Riceboro native DeLisha Milton-Jones has re-signed with the Atlanta Dream, according to a news release issued by the WNBA franchise.
Jones is a two-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist who will return for her 17th season in the league. Per team policy, contract terms were not disclosed.
“We’re very excited to have DeLisha back,” Dream President and General Manager Angela Taylor said. “She not only is an asset to our team due to her exceptional leadership, but she still can contribute valuable minutes on the court as well. She is a coach on the floor with championship experience that will benefit our squad.”
Milton-Jones, who was acquired by the Dream in a trade with New York on July 9, played in just two games with Atlanta last year before injuring her right Achilles tendon and missing the remainder of the season. In 21 games with the Dream and Liberty in 2014, she averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
The 40-year-old Milton-Jones will enter the 2015 season as one of just five players in WNBA history with more than 5,000 career points and 2,500 career rebounds. She currently ranks fifth in league history in rebounds (2,541) and steals (612), ninth in scoring (5,533) and 13th in blocks (337). Milton-Jones, who is 15 games shy of Tina Thompson’s WNBA record of 496 career games played, owns career averages of 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Milton-Jones was drafted fourth overall out of Florida by Los Angeles in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She played the first six seasons of her career with the Sparks, who were coached from 2000 to 2004 by current Dream head coach Michael Cooper. The duo won a pair of WNBA titles together (2001 and 2002) and the first of Milton-Jones’ two All-Star appearances (2000 and 2007) came under Cooper.
Milton-Jones has been part of two USA Basketball squads that won Olympic gold medals, participating in the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She also has played on three World Championship teams, including teams that won gold in 1998 and 2002.
The three-time Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream open their eighth season in the WNBA on June 5 at New York, with the home opener slated for 3 p.m. Sunday, June 7, against. the Connecticut Sun. The Dream, which play their home games at Philips Arena, have qualified for the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, winning conference titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Season and single-game tickets for the 2015 season can be purchased by calling (877) 977-7729 or visiting www.AtlantaDream.net.