LOS ANGELES - Old Dominion women’s basketball head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones will have her #8 jersey retired by the Los Angeles Sparks during a special halftime ceremony on Tuesday, July 28, the Sparks announced on Wednesday. Milton-Jones won two WNBA Championships during her 11 years with the Sparks.
“To have my jersey retired by the Sparks — one of the WNBA’s most iconic franchises in sports — is the highest honor of my career,” said Milton-Jones. “I’m proud, humbled, and my heart is full. The purple and gold taught me how to win. The Sparks gave me a family. To hang in those rafters with my sisters isn’t just legendary — it’s eternal. This is a legacy I’ll carry forever.”
Milton-Jones was drafted to the WNBA in 1999 by Los Angeles as the fourth overall pick. She played a total of 344 games with LAS and averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds during her time in the City of Angels. Milton-Jones was a 3x WNBA All-Star and earned two of those selections while donning the purple and gold. Milton-Jones played a pivotal role in the Sparks’ success, helping the team secure its first two championships, back-to-back sweeps in 2001 and 2002. The forward averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game during the 2021 WNBA Finals, while shooting 72.2% from the field.
She coached the Monarchs to three-straight 20-plus win seasons from 2021-24 and has compiled a record of 104-62 over the past five seasons. She is a 2022 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a player with a decorated professional career in the WNBA. She was the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft by the Sparks and played 17 professional seasons including two stints with the Sparks.
“DeLisha Milton-Jones represents the very best of the Los Angeles Sparks, with excellence, leadership and an unwavering commitment to winning,” said Raegan Pebley, Los Angeles Sparks general manager. “Her contributions to our championships and her impact on generations of players and fans make this honor not only well deserved, but a meaningful part of celebrating and preserving the legacy of our franchise.”
The Sparks host the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena and the ceremony will take place at halftime and feature special guests, tributes, and in-game recognition of her career achievements. In her WNBA career, Milton-Jones ranks fourth all-time in games played, seventh in team wins, eighth in minutes, 12th in steals, 14th in rebounds and 22nd in scoring. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Sparks.WNBA.com.
The native of Riceboro, Georgia was inducted into the Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 2017 and earned her 100th win at Old Dominion this past season. She also is one game away from her 150th career win. She also oversaw the development of En’Dya Buford and Kelsey Thompson. With the pair both adding their names to the ODU record book after scoring 1,000 career points this past season.
Milton-Jones was in Los Angeles this past summer after going and gathering insight from the Sparks organization. The team was able to soak in a team practice a day after attending a game against the Seattle Storm. At the end of their practice, the team met with Cameron Brink, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Emma Cannon, Sania Feagin, and Alissa Pilli. The team then attended the Sparks vs Liberty Game on Tuesday, August 12. Her former team prepared a video to honor Milton-Jones, it was played at the end of the third quarter and saw her take in applause from the hometown crowd. Milton-Jones spent time outside Crypto.com Arena following the game with Sparks fans signing autographs and taking pictures. Lastly, the team traveled to JR286 to hold an inter-squad scrimmage, JR286 is a practice facility that is also used by the Sparks and is known for its impressive murals of famous Los Angeles athletes that encase the basketball court.
“Moments like this are well worth the wait,” Milton-Jones said. “I’m filled with pure joy and gratitude knowing my day has come to receive flowers of this magnitude for the legacy I’ve left within the game of basketball and the Sparks organization. I’m honored to be recognized in this way and incredibly elated to take my place in the rafters alongside my forever teammates Penny Toler, Lisa Leslie, and Candace Parker. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that if you wait on the Lord, He will give you exceedingly and abundantly more than you ask for. Just be patient and trust Him!”