American former basketball forward, two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion, and head coach at Old Dominion.
DeLisha Milton-Jones attended Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia, where she played high school basketball before joining the University of Florida. At Florida, she played from 1993 to 1997 and became a four-year contributor for the Gators. Across 125 college games, she averaged 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.
Her senior season in 1996–97 became the defining year of her college career. She averaged 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds and was recognized as an All-American by the Associated Press, Kodak, and Basketball Times. She was named SEC Player of the Year and won the Wade Trophy and Honda Sports Award, both national honors for top women’s college basketball players. Florida later inducted her into the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Milton-Jones began her professional career in the American Basketball League after being drafted second overall by the Portland Power in 1997. She played in the ABL until the league folded in 1998. In 1999, she entered the WNBA and was selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks.
With the Sparks, Milton-Jones became part of one of the WNBA’s strongest early-2000s teams. Playing alongside Lisa Leslie, she helped Los Angeles win back-to-back WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002. She played her first six WNBA seasons with the Sparks before being traded to the Washington Mystics in 2005.
After three seasons in Washington, Milton-Jones returned to Los Angeles in 2008. She later played for the San Antonio Silver Stars, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream. Her WNBA career lasted 17 seasons, ending in 2016. She retired with 5,571 career points, 2,574 rebounds, 619 steals, and 499 games played, which was then a WNBA record.
Milton-Jones also played extensively overseas in Russia, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Turkey, South Korea, and other leagues. She won EuroLeague titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg and Gambrinus Brno and earned several European league honors during a 16-year international club career.
After retiring as a player, Milton-Jones moved into coaching. She began in college coaching at Pepperdine, first as an assistant in 2016 and then as head coach in 2017. In 2018–19, she led Pepperdine to a 22–12 record, the program’s most wins since 2002, and a WNIT Sweet Sixteen appearance. She later worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse before becoming head coach at Old Dominion in 2020.
Milton-Jones had a long career with USA Basketball. She represented the United States on 18 USA Basketball teams from 1994 to 2008, with those teams compiling a combined 125–10 record. Her national team career included Olympic, World Championship, AmeriCup, World University Games, and other international competitions.
She won gold with the United States at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, where she averaged 10.3 points per game. In 1998, she was part of the U.S. team that won the FIBA World Championship in Germany. The team defeated Russia in the gold-medal game, and Milton-Jones averaged 7.1 points per game.
She won her first Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Games and her second at the 2008 Beijing Games. She also helped the United States win the 2002 FIBA World Championship in China and the 2007 Tournament of the Americas, which qualified the U.S. team for the 2008 Olympics. In 2006, she won bronze with the United States at the FIBA World Championship in Brazil.
Milton-Jones later contributed to USA Basketball as a coach. She served as an assistant coach for the 2022 USA Women’s U18 National Team, the 2023 USA Women’s U19 National Team, and the 2025 USA Women’s AmeriCup Team, winning gold in all three assignments.
DeLisha Milton-Jones is currently a basketball coach, serving as head coach of the Old Dominion women’s basketball program. Her coaching profile is built on player development, recruiting, defensive standards, and experience from a long professional and international playing career. She remains active in USA Basketball coaching and committee roles.
DeLisha Milton-Jones was born in Riceboro, Georgia, and attended Bradwell Institute in Hinesville. She later graduated from the University of Florida in 1997 with a degree in sports management.
In 2003, she married Roland Jones. She has also appeared outside basketball, including a role as herself in the 2000 film Love & Basketball. During her coaching career at Pepperdine, she lived in Marina Del Rey and worked as a sports reporter and analyst for ABC 7 in Los Angeles.
Milton-Jones’ legacy is based on longevity, international success, and consistent production across multiple basketball environments. In the WNBA, she played 17 seasons and temporarily held the league record for games played. She was part of the Los Angeles Sparks’ back-to-back championship teams in 2001 and 2002 and remained productive across several franchises.
Her international résumé adds further weight to her career. She won Olympic gold medals, World Championship gold medals, and European club titles, making her one of the most widely experienced American forwards of her generation. As a coach, she has continued her involvement in the sport through college programs and USA Basketball assignments.
Milton-Jones was named SEC Player of the Year in 1997 and won the Wade Trophy and Honda Sports Award that same year. She was also recognized as an All-American by the Associated Press, Kodak, and Basketball Times while at Florida.
In the WNBA, she won championships with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. She was selected as a WNBA All-Star in 2000, 2004, and 2007 and received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2015. She retired after playing 499 WNBA games, then a league record.
With USA Basketball, she won Olympic gold medals in 2000 and 2008, FIBA World Championship gold medals in 1998 and 2002, bronze at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, gold at the 1997 World University Games, and gold at the 2007 Tournament of the Americas. She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones is an American former professional basketball player and basketball coach, born on September 11, 1974, in Riceboro, Georgia. A 6-foot-1 forward, she played primarily as a small forward and power forward. She is known for a long professional career across the ABL, WNBA, and international leagues, as well as for her later work as a college coach.
Milton-Jones played college basketball at the University of Florida from 1993 to 1997. She became one of the most accomplished players in Florida women’s basketball history, finishing with 1,858 career points and helping the Gators reach four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. In 1997, she was named SEC Player of the Year and won both the Wade Trophy and the Honda Sports Award.
Professionally, Milton-Jones began in the American Basketball League with the Portland Power before being selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She played 17 WNBA seasons for the Sparks, Washington Mystics, San Antonio Silver Stars, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream. She won WNBA championships with Los Angeles in 2001 and 2002, was a three-time WNBA All-Star, and retired after setting the WNBA record for games played with 499.
Internationally, she represented the United States across multiple competitions, winning Olympic gold medals in 2000 and 2008, FIBA World Championship gold medals in 1998 and 2002, and a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
