Nakia Sanford (born May 10, 1976) is a professional women's basketball center most recently with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1]
College career
Sanford finished her career at Kansas ranked fourth all-time rebounder (832) and shot-blocker (89).
Career statistics
WNBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2003 | Washington | 17 | 0 | 7.9 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 45.0 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.9 |
| 2004 | Washington | 31 | 29 | 21.1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 57.3 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 5.5 |
| 2005 | Washington | 27 | 0 | 10.9 | 48.3 | 0.0 | 48.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| 2006 | Washington | 34 | 19 | 26.1 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 61.6 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 8.9 |
| 2007 | Washington | 34 | 31 | 29.2 | 53.0 | 0.0 | 66.5 | 7.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 11.0 |
| 2008 | Washington | 34 | 28 | 23.4 | 45.2 | 0.0 | 39.8 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 6.7 |
| 2009 | Washington | 34 | 13 | 19.5 | 47.0 | 0.0 | 57.8 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 6.3 |
| 2010 | Washington | 34 | 22 | 17.9 | 47.8 | 0.0 | 69.7 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| 2011 | Phoenix | 33 | 16 | 14.4 | 48.4 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 4.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.2 |
| 2012 | Phoenix | 30 | 15 | 16.7 | 42.5 | 25.0 | 60.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 |
| 2013 | Seattle | 15 | 0 | 10.2 | 29.6 | 0.0 | 56.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Career | 11 years, 3 teams | 323 | 173 | 19.1 | 48.4 | 25.0 | 59.0 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 5.9 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2004 | Washington | 3 | 3 | 20.7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 83.3 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 4.3 |
| 2006 | Washington | 2 | 2 | 30.0 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 8.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
| 2009 | Washington | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | 71.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 2010 | Washington | 2 | 1 | 14.0 | 71.4 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.5 |
| 2011 | Phoenix | 4 | 0 | 20.0 | 63.6 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 4.8 |
| Career | 5 years, 2 teams | 13 | 6 | 20.4 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 45.2 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 5.1 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1995–96 | Kansas | 32 | 209 | 49.4% | – | 50.0% | 6.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 6.5 |
| 1996–97 | Kansas | 31 | 225 | 48.6% | – | 48.4% | 7.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 7.3 |
| 1997–98 | Kansas | 32 | 212 | 43.2% | – | 55.0% | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 6.6 |
| 1998–99 | Kansas | 33 | 323 | 52.1% | 0.0% | 53.1% | 6.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 9.8 |
| Career | | 128 | 969 | 48.7% | 0.0% | 51.9% | 6.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 7.6 |
WNBA career
Sanford was not drafted. She was signed by the Washington Mystics before the 2003 WNBA season. During her first three-season, she saw limited action. It was not until the 2006 WNBA season that Sanford began to show progress as a player. She set career highs for all her stats in 2006, including rebounds per game (6.0) and field goal percentage (52%). In 2007, she set new career highs averaging 7 rebounds and 11 points per game. She saw decreased playing time during the 2008 WNBA season, however.
References