Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Lithonia, Georgia | May 10, 1976
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | South Gwinnett (Snellville, Georgia) |
College | Kansas (1995–1999) |
WNBA draft | 1999: undrafted |
Position | Power forward / center |
Number | 43 |
Career history | |
2003–2010 | Washington Mystics |
2011–2012 | Phoenix Mercury |
2013 | Seattle Storm |
Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
Nakia Sanford (born May 10, 1976) is a professional women's basketball center most recently with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). [1]
Sanford finished her career at Kansas ranked fourth all-time rebounder (832) and shot-blocker (89).
GP | Games 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 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Washington | 17 | 0 | 7.9 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 45.0 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.9 |
2004 | Washington | 31 | 29 | 21.1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 57.3 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 5.5 |
2005 | Washington | 27 | 0 | 10.9 | 48.3 | 0.0 | 48.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
2006 | Washington | 34 | 19 | 26.1 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 61.6 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 8.9 |
2007 | Washington | 34 | 31 | 29.2 | 53.0 | 0.0 | 66.5 | 7.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 11.0 |
2008 | Washington | 34 | 28 | 23.4 | 45.2 | 0.0 | 39.8 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 6.7 |
2009 | Washington | 34 | 13 | 19.5 | 47.0 | 0.0 | 57.8 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 6.3 |
2010 | Washington | 34 | 22 | 17.9 | 47.8 | 0.0 | 69.7 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
2011 | Phoenix | 33 | 16 | 14.4 | 48.4 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 4.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.2 |
2012 | Phoenix | 30 | 15 | 16.7 | 42.5 | 25.0 | 60.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 |
2013 | Seattle | 15 | 0 | 10.2 | 29.6 | 0.0 | 56.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
Career | 11 years, 3 teams | 323 | 173 | 19.1 | 48.4 | 25.0 | 59.0 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 5.9 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Washington | 3 | 3 | 20.7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 83.3 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 4.3 |
2006 | Washington | 2 | 2 | 30.0 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 8.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
2009 | Washington | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | 71.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
2010 | Washington | 2 | 1 | 14.0 | 71.4 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.5 |
2011 | Phoenix | 4 | 0 | 20.0 | 63.6 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 4.8 |
Career | 5 years, 2 teams | 13 | 6 | 20.4 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 45.2 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 5.1 |
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995–96 | Kansas | 32 | 209 | 49.4% | – | 50.0% | 6.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 6.5 |
1996–97 | Kansas | 31 | 225 | 48.6% | – | 48.4% | 7.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 7.3 |
1997–98 | Kansas | 32 | 212 | 43.2% | – | 55.0% | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 6.6 |
1998–99 | Kansas | 33 | 323 | 52.1% | 0.0% | 53.1% | 6.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 9.8 |
Career | 128 | 969 | 48.7% | 0.0% | 51.9% | 6.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 7.6 |
Sanford was not drafted. She was signed by the Washington Mystics before the 2003 WNBA season. During her first three-season, she saw limited action. It was not until the 2006 WNBA season that Sanford began to show progress as a player. She set career highs for all her stats in 2006, including rebounds per game (6.0) and field goal percentage (52%). In 2007, she set new career highs averaging 7 rebounds and 11 points per game. She saw decreased playing time during the 2008 WNBA season, however.
Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Bally Sports Florida. In 2002, Leslie made history as the first player to dunk during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game. Leslie was ranked 5th on ESPN.com's 2021 list of the WNBA's greatest players of all time.
Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Taurasi is widely recognized as one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time.
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She announced her retirement from the Los Angeles Sparks on June 11, 2007, though she eventually came out of retirement to play with the Atlanta Dream for the 2009 WNBA Season. Holdsclaw was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Tamika Devonne Catchings is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely considered as one of the greatest female basketball players and one of the most decorated players in WNBA history, Catchings has won a WNBA championship (2012), WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2011), WNBA Finals MVP Award (2012), five WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, four Olympic gold medals, the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2002), and an NCAA championship with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols (1998). She is one of only 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold and a WNBA Championship. She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams, 12 All-WNBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams and led the league in steals eight times. In 2011, Catchings was voted in by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and would be named to two more all-time WNBA teams, the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. 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 one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
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.
DeMya Chakheia Walker is a professional basketball player from the United States.
Candice Dupree is an American former basketball player and is currently the head coach for the women's basketball team at Tennessee State University. She was selected sixth in the 2006 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky. In 2014, Dupree won the WNBA Championship with the Phoenix Mercury. She has also played basketball professionally in Europe and Asia. She has won two FIBA World Cups with Team USA.
Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles is an American former professional basketball player. Fowles played for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx during her WNBA career. She won the WNBA MVP Award in 2017 and the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times. She led the Lynx to win the WNBA Championship in 2015 and 2017, and she was named the MVP of the WNBA Finals both times. In 2020, Fowles overtook Rebekkah Brunson to become the WNBA's career leader in rebounds.
Courtney Paris is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings of the WNBA. She last played as a center for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishments during her college career at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds career averages of 21.4 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. She holds the NCAA record for most consecutive double-doubles at 112. During her senior season in 2009, Paris received considerable media attention when she announced that she would pay back her tuition to the University of Oklahoma if the Sooners did not win the 2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. She would lead Oklahoma to the Final Four before falling short to eventual national runner-up Louisville. Paris was selected with the number seven overall pick by the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs in the 2009 WNBA draft.
Alison Marie Bales is an American former professional basketball player of the WNBA.
Sandora Lavett Irvin is an American professional basketball player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was waived by the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2009.
Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks first overall in the 2012 WNBA draft and signed an endorsement deal with Nike soon after. Ogwumike spent 12 seasons with the Sparks and 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.
Tina Alexandria Charles is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Originally from Jamaica, Queens, New York City, Charles was drafted first overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. In 2009 and 2010, she and teammate Maya Moore led the Connecticut Huskies to two undefeated national championships. She has won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame at the head of the Class of 2024 - the first female to head a class at any major basketball hall of fame and the first active player ever inducted.
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 in 2020.
Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft. In high school, she was the National Gatorade Player of the Year and the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and led the team to three consecutive Final Fours and two consecutive NCAA championship appearances. She finished her Notre Dame career ranked first in points and steals, second in assists, and as a two-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation.
Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Arguably the most notable Australian women's basketball player, Jackson has had a decorated career with the Australia women's national basketball team and has had multiple stints in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) between 1997 and 2024. Between 2001 and 2012, she played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
ChinenyeJoy "Chiney" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2020, she became the first Black woman and the first WNBA player to host a national radio show for ESPN. She was one of the first and youngest commentators ever to be named an NBA analyst for the network covering the NBA, WNBA, and variety of sports, while simultaneously playing in the WNBA. Chiney is a graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in International relations. She played in three Final Fours and finished as the conference leader in scoring and rebounding as of January 3, 2014. As of 2016, Ogwumike was elected vice-president of the WNBA Players Association, and signed an endorsement deal with Adidas. In May 2018, Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN to become a full-time basketball analyst.
Katie Lou Samuelson is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
Rachel Banham is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Banham played guard for the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team, where she set a number of team records. Banham was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the 4th pick of the 2016 WNBA draft. Banham was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in 2020, and later re-signed with the Sun in 2024.