Amber Cox (born 1973 or 1974) is a sports executive and current chief operating officer (COO) of the Kansas City NWSL since 2021. Before joining Kansas City, Cox had various sports positions at William Woods University and Columbia College from the 1990s to 2000s. Cox went on to join the Phoenix Mercury in 2004 and began working as the director of marketing and promotions for the WNBA team. During her tenure with the Mercury, Cox became the team's chief operating officer and president in the 2010s. She also was an interim general manager for the team in 2013.
After leaving the Mercury, Cox was a college basketball commissioner for the Big East Conference in 2013. Years later, Cox went to the Major League Soccer in 2015 and became chief marketing officer for the Houston Dash and the Houston Dynamo. The following year, Cox was selected as the vice president of the New England Black Wolves and Connecticut Sun. While part of the Black Wolves, Cox won the 2017 National Lacrosse League Executive of the Year Award.
In the early 1970s, Cox was raised in Monett, Missouri. [1] [2] Growing up, Cox began to play basketball at the age of five and worked with her family at a greenhouse until she was a teen. [3] [4] For her post-secondary education, Cox was on the women's basketball team at William Woods University from 1992 to 1996. Her 1,283 points with the Owls placed her in the top 15 career points for the university during the late 2010s. [5] [6] For her studies, Cox focused on communications and physical education for her Bachelor of Arts in 1996. A few years later at William Woods, Cox received a Master of Business Administration in 1998. [7] While completing her education, Cox was a trombonist. [8]
While completing her post-secondary education in the 1990s, Cox worked at the Missouri Department of Conservation as an assistant in the forestry department and the Missouri House of Representatives as an intern photographer. [9] During the late 1990s, Cox held additional assistant positions at William Woods coaching basketball and working as a sports information director. [5] [9] At Columbia College, Cox held assistant positions in media relations and sports directorship from 1996 to 2000. [9] While at Columbia, Cox led the media relations for the college's sports teams between 2000 and 2005. [10] [11] During the late 2000s, Cox worked for the Phoenix RoadRunners in the hockey's team marketing department. [12] She later continued her sports information career primarily with the American Midwest Conference before becoming the athletic director of William Woods in 2011. [13]
After becoming part of the Phoenix Mercury in 2004, Cox was the Mercury's director of marketing and promotions until 2010. [14] While with the team during the 2000s, Cox also worked in public relations. [15] Cox began her position as chief operating officer (COO) of the WNBA team in 2010. [12] After becoming president of the team in 2011, Cox was named the interim general manager of the Mercury in August 2013 after Corey Gaines was fired. [16] [17] Cox remained with the Mercury until October 2013. [18]
After her tenure with the Mercury, Cox went to work in college basketball when she became a commissioner for the Big East Conference in late 2013. [16] At the beginning of 2015, Cox moved from basketball to Major League Soccer when she was named chief marketing officer for both the Houston Dash and the Houston Dynamo. [19] [20] In October 2016, Cox became the vice president of both the New England Black Wolves and Connecticut Sun. [10] While with the Black Wolves, Cox received the 2017 National Lacrosse League Executive of the Year Award. [21] Cox continued her soccer career in 2021 when she was selected by the Kansas City NWSL to become their COO. [22]
In 2012, Cox was named one of the 40 Under 40 by the Phoenix Business Journal . [23] In her personal life, Cox played guitar in the 2000s and 2010s. [8] Cox is also in a same-sex marriage. [1]
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve 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.
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises. The team is owned by Mat Ishbia, who also owns the NBA team Phoenix Suns.
Michele Margaret Timms is an Australian basketball coach and retired professional basketball player who played for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association(WNBA). Many people consider the Melbourne native to be one of Australia's greatest basketball players of all time. She has one daughter, Kalsie Timms. Timms was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. She was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai, the majority owner of the Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
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Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and is considered to be one of the greatest women basketball players of all time. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships, a historic five Olympic gold medals, one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards, five scoring titles, and three FIBA World Cups. She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams. In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer and on June 27, 2021, became the first player to surpass 9,000 points. Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold and a WNBA Championship.
Penelope Jane Taylor is an Australian retired professional basketball player and assistant coach. During her 19-year career, Taylor spent the most time with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she won three championships. She also won the WNBL title with her first club, the Australian Institute of Sport, and played in China, Italy, Turkey and Russia. As part of the Australian woman's national team, Taylor won two Olympic medals and led the Australian Opals to a gold medal at the World Championships, winning tournament MVP honours ahead of teammate Lauren Jackson.
Sandra Anne Brondello is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coach. The 5 ft 7 in Brondello is one of Australia's all-time best shooting guards. She played on Australia's "Opals" national team at four Summer Olympics, and won three medals. She attended the Australian Institute of Sport in 1986–1987, and was inducted to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Kayte Lauren Christensen is an American color commentator for the Sacramento Kings and former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association.
Seimone Delicia Augustus is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted first overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2006 draft, but for her final season in 2020 with the Sparks, played her entire career with Minnesota. An eight-time All-Star and the 2008 finals MVP, Augustus lead the Lynx to four WNBA championships. Augustus is one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA.
Lindsey Marcie Harding is an American professional basketball coach and former player. She serves as player development coach of the Sacramento Kings. Throughout her playing career, Harding played for the Minnesota Lynx, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and has played overseas in Turkey and Russia. She was previously a scout and a player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. She was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up in Houston, Texas and also holds a Belarusian passport.
Leilani Seamah Mitchell is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United States and Australia, she is a member of Australian women's national basketball team. In 2019 Mitchell became the first WNBA player to win the Most Improved Player Award twice.
Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star.
The 2009 WNBA season was the 13th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Mercury won the WNBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. On June 6, the Mercury and LifeLock entered a multi-year marketing partnership to launch the first-ever branded jersey in WNBA or NBA history. A press conference was held at the NBA Store in New York City with Phoenix Mercury President and COO Jay Parry and LifeLock CEO Todd Davis to make the announcement. The partnership ran through 2011, and the LifeLock name was on the front of Phoenix Mercury’s player jerseys and on warm-up suits. The Mercury and LifeLock ware the first to finalize such an agreement following the WNBA’s decision this off-season to make this opportunity available for its teams and sponsors. As part of the partnership, LifeLock offered a one-year complimentary membership to season ticket holders of all WNBA teams.
DeWanna Bonner is an American-Macedonian professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bonner played college basketball for Auburn University. After a successful college career at Auburn, she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury with the fifth overall pick of the 2009 WNBA draft, and was traded to the Sun 11 years later.
Rick Welts is an American sports executive who is an advisor for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Welts had also served as the president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix Suns from July 2002 until September 9, 2011. From 1996 to 1999, he was the third-highest-ranking official in the NBA as its executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Marta Xargay Casademont is a retired Spanish professional basketball player. She played for Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, and for several European teams in Czech Republic, Russia and Spain. She played for the Spain women's national basketball team from 2011 to 2020. She won EuroLeague Women 2010–11 with Perfumerías Avenida Baloncesto. She left Spain in 2015, joining both USK Praha of the Czech League in 2015 and the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA on 11 February 2015. In September 2018 she signed for Dynamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League., and in January 2020 she returned to her youth club Uni Girona CB. After not playing in the 2020-21 season, she announced her retirement in July 2021.
The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg Bibb is president and CEO. Brad Hilsabeck joined the Dallas Wings ownership group in March 2019 with the acquisition of Mark Yancey’s interest in the Wings.
Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the third overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, and won a championship with the Sky in 2021. She is the daughter of former MLB player Delino DeShields and the younger sister of MLB player Delino DeShields Jr.