. On July 12, 2002, the WNBA fined her $1,000 and banned her for 2 matches. [6] However, following a June 5, 2003 Sparks game, Byears and three men unconnected to the Sparks were investigated for an alleged rape of a WNBA player. Byears was cut by the Sparks a few days after the alleged incident. Four months later, in light of Kobe Bryant's rape allegations and how the Los Angeles Lakers, who owned the Sparks at the time, supported Bryant during the controversy. Byears sued the Lakers, accusing the team of double standard. Byears felt that it was unfair that she was never charged and was cut; Bryant's case was settled, yet he still continued to play and represent the team in media. [2] The criminal proceedings were closed in August 2005 due to insufficient evidence, and Byears' lawsuit against the Lakers was settled months later. Shortly after settling the lawsuit, Byears returned to the WNBA after a two-year absence, signing with the Mystics. [7]

In 2007, Byears signed a free agent contract with the Houston Comets. She was briefly waived in 2008, before being re-signed. The Comets organization folded at the end of the 2008 season. Byears, as an unrestricted free agent, was not eligible for selection by another team in the resulting dispersal draft, and was not signed by another team prior to or during the 2009 season.

Overseas career

In October 2001 Byears joined the EuroLeague final four participant and Hungarian National League champion MiZo-Pécsi VSK. [8] She played only two matches, on 15 November 2001 travel back the United States. [9]

In November 2006 Byears joined the Bulgarian team of CSKA Sofia. [10] They won the Bulgarian Championships and Bulgarian Cup.

Byears played for Leszno in Poland during the 2008–09 WNBA off-season. [11]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1997 Sacramento 281923.4.459.200.7396.91.71.40.32.48.7
1998 Sacramento 302627.6.453.222.6636.61.01.40.42.414.2
1999 Sacramento 323222.0.537.000.5655.31.01.10.21.99.2
2000 Sacramento 32016.3.524.500.6123.80.70.90.21.15.7
2001 † Los Angeles 321323.1.602°.333.5775.70.91.30.41.29.3
2002 † Los Angeles 26518.7.618.000.5665.40.50.70.20.87.0
2003 Los Angeles 5014.4.400.000.7274.20.40.00.40.45.6
2006 Washington 26012.8.449.000.8003.30.40.50.11.44.3
2007 Houston 30010.9.591.000.5832.50.50.80.21.25.0
2008 Houston 1104.2.471.000.6671.10.10.30.00.11.6
Career10 years, 4 teams2529518.7.515.233.6354.80.81.00.21.57.7

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1999 Sacramento 1124.0.000.000.50010.00.01.00.03.01.0
2000 Sacramento 206.0.000.000.0001.00.00.50.00.00.0
2001 † Los Angeles 7014.6.500.000.6434.00.30.40.60.76.4
2002 † Los Angeles 6221.3.633.000.3644.80.81.50.21.77.0
Career4 years, 2 teams16316.6.521.000.5194.30.40.90.31.15.5

Notes

  1. ↑ "Top Female College Cagers". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1 April 1996. p. 50. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "BATTLE OF THE SAME SEX. Byears lawsuit outs WNBA conflict on gay issue". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  3. ↑ "Byears was the Total Entertainment Package". depaulbluedemons.com. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Sparks' Byears arrested". ESPN. 9 March 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Barr, John; Lubbers, Dave (8 July 2006). "After battling back, Byears finds home again in WNBA". ESPN . Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Byears, Marciniak suspended and fined". ESPN. 12 July 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Quinn, T. J.; Red, Christian; O'Keeffe, Michael (30 October 2005). "Byears lawsuit outs WNBA conflict on gay issue". Daily News . Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "Megérkezett Pécsre a WNBA-bajnok (The WNBA champion has arrived in Pécs)". Origo . 27 October 2001. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Bye, bye By ears!" (pdf). Új Dunántúli Napló (in Hungarian). Baranya County. 16 November 2001. p. 24. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "WNBA.com: Offseason 2007-08: Overseas Roster". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  11. ↑ "WNBA.com: Offseason 2008-09: Overseas Roster". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball Association</span> Professional womens basketball league in the United States

