DeLisha Milton-Jones
A two-time Olympic gold medalist whose relentless power and longevity made her a cornerstone of professional women's basketball for 17 seasons.
Born 1974 (age 52)·American basketball player·Birthday: September 11·Generation X
Biography
DeLisha Milton-Jones played the game with a trademark scowl and an engine that never quit. Coming out of the University of Florida as a first-team All-American, she brought an immediate physical presence to the WNBA. For 17 seasons, she was the ultimate professional—a versatile forward who could defend multiple positions, crash the boards, and hit a clutch jumper. She won championships with two different franchises, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock, proving her value as a winner. Her career spanned the league's formative decades, and she earned the respect of peers as one of its toughest competitors. Milton-Jones also secured dual Olympic gold medals with the dominant U.S. teams in 2000 and 2008. After retiring as the WNBA's all-time leader in games played, she seamlessly moved into coaching, bringing the same intensity to the sideline.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
DeLisha was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When DeLisha Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
DeLisha's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Olympic gold medals with the United States basketball team (2000, 2008).
- Claimed two WNBA championships, with the Los Angeles Sparks (2001) and Detroit Shock (2008).
- Retired as the WNBA's all-time leader in games played (499).
- Named the SEC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American in her final college season.
Did You Know?
She and her former Sparks teammate Lisa Leslie are the only two players to have appeared in each of the WNBA's first 14 seasons.
She played professionally in Russia, Spain, Italy, and Turkey during WNBA off-seasons.
She became the head coach at Old Dominion University in 2023.
“Defense is a language; I speak it with every box-out and closeout.”
