Cheryl Ford

This article is about the WNBA player. For former Seattle SuperSonics forward, see Sherell Ford.

Cheryl Ford
Personal information
Born (1981-06-06) June 6, 1981 (age 43)
Homer, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolSummerfield (Summerfield, Louisiana)
CollegeLouisiana Tech (1999–2003)
WNBA draft2003: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Shock
Playing career2003–2013
PositionForward
Career history
2003–2009Detroit Shock
2004–2005Dallas Fury
2005–2006Anda Ramat Hasharon
2006–2007UGMK Jekaterinburg
2010CCC Aquapark Polkowice
2010–2011Frisco SIKA Brno
2011–2012Beretta Famila Schio
2012–2013Canik Belediyespor
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's Basketball
Representing USA
World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Brazil Team Competition

Cheryl Ford (born June 6, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Detroit Shock, she won the WNBA championship three times.

Early life and education

Cheryl Ford is the daughter of Bonita Ford and former NBA player Karl Malone. She has a twin brother named Daryl and a half brother, former NFL offensive tackle Demetress Bell. Malone's paternity was established as the result of a drawn-out paternity suit.[1]

Ford played for Summerfield High School in Summerfield, Louisiana, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 1999 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored two points.[2]

College career

Ford was a standout collegiate player at Louisiana Tech University. In 2003, she was named to the Associated Press' All-America Honorable Mention team. She was also named the Western Athletic Conference "Player of the Year" in 2002 and 2003.

Louisiana Tech statistics

Legend
  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
1999-00 Louisiana Tech 34 222 58.0 – 66.7 5.2 0.1 0.6 0.9 6.5
2000–01 Louisiana Tech 35 287 52.7 – 60.0 5.1 0.5 0.7 0.7 8.2
2001–02 Louisiana Tech 30 338 46.5 – 58.6 8.7 0.4 0.9 1.8 11.3
2002–03 Louisiana Tech 34 533 48.0 – 63.0 12.9 0.9 1.6 1.9 15.7
Career Louisiana Tech 133 1380 49.9 0.0 61.7 7.9 0.5 1.0 1.3 10.4

Professional career

In 2003, Ford was drafted as the No. 3 overall pick in the first round by the Detroit Shock in the WNBA draft.

In just her first year in the league, Ford led the Shock from worst to the best record and a WNBA championship in 2003. She is the first player to have won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a WNBA championship in the same year. Afterwards, she played for the Dallas Fury in the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) under Coach Nancy Lieberman.

Ford spent the 2005–2006 season in Israel, playing for Anda Ramat Hasharon.[3]

On July 15, 2007, Ford won the WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award in Washington, D.C. when the East beat the West 103–99.

Ford missed the rest of the 2008 WNBA season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in her right knee, sustained on July 22, 2008 during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. A brawl had broken out and Ford sustained the injury while attempting to restrain her teammate.[4][5]

During the 2009 WNBA season, Ford averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and 8.6 points per game.[6]

In January 2010, Ford signed a deal with Polish team CCC Aquapark Polkowice from 1st division league Ford Germaz Ekstraklasa (PLKK).

Ford spent the 2011–2012 season with Beretta Famila Schio, averaging 11.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.[7]

On September 12, 2012, The Canik Belediyesi basketball club was announced as having signed Ford,[7] as well as New York Liberty veteran Janel McCarville.

In March 2013, she signed with the New York Liberty.[8][9] She missed most of the preseason due to a left knee injury, appearing in one preseason game before being released in June.[10]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  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

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2003 Detroit 32 32 29.9 .474 .000 .682 10.4 0.8 1.0 1.0 2.47 10.8
2004 Detroit 31 31 29.4 .411 .000 .589 9.6 1.1 1.3 0.8 1.74 10.6
2005 Detroit 33 33 28.2 .430 .000 .487 9.8° 0.8 1.0 1.4 2.09 9.5
2006 Detroit 32 32 28.7 .498 .000 .648 11.3° 1.4 1.2 0.8 1.81 13.8
2007 Detroit 15 15 30.7 .497 .000 .639 11.2 1.5 1.9 0.7 2.80 13.0
2008 Detroit 24 24 26.5 .481 .000 .560 8.7 0.9 1.0 0.4 0.96 10.1
2009 Detroit 29 29 26.0 .427 .000 .550 7.4 0.9 1.0 0.4 1.69 8.6
Career 7 years, 1 team 196 196 28.4 .457 .000 .595 9.7 1.0 1.1 0.8 1.91 10.8

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2003 Detroit 8 8 29.0 .324 .000 .826 10.0° 0.5 1.4 0.8 1.25 8.4
2004 Detroit 3 3 37.0 .447 .000 .636 10.7° 0.3 1.3 2.3 2.67 16.0
2005 Detroit 2 2 24.5 .444 .000 .600 7.0 1.0 0.5 1.0 1.50 9.5
2006 Detroit 10 10 28.7 .523 .000 .750 10.3° 1.2 1.3 0.7 1.90 13.4
2007 Detroit 10 8 22.8 .415 .000 .455 9.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 1.40 6.9
2009 Detroit 5 5 29.6 .448 .000 .813 10.0 1.2 1.4 0.2 3.60 7.8
Career 6 years, 1 team 38 36 27.8 .433 .000 .684 9.8 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.89 9.9

National team career

Ford was named to the National team representing the USA at the 2006 World Championships, held in Barueri and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The team won eight of their nine contests, but the lone loss came in the semifinal medal round to Russia. The USA beat Brazil in the final game to earn the bronze medal. Ford averaged 3.4 points per game.[11]

References

  1. ^ "POSTAGE DUE". ESPN.com. July 10, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  3. ^ Ron Vample (August 31, 2006). "Former Anda Ramat Hasharon players prepare for WNBA Finals". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ford tore ACL against Sparks before brawl broke out". ESPN. July 23, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  5. ^ "WNBA hands down suspensions for Shock-Sparks skirmish". ESPN.com. August 6, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Cheryl Ford Playerfile". WNBA. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Karl Malone'un kızı Canik Belediyesi'nde". hurriyet.com (in Turkish). September 11, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "Cheryl Ford returns to WNBA with New York Liberty". swishappeal.com. March 13, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  9. ^ Mechelle Voepel (March 12, 2013). "Ford returns, but Bird out for 2013". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "New York Liberty sign, free agent Avery Warley". WNBA.com. June 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  11. ^ "Fifteenth World Championship For Women – 2006". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.