Shannon Denise Bobbitt
''wnba.com'', accessed . (born December 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player, most recently for the WNBA's

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 club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

. One of eight children and a native of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New Yorker Bobbitt honed her basketball skills on the neighborhood project courts of

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

. Following a stellar college career in which 5'2" Bobbitt won two Division I national titles at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

, she decided to enter the WNBA and began her professional basketball career playing point guard for the Los Angeles Sparks.

High school

Bobbitt attended Murry Bergtraum High School in New York, where she helped lead her team to two straight PSAL and State Federation titles. As a sophomore, she gained attention for her basketball skills, city rankings had her listed as the second-best player. During her junior season, her team went undefeated posting a record of 30–0 before winning the national high school championship. She finished her high school career by helping her team post a 29–1 record which was good for third in the nation.

Junior college

The guard decided Junior College was her best option out of high school, so she chose Trinity Valley Community College in

Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the " Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World." Athens was selected as one of t ...

because they had just won a national title. During the 2005–06 season, Bobbitt handed out 211 assists to rank third in the nation in assists broke the 22-year-old school record at Trinity Valley for her career in that category. She led Trinity Valley to the NJCAA National Tournament and the 2006 Region XIV Championship with a 30–2 record overall and 18–0 mark in conference play. Bobbitt was the 2006

Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBCA ...

Junior College Player of the Year.

Division I

Bobbitt help guide the Volunteers to the regular-season SEC title in 2006–2007. Bobbitt's play was also key in ending the nine-year UT title drought, as the Volunteers defeated Rutgers for the National Championship on April 3, 2007. Bobbitt was named to the All-Tournament team. The defending champions successfully defended their title in 2007–2008, again behind their point guard, who guided them to a title by defeating Stanford on April 8, 2008. She graduated with

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los ...

of the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA 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 club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

and Alexis Hornbuckle of the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. T ...

and Nicky Anosike of the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded ...

Tennessee statistics

Source

WNBA

Bobbitt was the 15th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft on April 9, as the Sparks made her the first pick in the second round. Bobbitt joins teammate

and former college teammate

Sidney Spencer Sidney Spencer (born March 7, 1985) is an American professional basketball who most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Born in Hoover, Alabama, Spencer attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team t ...

on the Los Angeles squad, which also features Olympian

Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on ...

. On July 22, 2008, Bobbitt and her teammates were involved in a skirmish with the Detroit Shock.ESPN.com news services
WNBA reviewing Sparks-Shock skirmish in entirety
ESPN.com, July 23, 2008. Accessed July 25, 2008 �
Archived at WebCite
The fight broke out at ''The Palace of Auburn Hills with'' 4.6 seconds left in the game, the game ended with the LA Sparks winning. The WNBA suspended a total of 10 players and Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn. Bobbitt received an in-game technical and was later suspended two games for leaving the bench. She played for Botas in Turkey during the 2008–09 WNBA off-season.
/ref> On May 14, 2010, The Sparks waived Shannon Bobbitt.

References

External links

WNBA former player profile page: Shannon Bobbitt

Pat Summitt and The Tennessee Lady Vols

usatoday.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bobbitt, Shannon 1985 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American women's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Botaş SK players Indiana Fever players Los Angeles Sparks draft picks Los Angeles Sparks players Murry Bergtraum High School alumni Point guards Sportspeople from the Bronx Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players Trinity Valley Cardinals women's basketball players Washington Mystics players