Introduction
Cheryl Ford (born June 6, 1981) is an American former professional women's basketball player.
Personal information
Cheryl Ford is the daughter of Bonita Ford and former NBA player Karl Malone. She has a twin brother named Daryl and is the half sister of NFL offensive tackle Demetress Bell.
High school
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.
College
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
Source
| 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 |
USA Basketball
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.
Professional
In 2003 she 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 a worst to first 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.
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.
During the 2009 WNBA season, Ford averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and 8.6 points per game.
In January 2010, Ford signed a deal with Polish team CCC Aquapark Polkowice from 1st division league Ford Germaz Ekstraklasa (PLKK).
On September 12, 2012, The Canik Belediyesi basketball club was announced as having signed Ford, as well as New York Liberty veteran Janel McCarville.
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 high | League leader | |||||