Cheryl Ford

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

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.

Cheryl Ford

Personal information
Born	(1981-06-06) June 6, 1981 (age 44) Homer, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	Summerfield (Summerfield, Louisiana)
College	Louisiana Tech (1999–2003)
WNBA draft	2003: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Drafted by	Detroit Shock
Playing career	2003–2013
Position	Forward
Career history
2003–2009	Detroit Shock
2004–2005	Dallas Fury
2005–2006	Anda Ramat Hasharon
2006–2007	UGMK Jekaterinburg
2010	CCC Aquapark Polkowice
2010–2011	Frisco SIKA Brno
2011–2012	Beretta Famila Schio
2012–2013	Canik Belediyespor
Career highlights
3× WNBA champion (2003, 2006, 2008) 4× WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005–2007) 2× All-WNBA Second Team (2003, 2006) WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2007) WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2003) 2× WNBA rebounding champion (2005, 2006) WAC tournament MVP (2003) 2× WAC Player of the Year (2002, 2003) 2× First-team All-WAC team (2002, 2003)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Women's Basketball Representing USA World Championship 2006 Brazil Team Competition

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
1999–2000	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 2005–06 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 with 2:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Though she returned to the game in the final minute, a brawl had broken out and Ford aggravated the injury further 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 2011–12 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]