Kia Vaughn (born January 24, 1987) is an American-born former 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. She last played for 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 ...
of the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The WNBA w ...
(WNBA)
She attended high school at St. Michael's All Girls High School in New York, and later went on to star at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
.
High school
Born in
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, New York, Vaughn played for
St. Michael Academy in New York City, where she was named a
WBCA All-American. Her father Linzell "Predator" Vaughn is a noted
street ball player at
Rucker Park
Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court at the border of Harlem and the Coogan's Bluff section of Washington Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the forme ...
. She participated in the 2005
WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored two points.
College
Vaughn attended Rutgers University from 2006 to 2009, playing under legendary coach
C. Vivian Stringer. She helped Rutgers to a perfect 16–0 record in the Big East conference her freshman year, averaging 6.3 points per game and 7 rebounds a game. During her sophomore season, she was named the All-Met Division I Women's College Basketball Player of the Year. She averaged 12.8 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game.
That year, she helped lead the Rutgers women's basketball team to a
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...
championship. The Lady Scarlet Knights lost to the Tennessee Lady Vols in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
championship game.
Vaughn continued to excel in her junior season, garnering Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association All-Met First Team honors along with being named to the All Big-East second team. She averaged 10 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game on the season. Her senior campaign was solid, but a little underwhelming as she averaged only 9.7 points per game 6.7 rebounds per game.
Nevertheless, she was named All-Big East Honorable Mention at the season's conclusion.
Rutgers statistics
Source
USA Basketball
Vaughn was also a member of the Championship winning 2006 USA National Team
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
Americas U20 Championship for Women in Mexico City, Mexico. Kia averaged 12 points and 3 rebounds in 5 games.
Professional career
WNBA
Vaughn was drafted 8th overall in the
2009 WNBA draft by her home state team, 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 ...
. In her first two seasons with the Liberty, she was a reserve on the team's roster. In her third season with the Liberty, she was the starting center for the team and averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding. For these efforts, she would win the 2011
WNBA Most Improved Player Award
The Women's National Basketball Association's Most Improved Player Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 2000 WNBA season, to the most improved player of the regular season. The winner is selected b ...
. In her fourth season with the Liberty, Vaughn became a role player on the roster, playing 31 games with 17 starts. Upon the 2013 season, Vaughn was a restricted free agent and was traded to the
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...
along with a 2013 first round pick in exchange for the seventh overall pick in the
2013 WNBA draft
The 2013 WNBA season, 2013 Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA WNBA draft, draft is the league's annual draft (sports), process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was ...
.
In her first season with the Mystics, she was a role player on the roster and then would be upgraded in the Mystics' starting lineup the following year at the five spot. In 2015, Vaughn would have an injury-riddled season, she missed the first half of the season due to a
concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
, she made her return in the beginning of August and played 20 games. In the 2016 season, Vaughn would be fully healthy, playing all 34 games with 4 starts. In January 2017, the New York Liberty re-acquired Vaughan in a three-team trade deal that sent teammate
Bria Hartley
Bria Nicole Hartley (born September 30, 1992) is a French-American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA and Galatasaray of the Turkish Super League. She was drafted seventh overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2014 ...
also to the Liberty,
Carolyn Swords along with the 15th overall pick in the
2017 WNBA draft to 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 the Mystics receiving two 2017 first round draft picks from the Storm.
In February 2018, Vaughn re-signed with the Liberty.
Vaughn did not play in the 2019 WNBA season, choosing to focus on her season in Turkey.
Vaughn signed with the Phoenix Mercury for the 2020 season. She would re-sign with the team in 2021.
On August 14, 2022, Vaughn announced her retirement.
Overseas
From 2012 to 2015, Vaughn played three off-seasons in
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
for
ZVVZ USK Praha. In August 2016, Vaughn re-signed with
ZVVZ USK Praha for the 2016-17 WNBA off-season In September 2017, Vaughn signed with
Fenerbahçe Istanbul 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 ...
for the 2017-18 off-season.
WNBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 34 , , 1 , , 11.6 , , .493 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 4.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 30 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .348 , , 1.000 , , .650 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 2.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 28.1 , , .497 , , .000 , , .786 , , 6.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 1.8 , , 10.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 31 , , 17 , , 22.9 , , .430 , , .000 , , .656 , , 5.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 6.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 34 , , 15 , , 20.0 , , .425 , , .000 , , .761 , , 5.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.5 , , 6.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 33 , , 33 , , 24.1 , , .458 , , .000 , , .634 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 1.4 , , 9.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 20 , , 1 , , 17.8 , , .451 , , .000 , , .667 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 1.3 , , 5.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 34 , , 4 , , 19.8 , , .503 , , .000 , , .750 , , 4.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 6.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 28 , , 22 , , 19.6 , , .536 , , .000 , , .583 , , 4.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 5.8
, -
, 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;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 29 , , 27 , , 18.3 , , .533 , , .000 , , .643 , , 4.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 5.7
, -
, 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;",
Phoenix
, 22 , , 10 , , 18.9 , , .488 , , .000 , , .579 , , 3.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 1.5 , , 6.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
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 ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Phoenix
, 28 , , 2 , , 15.8 , , .444 , , .000 , , .600 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.3 , , 4.6
, -
, 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;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, 29 , , 1 , , 13.8 , , .400 , , .000 , , .692 , , 3.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.1 , , 2.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 13 years, 4 teams
, 386 , , 167 , , 18.5 , , .468 , , .100 , , .668 , , 4.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 5.9
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 5 , , 0 , , 15.6 , , .625 , , .000 , , .462 , , 3.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 5.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 26.0 , , .571 , , .000 , , .900 , , 6.3 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 8.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 2 , , 0 , , 22.5 , , .417 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 8.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 5.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 24.7 , , .462 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 1.3 , , 8.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 2 , , 2 , , 23.0 , , .300 , , .000 , , .500 , , 5.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 3.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 3 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .538 , , .000 , , .833 , , 4.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 6.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 1 , , 1 , , 15.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0
, -
, 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;",
Phoenix
, 2 , , 2 , , 31.5 , , .478 , , .000 , , .000 , , 6.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 11.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
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 ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Phoenix
, 11 , , 0 , , 12.8, , .288 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 1.1 , , 2.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 9 years, 3 teams
, 32 , , 11 , , 18.4 , , .423 , , .000 , , .706 , , 4.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 5.2
Litigation
On August 14, 2007 Vaughn, one of the women involved in the controversial remarks made earlier that year by
Don Imus
John Donald Imus Jr. ( ; July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show '' Imus in the Morning'' was aired on various stations and di ...
and his producer
Bernard McGuirk
Bernard J. McGuirk (October 26, 1957 – October 5, 2022) was an American radio personality. He was host at WABC in New York City alongside Sid Rosenberg. He was born and raised in the South Bronx, New York, where he worked in his younger yea ...
, filed suit against Imus, McGuirk,
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...
,
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing and television production. It was split from Viacom on December 31, 2005, alongside an entirely new Viacom; both ...
,
MSNBC
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
,
CBS Radio,
Viacom
Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
,
Westwood One
Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming.
The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...
radio, citing
slander
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making wikt:asserti ...
,
libel
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, and
defamation of character
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
. Vaughn was the only player to pursue legal damages brought on by the controversy. Vaughn dropped the lawsuit against Imus on September 11, 2007, citing her desire to "concentrate on her studies and basketball training."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Kia
1987 births
Living people
American women's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in the Czech Republic
Naturalised basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
Centers (basketball)
Fenerbahçe women's basketball players
New York Liberty draft picks
New York Liberty players
Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
Atlanta Dream players
Phoenix Mercury players
Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players
Basketball players from the Bronx
Washington Mystics players