Diamond DeShields


Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields is an American professional women's basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association. She was drafted by the Sky with the third overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft. Both her father and the older brother played in Major League Baseball.

College career

DeShields graduated from Norcross High School in Norcross, Georgia. Playing for the school's basketball team, she was a part of three state champions and averaged 26 points per game in her senior year. DeShields enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she played guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball team in her freshman year of college. She set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for points scored by a freshman with 648. After her freshman year, DeShields transferred University of Tennessee, where she played for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team for two years after sitting out for the season after her transfer. In the 2016-17 season, DeShields led the Lady Vols with 17.4 points per game and was chosen to the All-Southeastern Conference's first team.

Professional career

European leagues

Though she graduated with her bachelor's degree after her second season at Tennessee, she retained a year of eligibility for college basketball. After initially announcing she would return for the 2017-18 season, she opted to leave Tennessee to play professionally in Turkey. DeShields signed with Cukurova Basketbol Mersin of the Turkish Women's Basketball League, where she averaged 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.

WNBA

Chicago Sky (2018–present)

DeShields was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 3rd pick of the 2018 WNBA draft. In her first season in the WNBA, she averaged 14.4 points per game while starting in 33 of 34 games played. She was named to the All-Rookie Team.
In 2019, her sophomore season, DeShields was named a WNBA All-Star. During the All-Star Weekend, she won the Skills Challenge, beating out Jonquel Jones in the final round. She started all 34 games and averaged 16.2 points per game. On September 11, 2019, she played in her first career postseason game and scored 25 points, as the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 105–76. It was the fifth-most points scored by a WNBA player in a postseason debut in league history. She scored 23 points in the Sky's loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the playoffs.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

DeShields' father, Delino DeShields, and brother, Delino DeShields Jr., have played in Major League Baseball. Her mother, Tisha, was named an All-American heptathlete while attending Tennessee. DeShields has a paternal half-brother and two paternal half-sisters.