Kiah Stokes

Last updated
Kiah Stokes
Kiah Stokes 41 Fenerbahce Women's Basketball 20191031 (1).jpg
No. 41–Las Vegas Aces
Position Center
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-03-30) March 30, 1993 (age 31)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight191 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa)
College UConn (2011–2015)
WNBA draft 2015: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the New York Liberty
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2021 New York Liberty
2015–2016 Cheongju KB Stars
2016–2017 Beşiktaş
2017–2018 Botaş
2018–2024 Fenerbahçe
2021–present Las Vegas Aces
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Kiah Irene Stokes (born March 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected by the New York Liberty with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2015 WNBA draft. [1]

Contents

Stokes is a two time WNBA champion, winning with the Aces in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 she also won a Euroleague championship with Fenerbahçe.

Stokes played four years at the University of Connecticut where she was part of four consecutive Final Four teams and won three straight national championships, from 2013 to 2015. Prior to enrolling at UConn she played for Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa. She played on the USA Basketball U16 National Team, where she helped the team win the FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold Medal.

Early life

Stokes is the daughter of Greg Stokes and Julie Saddler and has one brother, Darius. Her father was an all-American basketball player at the University of Iowa, played for the Philadelphia 76ers and won gold with the 1983 USA Pan American Games Team. [2]

According to her father, when she was four years old, he signed her up for a YMCA track team which was designed for five and six-year-olds. Despite being younger than everyone else, she competed in the 60-yard dash and beat everyone by 20 yards, and he realized she might have athletic talent. [3]

National team career

2009 U16 Mexico City

Stokes was selected to be a member of the first ever U16 team for USA Basketball. The team competed in the First FIBA Americas U16 Championship For Women held in Mexico City, Mexico in August 2009. Stokes averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She helped the team to a 5–0 record and the gold medal at the competition. The win secured an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship. [4]

College career

Freshman year

Stokes ended her freshman campaign averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in her 13.4 minutes per game. Stokes was second on the team in blocks as she averaged 1.4 denials per game. She led the Huskies in blocks in 13 of 38 contests. Stokes shot 60 percent from the field and 65.3 percent from the free throw line. She was named to the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team along with teammate Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. [5]

Sophomore year

Kiah Stokes, in her first career start, soars to secure the tip-off in the game against St. Johns 2013 Kiah Stokes tipoff St. Johns 2013 cropped.jpg
Kiah Stokes, in her first career start, soars to secure the tip-off in the game against St. Johns 2013

As a sophomore in 2012–13, aided Connecticut to a 35–4 record and the 2013 NCAA National Championship. Stokes saw time in 32 games, averaging 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per contest. She was third on the team with 39 blocks, and as an efficient 35-53 from the field (.660) and dished-out 21 assists against 20 turnovers. Stokes recorded double-digit minutes in 17 games.

Junior year

Stokes helped lead her team to an undefeated 40–0 season and the 2014 National Championship. Stokes started two of 39 games and averaged 4.5 points and was third on the squad at 7.1 rebounds in only 18.5 minutes per contest. She recorded four double-doubles, after posting just one in her first two years, with double-digit rebounds on eight occasions. She had seven or more rebounds 21 times during the season.

Professional career

WNBA

In two seasons, she has averaged 58.8% in field goals, 65.4% in free throws, and 6.3 points per game. [6]

Kiah Stokes and the New York Liberty played in the 2016 WNBA playoffs.

Kiah Stokes' podcast Hangtime on the Underdog Sports Podcast Network is the first podcast ever hosted by a WNBA player. [7]

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
*Denotes seasons in which Stokes won an NCAA Championship
†Denotes seasons in which Stokes won a WNBA championship

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics [8]
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2015 New York 34625.4.547.000.6886.40.80.72.01.15.8
2016 New York 27024.1.641—.6277.40.70.71.41.16.9
2017 New York 341219.6.531.000.7966.30.90.41.11.24.8
2018 New York 30414.2.545—.5334.50.40.40.60.73.1
2019Did not play
2020 New York 22°22°27.3.372.235.5716.71.20.51.21.35.7
2021 New York 9015.0.545.5001.0004.20.60.40.70.71.7
Las Vegas 15820.5.588—.5006.11.00.40.70.51.5
2022 † Las Vegas 31415.4.426.208.8134.40.60.50.80.62.3
2023 † Las Vegas 40°2219.8.434.185.5005.90.60.71.00.42.2
2024 Las Vegas 392918.4.323.225.6674.70.70.50.80.41.4
Career9 years, 2 teams28110720.0.493.221.6775.70.70.51.10.83.6

Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2015 New York 6026.2.472—.8578.20.00.81.31.26.7
2016 New York 1010.0.333—.5002.00.01.00.01.03.0
2017 New York 1016.0.333——3.00.00.01.00.02.0
2021 Las Vegas 5214.2.400—.5002.61.00.40.60.41.0
2022 † Las Vegas 101025.9.486.2001.0007.20.40.60.80.83.7
2023 † Las Vegas 8826.1.563.5001.0007.91.31.00.30.82.8
2024 Las Vegas 4313.8.000.000—4.80.00.00.30.80.0
Career7 years, 2 teams352322.2.475.300.8006.30.50.60.70.83.1

College

NCAA statistics [9]
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2011–12 UConn 36013.4.602—.6534.50.50.51.40.84.5
2012–13* UConn 32110.7.660—.6003.50.70.11.20.62.8
2013–14* UConn 39218.5.600—.6987.10.90.32.30.94.5
2014–15* UConn 39418.3.570.500.7506.80.80.53.80.84.5
Career146715.5.599.500.6805.60.70.42.20.84.1

Awards and honors

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References

  1. ↑ "Mosqueda-Lewis and Stokes Selected in First Round of WNBA Draft". UConn Athletics. April 16, 2015. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Kiah Stokes". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved 24 Jun 2014.
  3. ↑ Bacharach, Eric (July 21, 2015). "Kiah Stokes, Liberty rookie, shooting to be two-way player again". Newsday. Retrieved 23 Jul 2015.
  4. ↑ "First FIBA Americas U16 Championship For Women -2009". Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "41 Kiah Stokes". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 22 Apr 2015.
  6. ↑ "Kiah Stokes WNBA career". WNBA.com . Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Hangtime on Apple Podcasts".
  8. ↑ "Kiah Stokes WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  9. ↑ "Kiah Stokes College Stats". Sports Reference.
  10. ↑ "Kiah Stokes Named Senior CLASS Award All-American". 3 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 23 Apr 2015.
  11. ↑ "Storm's Jewell Loyd Headlines 2015 WNBA All-Rookie Team". www.wnba.com. WNBA. September 24, 2015. Retrieved 25 Sep 2015.
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