During high school, Cloud led Cardinal O'Hara to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAA state finals as a junior and to the second round as a senior. She earned First Team All-Delco honors in both her junior and senior year. As a junior, she additionally earned a Pennsylvania AAAA Third Team All-State selection.[2]
Natasha Cloud gained recognition after being named AAAA First Team All-State as a senior. During the season, she averaged 12.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 4.0 steals per game.[2] She earned the Michael Menichini Award in 2009.
Following her high school career, Cloud received a scholarship to play at the University of Maryland as a Terp.
College career
University of Maryland
2010–2011: Cloud played in 31 of 32 games of her freshman year and started six times.[3] During the season, she led the team in assists twice and in blocks three times while also being named a Scholar Athlete.[3]
Natasha is a very athletic and unselfish player who will do whatever her team needs to help us win. She's a strong defensive player, who can play either guard spot and is a terrific passer. Natasha has a ton of personality, is a good student and fits right in with our team.[3]
2011–2012: Due to NCAA transfer rules, Cloud sat out the 2011–2012 season. She was named a member of the SJU Director's Honor Roll.[2]
2013–2014: Cloud served as co-captain of her team. She earned Atlantic 10 (A10) Defensive Player of the Year and was additionally named to the A10 All-Conference Second Team.[2] She was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List for the top point guard in the nation.
During the season, Cloud averaged 11.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. She ranked second nationally in assists per game, setting the SJU single-season record for assists (243) and leading the A10 in assists and assists to turnover ratio.[2] During the 2014 NCAA tournament, she scored 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots, and two steals in a first round win over Georgia. During the second round, she posted 10 points, six assists, one block, and one steal against Connecticut, the eventual champions.[2]
2014–2015: Cloud served as the co-captain of her team for the second straight year. She was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and was an All-Defensive Team selection. She was a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award and Naismith Trophy Watch List nominee.
During the season, Cloud averaged 12.9 points a game and led the Atlantic 10 in assists and averaged minutes.[2] She scored a career-high 29 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot against Liberty.[2]
Cloud was selected in the second round and 15th overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2015 WNBA draft.[4] During her rookie season, she averaged 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game over an average of 19.3 minutes.[4]
In 2016, Cloud suffered a left hip injury during practice at the Verizon Center.[5]
On October 10, 2019, Cloud won her first WNBA championship.[6]
In June 2020, Cloud announced that she would forgo the 2020 WNBA season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to focus on social justice advocacy.[7]
After playing for the Mystics for nine years, Cloud signed to the Phoenix Mercury in 2024.[8]
From 2022 to 2024, Cloud played for Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. She was a member of the Player Executive Committee from 2022 to 2023 and named to the league's 2023 All Defense Team.[10]
Cloud represented Jordan at the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup in Amman, Jordan.[12] She helped her team to reach the promotion playoff final, before losing to Lebanon and missing promotion to Division A.[13]
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