Ivory Latta
Free agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (1984-09-25) September 25, 1984
McConnells, South Carolina, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Listed weight138 lb (63 kg)
Career information
High schoolYork Comprehensive
(York, South Carolina)
CollegeNorth Carolina (2003–2007)
WNBA draft2007: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Shock
Playing career2007–present
Career history
As player:
2007Detroit Shock
2007–2008Elitzur Holon
2008–2009Atlanta Dream
2008–2009Ceyhan Belediyesi
2009–2010Mersin BŞB
2010–2012Tulsa Shock
2011–2012Tarsus Belediye
2013Maccabi Ramat Hen
2013–2017Washington Mystics
2015–2016Edirne Belediyesi Edirnespor
As coach:
2013–2015North Carolina (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com

Ivory Latta (born September 25, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.[1] She was drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2007 WNBA Draft. A 5'6" (1.68 m) guard noted for her three-point shooting and on-court enthusiasm, she played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. She is the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina high school basketball history (men's and women's) with a total of 4,319 career points.[2]

High school

Born in McConnells, South Carolina, Latta played for York Comprehensive High School in York, South Carolina, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2003 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored seventeen points, and earned MVP honors.[3][4]

College career

Latta was named the 2006 Player of the Year by ESPN.com,[5] USBWA, GballMag.com and Basketball Times National Player of the Year, Nancy Lieberman Award Winner as Point Guard of the Year (2006), Consensus All-American (2006), ACC Player of the Year (2006), ACC Tournament MVP (2005), WBCA National Player for the Month of March (2005), All-ACC First Team (2007, 2005), AP All-American Third Team (2005), ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year (2004), All-ACC Second Team (2004), All-ACC Freshmen Team (2004).[2] Latta averaged 14.0 points per game as a freshman, 16.2 as a senior, and 16.6 for her career at North Carolina.

College statistics

Source[6]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 North Carolina 31 433 36.2 34.7 78.0 2.8 3.5 1.9 0.1 14.0
2004–05 North Carolina 34 592 42.0 39.7 86.3 2.7 4.3 1.7 0.2 17.4
2005–06 North Carolina 35 645 45.5 40.1 85.2 2.1 5.2 2.3 0.1 18.4
2006–07 North Carolina 38 615 41.1 40.2 85.5 2.1 4.2 1.6 0.1 16.2
Career North Carolina 138 2285 41.4 38.9 84.0 2.4 4.3 1.9 0.1 16.6

Professional career

Latta was drafted by the Detroit Shock with the 11th pick in the 2007 WNBA draft. She averaged 3.0 points per game as a rookie, and had the second-best 3-point field goal percentage in the WNBA for the 2007 regular season.[2] Latta appeared in her first WNBA Finals during her rookie season with the Shock, where they lost in 5 games to the Phoenix Mercury. On February 6, 2008, Latta was traded to the Atlanta Dream for the Dream's 2008 second round pick and LaToya Thomas.[2][7] She played for Ceyhan in Turkey during the 2008–09 WNBA off-season.[8] She was originally released by the Atlanta Dream at the start of the 2009 WNBA season, but then signed on July 3, 2009, after the Dream released Nikki Teasley instead.[9]

Latta played for the Tulsa Shock from 2010 to 2012, and joined the Washington Mystics in 2013. In 2013, she was selected to the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. In 2014, Latta was selected as an all-star replacement for the injured Elena Delle Donne, making it her second all-star game appearance.

In July 2016, Latta suffered a left knee injury during practice at the Verizon Center that would sideline her for the rest of the season after playing 22 games.[10]

In 2017, Latta was healthy and played all 34 games. The Mystics advanced past the second round for the first time in franchise history, but were swept by the Minnesota Lynx in the semi-finals.

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2007 Detroit 3117.1.391.449.4290.60.60.20.00.53.0
2008 Atlanta 343128.2.362.344.8022.13.61.30.01.711.4
2009 Atlanta 24014.6.409.360.8260.71.40.50.01.06.1
2010 Tulsa 181628.7.422.370.7761.43.91.00.12.112.4
2011 Tulsa 242428.5.414.351.8302.03.21.20.02.812.2
2012 Tulsa 341828.3.430.390.8402.23.30.90.02.114.3
2013 Washington 343431.5.392.396.9022.64.40.80.01.813.9
2014 Washington 343331.7.395.377.8332.43.30.70.01.912.8
2015 Washington 342527.3.406.389.9091.82.60.60.01.713.4
2016 Washington 22220.8.331.305.9091.71.90.30.01.48.3
2017 Washington 34117.0.349.328.8710.81.70.40.00.88.0
Career 11 years, 4 teams 32318524.2.393.369.8481.72.70.80.01.710.7

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2007 Detroit 1004.7.263.333.6670.30.30.20.00.21.9
2009 Atlanta 2237.5.400.333.8892.02.50.50.01.513.5
2013 Washington 3331.3.484.400.5004.03.00.60.02.012.7
2014 Washington 2237.1.357.3331.0001.54.50.50.03.017.0
2015 Washington 3331.5.400.524.8181.34.31.00.01.316.0
2017 Washington 309.2.467.444.0000.70.70.00.00.36.0
Career 6 years, 3 teams 231017.9.399.402.7951.21.80.40.01.08.0

European career

  • 2007–2008: Israel Elitzur Holon
  • 2008–2009: Turkey Ceyhan Belediyesi
  • 2009–2010: Turkey Mersin BŞB
  • 2010–2011: Israel Maccabi Ramat Hen
  • 2011–2012: Turkey Tarsus Belediye
  • 2013: Israel Maccabi Ramat Hen
  • 2015–2016: Turkey Edirne Belediyesi Edirnespor

Personal life

On January 9, 2003 a resolution was read on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representative John Spratt[11] honoring Latta. She would also receive the key to the city of York, South Carolina (where she attended high school and Spratt's hometown),[11][12] which celebrated Ivory Latta Day on January 10, 2003.[13]

Latta's father and paternal grandmother both live with Parkinson's disease and she has been very outspoken about how her father's diagnosis impacted her.[14] As a result, Latta serves as an ambassador for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF).[15] In this role, she is involved with fundraising campaigns for PDF and generating awareness about Parkinson's disease, and enlists other professional athletes to support the cause.[14]

Latta's friendships with NBA superstar LeBron James and actor/rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges have been well documented.[5]

Awards and honors

Notes

  1. ↑ "WNBA Player Movement Central". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "official bio". Archived from the original on July 18, 2008.
  3. ↑ "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "WBCA High School All-America Game Team MVP's". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Lieberman: Five Final Four observations". ESPN.com. March 22, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Atlanta's expansion draft trades/analysis". Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  8. ↑ "WNBA.com: Offseason 2008–09: Overseas Roster". www.wnba.com.
  9. ↑ "Long-range shooting reason for Latta's return".
  10. ↑ Lee, Albert (July 20, 2016). "Ivory Latta injures knee". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. 1 2 Spain, Sarah (April 26, 2012). "Shock's Latta hopes for turnaround". ESPN. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Latta to Become Parkinson's Ambassador". TarHeelBlue.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
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