Cheryl Ford

Cheryl Ford attended Summerfield High School in Summerfield, Louisiana, where she became a WBCA High School All-American and played in the 1999 WBCA High School All-America Game. She later joined Louisiana Tech, a program with a long history in women’s college basketball.

Ford played four seasons at Louisiana Tech from 1999 to 2003. Her role expanded each year. As a freshman, she averaged 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, she averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds. Her production increased significantly as an upperclassman, averaging 11.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 2001–02 before producing 15.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game as a senior.

During her final two college seasons, Ford was named WAC Player of the Year in both 2002 and 2003. She was also selected First-Team All-WAC in both seasons and was named WAC Tournament MVP in 2003. She finished her Louisiana Tech career with 1,380 points and 1,056 rebounds across 133 games.

The Detroit Shock selected Ford with the third overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft. She entered the league as an immediate starter, beginning all 32 regular-season games as a rookie. Ford averaged 10.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in 2003 and helped Detroit win the WNBA championship. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and earned All-WNBA Second Team honors.

Ford remained a central part of Detroit’s frontcourt. In 2004, she averaged 10.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. In 2005, she led the WNBA in rebounds per game at 9.8 and was named an All-Star. In 2006, she delivered one of her best seasons, averaging 13.8 points and a league-leading 11.3 rebounds per game. Detroit won the WNBA championship that year, and Ford was again named All-WNBA Second Team.

In 2007, Ford averaged 13.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in 15 appearances. She was selected as an All-Star and won the WNBA All-Star Game MVP award after recording 16 points and 13 rebounds. Her season was limited by injury, but her rebounding remained among the league’s strongest.

Ford suffered a right knee anterior cruciate ligament injury during the 2008 season. Although she missed the rest of that season, Detroit went on to win another WNBA championship, giving Ford her third title with the franchise. She returned in 2009 and averaged 8.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in what became her final WNBA season with Detroit.

Ford’s WNBA career lasted seven seasons, all with the Detroit Shock. She played 196 regular-season games, started every one of them, and averaged 10.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. In the playoffs, she averaged 9.9 points and 9.8 rebounds over 38 games.

Outside the WNBA, Ford played for Dallas Fury in the National Women’s Basketball League and later competed overseas. Her international club career included Anda Ramat HaSharon in Israel, UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, CCC Aquapark Polkowice in Poland, Frisco SIKA Brno in the Czech Republic, Beretta Famila Schio in Italy, and Samsun Canik Belediyespor in Turkey. With Famila Schio in EuroLeague Women, she averaged 11.3 points and 11.9 rebounds during the 2011–12 season.

Cheryl Ford represented the United States at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women in Brazil. The United States team won eight of its nine games but lost to Russia in the semifinal round. Team USA defeated Brazil in the bronze-medal game to finish third.

Ford played in eight games during the tournament. According to the supplied statistics, she averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 9.9 minutes per game. Her role was primarily as a frontcourt rebounder and interior player off the bench. The bronze medal was the major national-team achievement listed in the supplied material.

Cheryl Ford is retired from professional basketball. During her playing career, she was primarily a power forward. Her game was built around rebounding, physical interior play, second-chance scoring, and defensive presence. She was one of the WNBA’s most productive rebounders of the 2000s, using strength, positioning, and timing to control the boards on both ends of the floor.

Cheryl Ford was born in Homer, Louisiana, and attended Summerfield High School in Summerfield, Louisiana. She 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.

Ford played college basketball at Louisiana Tech, where she became one of the top frontcourt players in the Western Athletic Conference. Her professional career later took her through the WNBA and multiple overseas leagues.

The supplied information identifies her as a former professional basketball player whose career was centered on competition with the Detroit Shock, Louisiana Tech, and several international clubs.

Cheryl Ford’s legacy is tied to her role in the Detroit Shock’s championship era. She joined the franchise in 2003 and helped Detroit win three WNBA titles in six seasons. Her rookie-year championship and Rookie of the Year award made her the first player to win both honors in the same season.

Statistically, Ford ranks among the strongest rebounders in WNBA history. Her career average of 9.7 rebounds per game places her among the league’s all-time leaders. She led the WNBA in rebounding in 2005 and 2006 and consistently produced near double-double averages during her peak seasons.

Her career was shortened and affected by injuries, but her seven-year WNBA run included championships, All-Star selections, All-WNBA honors, and elite rebounding production. Her impact was especially clear in Detroit’s physical frontcourt identity during the 2000s.

Ford was named a WBCA High School All-American in 1999. At Louisiana Tech, she was a two-time WAC Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003, a two-time First-Team All-WAC selection, and the 2003 WAC Tournament MVP. She also received Associated Press All-America honorable mention in 2003.

In the WNBA, Ford won three championships with the Detroit Shock in 2003, 2006, and 2008. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and earned All-WNBA Second Team honors in 2003 and 2006. She was selected to four WNBA All-Star Games in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and was named WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2007.

Ford led the WNBA in rebounding in 2005 and 2006. She was also named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2006. Internationally, she won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

Cheryl Ford is an American former professional basketball player, born on June 6, 1981, in Homer, Louisiana. A 6-foot-3 forward, she is best known for her seven-season WNBA career with the Detroit Shock, where she became one of the league’s leading rebounders and helped the franchise win three championships.

Ford played college basketball at Louisiana Tech from 1999 to 2003. She developed into a major frontcourt player during her final two seasons, earning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors in 2002 and 2003. As a senior, she averaged 15.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game and was named WAC Tournament MVP.

The Detroit Shock selected Ford third overall in the 2003 WNBA Draft. She immediately became a starter and helped Detroit complete a worst-to-first turnaround, winning the 2003 WNBA championship. Ford was named WNBA Rookie of the Year that season, becoming the first player to win Rookie of the Year and a WNBA title in the same year.

Across her WNBA career, Ford averaged 10.8 points and 9.7 rebounds over 196 regular-season games. She was a four-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-WNBA Second Team selection, two-time rebounding champion, 2007 All-Star Game MVP, and three-time WNBA champion with Detroit. After her WNBA years, she played professionally overseas in Israel, Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Turkey.

Internationally, Ford represented the United States at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Brazil, where Team USA won the bronze medal.