Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player that is currently a free agent. She was drafted by the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

with the third overall pick in the

2018 WNBA draft The 2018 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2018 WNBA season. On March 12, the league announced the draft would be held on April 12 at Nike New York Headquarters, a recently opened secondary headquarters for the athletic apparel giant loc ...

, and won a championship with the Sky in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. She is the daughter of former MLB player Delino DeShields and the younger sister of MLB player Delino DeShields Jr.

College career

DeShields graduated from

Norcross High School Norcross High School is a public high school in Norcross, Georgia, United States, part of the Gwinnett County School System, and serving the cities of Norcross and Peachtree Corners. The school's mascot is the Blue Devil. The school is also the ...

Norcross, Georgia Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 15 miles northeast of Atlanta city limits. According to the 2010 census, the population was 9,116, while in 2020, the population increased to 17,209. Norcross is part of the Atlanta metropol ...

. Playing for the school's basketball team, she was a part of three state champions and averaged 26

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

per game in her senior year. DeShields enrolled at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, where she played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' ...

team in her freshman year of college. She set an

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

record for points scored by a freshman with 648. After her freshman year, DeShields transferred

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

, where she played for the

Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition. The team has been a contender for national titles for over forty years, having made every NCAA ...

team for two years after sitting out for the season after her transfer. In the 2016-17 season, DeShields led the Lady Vols with 17.4 points per game and was chosen to the All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

's first team.

Professional career

European leagues

Though DeShields graduated with her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

after her second season at Tennessee, she retained a year of eligibility for college basketball. After initially announcing she would return for the 2017-18 season, she opted to leave Tennessee to play professionally in Turkey. DeShields signed with

Çukurova Basketbol Çukurova basketbol Mersin (ÇBK Mersin), for sponsorship reasons Çimsa ÇBK Mersin, is a Turkish professional women's basketball club based in Mersin, Türkiye. The club was founded in 2015 and currently competing in the Women's Basketball Su ...

of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

, where she averaged 17.4 points, 6.4

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, and 3.8 assists per game.

WNBA

Chicago Sky (2018–2021)

DeShields was drafted by the

with the third pick of the

. In her first season in the WNBA, she averaged 14.4 points per game while starting in 33 of 34 games played. She was named to the All-Rookie Team. In

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, her sophomore season, DeShields was named a WNBA All-Star. During the All-Star Weekend, she won the Skills Challenge, beating out

Jonquel Jones Jonquel Orthea Jones (born January 5, 1994) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. Since Ma ...

in the final round. DeShields started all 34 games and averaged 16.2 points per game. On September 11, 2019, she played in her first career postseason game and scored 25 points, as the Chicago Sky defeated 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 ...

105–76. It was the fifth-most points scored by a WNBA player in a postseason debut in league history. DeShields scored 23 points in the Sky's loss to the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home game ...

in the second round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. In December 2019, while playing overseas in Turkey, DeShields suffered a back injury. An MRI following the injury revealed that she had a tumor (a lumbar spinal

schwannoma A schwannoma (or neurilemmoma) is a usually benign nerve sheath tumor composed of Schwann cells, which normally produce the insulating myelin sheath covering peripheral nerves. Schwannomas are homogeneous tumors, consisting only of Schwann cells ...

) in her spine, which posed a serious risk of permanent paralysis. After surgery to remove the tumor, DeShields suffered

tremor A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic muscle contraction and relaxation involving neural oscillations, oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the h ...

s and involuntary

spasm A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, such as the bladder. A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a musc ...

s and spent months rehabilitating without certainty about whether she would be able to return to play. She decided to keep her condition and surgery experiences private, until sharing them in an interview in May 2022. DeShields returned to play in the 2020 season, which was held in a bubble environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She did not start games, as she was recovering from a knee injury, and played in 13 games while averaging 6.8 points in 17.2 minutes per game. DeShields suffered an apparent quadriceps injury in a game on August 21, and left the bubble a week later, missing the remainder of the season and the Sky's single postseason game. In the 2021 season, DeShields began as a starter and averaged 26.9 minutes and 11.3 points per game. Near the end of the season, she shifted to a role coming off the bench. The Sky entered the playoffs as the sixth seed, and made their way to the

2021 WNBA Finals The 2021 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2021 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2021 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the f ...

