Ashley Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American basketball player. She is the twin sister of former
WNBA center
Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishment ...
, who last played for the
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...
and is currently an assistant coach for the
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Wings compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team is owned by a group ...
. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
. She was selected on April 9, 2009 with 22nd overall pick in the
2009 WNBA draft by the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...
.
High school
Paris played for
Modesto Christian High School
Modesto Christian School is a private Christian school in Salida, California, on the outskirts of Modesto. It was formerly affiliated with the Assemblies of God;Private school directory, 2013–14, updated August 6, 2014, downloadable aPriva ...
in
Modesto, California
Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...
and then transferred to
Piedmont High School in
Piedmont, California
Piedmont is a small city located in Alameda County, California, United States, enclaved by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it means 'foothil ...
, where she was named a
WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2005
WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored eight points.
College
On May 21, 2006, she was named a 2006 USA U20 National Team finalist. She chose the University of Oklahoma over such schools as Texas, UConn, Cal and Syracuse. Ashley and twin sister Courtney helped the Sooners go undefeated in the Big 12 during the 2005–2006 season, in which they went on to win the Big 12 Championship. In 2007 Ashley became a starter on the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
Women’s Basketball team along with sister Courtney. That year she received
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...
Honorable Mention as well as making the All-Big 12 Academic First Team. She was a communications major and graduated in Spring 2009.
Oklahoma statistics
Source
WNBA
Paris was drafted in the
WNBA draft
The WNBA draft is an annual draft (sports), draft held by the Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and List of WNBA players, professional women's basketball p ...
with the 22nd overall pick in the second round, 14 spots after her twin sister
Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishment ...
. Paris was drafted by the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...
. The Sparks announced that they decided to waive Paris on June 4, one day before the 11-man roster deadline on June 5.
Although she was waived by the Sparks, she did manage to play in a preseason game. She wore the number 54 at the
forward position. She scored 1 point which came at the free throw line. She played eight minutes for the Sparks in her only WNBA "game".
In March 2010 she was signed to a training camp contract by the
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...
, and in March 2011 to a similar contract by the
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...
. On March 2, 2015 Paris signed a training camp contract by the
San Antonio Stars
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before th ...
.
San Antonio Stars signed Toni Young, Ashley Paris and Brittany Chambers
Personal life
She is the twin sister of fellow WNBA player Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishment ...
. The twins are the daughters of Lynne Gray and former NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player William "Bubba" Paris. She also has four brothers named Wayne, David, Austin, and Brandon and two half-brothers (Bubba's sons) William III and Christian.
References
External links
USA Basketball Bio: Ashley Paris
Scout.com: All articles relevant to Ashley Paris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Ashley
1987 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in China
American women's basketball players
Basketball players from San Jose, California
Los Angeles Sparks draft picks
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
Sportspeople from Piedmont, California
Basketball players from Alameda County, California
Power forwards
Shandong Six Stars players
American twins
Modesto Christian School alumni