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league composed of 12 teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from May to September, with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Sparks</span> Womens basketball team

The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began. Like some other WNBA teams, the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart, even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Monarchs</span> Basketball team in Sacramento, California

The Sacramento Monarchs were a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alana Beard</span> American professional womens basketball player

Alana Monique Beard is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, she was drafted second overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2004 WNBA draft. She signed on with the Los Angeles Sparks as a free agent in 2012. Beard was the 2017 and 2018 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. However, she was injured next season, only contributing a few points for the Sparks. Beard announced her retirement from the WNBA on January 23, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Parker</span> American basketball player

Candace Nicole Parker nicknamed "Ace", is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and as of 2023 has spent one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Thompson</span> American basketball player (born 1975)

Tina Marie Thompson is an American former WNBA professional basketball player and coach. Most recently, she served as the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team from 2018 to 2022. Thompson was inducted into both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Mwadi Mabika is a retired Congolese-American basketball player. She was an All-Star in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Michelle M. Marciniak is a former All-American collegiate and professional basketball player who played point guard in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). As a floor general, Marciniak competed for two national championships during her three-year career at the University of Tennessee. She led the Tennessee Lady Vols to their 4th National Championship and was named MVP in the 1996 Final Four held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Delle Donne</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to 2013. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the second overall pick of the 2013 WNBA draft, and led the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury. Delle Donne was traded to the Washington Mystics in 2017 and led them to their first WNBA championship in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seimone Augustus</span> American basketball player

Seimone Delicia Augustus is an American former professional basketball player who is one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA. After retiring as a player in 2020, she was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for two seasons. She was drafted first overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2006 draft; and played for the Lynx for most of her WNBA career except for her final season in 2020 with the Los Angeles Sparks. An eight-time All-Star and the 2011 finals MVP, Augustus led the Lynx to four WNBA championships. She also won three gold medals in the Olympics on the U.S. national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Snow</span> American basketball player

Donnette Jé-Michelle Snow is a retired American professional basketball player who played most recently in the Turkish Women's Basketball League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nneka Ogwumike</span> American basketball player

Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA draft. Soon after being drafted, Ogwumike signed an endorsement deal with Nike. She is the older sister of Chiney Ogwumike, who most recently played for the Sparks. Ogwumike was named WNBA MVP for the 2016 WNBA season and won the WNBA Finals the same year She was named to The W25 the league's list of the top 25 players of its first 25 years, in 2021.

The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th and final season for the Houston Comets. The Comets were not able to return to the postseason for the first time since 2006. By season's end, Comets owner Hilton Koch put the franchise up for sale less than two years after he bought it.

The 2009 WNBA Season was the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008. The season ended with the Phoenix Mercury winning their second championship in three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristi Toliver</span> American-Slovak basketball player

Kristi Renee Toliver is an American-Slovak professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the associate head coach for the Phoenix Mercury. During her rookie season in the WNBA, Toliver signed an endorsement deal with Nike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Gray</span> American basketball player (born 1992)

Chelsea Nichelle Gray is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the eleventh pick in the 2014 WNBA draft. She missed the 2014 WNBA season due to injury, but she made her debut with the Sun in the 2015 WNBA season. Gray won her first title with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. She won her second title with the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals, where she was named Finals MVP, and a third title the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewell Loyd</span> American basketball player (born 1993)

Jewell Loyd is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted first overall in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. She played college basketball at Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial Powers</span> American basketball player

Aerial Powers is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Michigan State University. After a successful college career with the Spartans, Powers was drafted by the Dallas Wings with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft.

The 2019 WNBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2019 season. The Washington Mystics won the team's first WNBA title in their 22-year franchise history.

Evina Westbrook is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. She most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn and Tennessee. She was selected in the 2nd Round of the 2022 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. During her time in the WNBA, Westbrook has played for the Minnesota Lynx and the Washington Mystics.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.