, winning the series in four games against the

. DeShields recorded 15.7 minutes and 5.5 points per game in the team's playoff run. In the offseason, DeShields expressed admiration for the Sky along with a preference to play for a team where she would return to a starting role.

Phoenix Mercury (2022)

As a free agent entering the 2022 season, DeShields took meetings with several teams across the league. On February 3, 2022, she was traded to the

in a three-team

sign-and-trade deal In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a sign-and-trade deal is a type of transaction allowed by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) where one franchise/team signs an unrestricted free agent or restricted free agent player to a new c ...

involving the Sky and the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

. She started 19 of 30 regular season games and both postseason games for the Mercury in the 2022 season, averaging 13.1 points in the regular season and 19.5 points per game in the postseason.

Dallas Wings (2023)

On February 11, 2023 DeShields was traded to 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 ...

in a four-team trade involving the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings and Chicago Sky. She missed the 2023 season and postseason with a knee injury.

Chicago Sky (2024)

On February 5, 2024, DeShields signed a one-year deal to return to the Chicago Sky, three seasons after her original departure.

Connecticut Sun (2025)

On February 3, 2025, DeShields signed a one-year deal with the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

. She suffered an ankle injury in training camp and on May 15, 2025, she was waived by the Sun.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

''Stats current through end of 2024 regular season'' , - , style='text-align:left;',

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style='text-align:left;',

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 34 , , 33 , , 28.4 , , .425 , , .328 , , .836 , , 4.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 2.1 , , 14.4 , - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;',

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.2 , , .399 , , .316 , , .836 , , 5.5 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 2.2 , , 16.2 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 13 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .434 , , .167 , , .778 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 2.3 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

, style='text-align:left;',

, 32 , , 22 , , 26.9 , , .393 , , .300 , , .820 , , 3.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , , 11.3 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style='text-align:left;', Phoenix , 30 , , 19 , , 25.3 , , .388 , , .236 , , .765 , , 3.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 2.3 , , 13.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style='text-align:left;', ''2023'' , colspan=13 style='text-align:center;', ''Did not play (due to injury)'' , - , style='text-align:left;',

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 32 , , 10 , , 13.8, , .348 , , .173 , , .611 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.9 , , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , rowspan=2 style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 6 years, 2 teams , 175 , , 118 , , 24.5 , , .398 , , .283 , , .802 , , 3.7 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.9 , , 11.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .545 , , .333 , , — , , 5.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 13.0

Playoffs

, - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;',

, 2 , , 2 , , 33.0 , , .436 , , .333 , , .833 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 24.0° , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

, style='text-align:left;',

, 10 , , 0 , , 15.7 , , .340 , , .250 , , .800 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 1.6 , , 5.5 , - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;', Phoenix , 2 , , 2 , , 27.0 , , .432 , , .333 , , .714 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.5 , , 19.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 3 years, 2 teams , 14 , , 4 , , 19.8 , , .395 , , .300 , , .795 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.7 , , 10.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, 36, , 31, , 27.9, , .426, , .279, , .776, , 5.4, , 2.6, , 1.7, , 0.3, , 3.4, , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, style="text-align:center;" colspan=12 , ''Did not play due to NCAA transfer rules'' , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36, , 20, , 26.8, , .391, , .248, , .765, , 5.2, , 2.3, , 1.6, , 0.8, , 3.2, , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29, , 28, , 33.5, , .423, , .333, , .791, , 6.4, , 3.8, , 1.4, , 1.0, , 3.6, , 17.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 101, , 79, , 29.1, , .413, , .279, , .779, , 5.6, , 2.8, , 1.6, , 0.7, , 3.4, , 16.5

Personal life

DeShields' father, Delino DeShields, and brother, Delino DeShields Jr., have played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. Her mother, Tisha, was named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

heptathlete A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek ἑπτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hep ...

while attending Tennessee. DeShields has a paternal half-brother and two paternal half-sisters.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deshields, Diamond 1995 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American women's basketball players Basketball players from Gwinnett County, Georgia Basketball players from Palm Beach County, Florida Chicago Sky draft picks Chicago Sky players Dallas Wings players McDonald's High School All-Americans Norcross High School alumni North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Sportspeople from Norcross, Georgia Phoenix Mercury players Shanxi Flame players Small forwards Sportspeople from West Palm Beach, Florida Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players WNBA All-Stars 21st-century American sportswomen