Jessica Breland
Jessica Nicole Breland (born February 23, 1988) is an American basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
 | |
| No. 51 – Phoenix Mercury | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 23, 1988 New York City, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 166 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bertie (Windsor, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (2006–2011) |
| WNBA draft | 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 13th overall |
| Selected by the Minnesota Lynx | |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2011 | New York Liberty |
| 2011 | Connecticut Sun |
| 2013 | Indiana Fever |
| 2014–2017 | Chicago Sky |
| 2018–2019 | Atlanta Dream |
| 2020 | Phoenix Mercury |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
High school
Born in New York City,[1] Breland grew up in Kelford, North Carolina,[1] and attended Bertie High School in Windsor where she was a three-sport athlete participating in volleyball and track & field and basketball. In her senior year she averaged 22 points per game and 12 rebounds for the Falcons basketball team. She was an All-American selection by McDonald's, the WBCA, and Parade Magazine, 2nd team All-American selection by EA Sports, 3rd-Team Street and Smith's All-America pick, Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina as a senior, and a USA U18 Women's National Team Trials Invitee.[2]
College
In 2009, when playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Breland was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. She underwent chemotherapy and had to sit out the 2009-10 season, but recovered.[1] In 2011, Breland was awarded the Honda Inspiration Award which is given to a collegiate athlete "who has overcome hardship and was able to return to play at the collegiate level".[3][4][5]
North Carolina statistics
Source[6]
| 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 |
| 2006-07 | North Carolina | 37 | 241 | 54.4% | 42.9% | 67.8% | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 6.5 |
| 2007-08 | North Carolina | 36 | 380 | 53.1% | 15.4% | 70.2% | 7.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 10.6 |
| 2008-09 | North Carolina | 35 | 493 | 51.3% | 46.7% | 76.7% | 8.5 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 14.1 |
| 2009-10 | North Carolina | redshirt | |||||||||
| 2010-11 | North Carolina | 34 | 421 | 44.2% | 24.0% | 65.7% | 7.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 12.4 |
| Career | 142 | 1535 | 50.0% | 30.0% | 70.8% | 6.8 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 10.8 | |
WNBA
Breland was selected in the second round of the 2011 WNBA Draft (13th overall) by the Minnesota Lynx.[7] She was then traded to New York. She signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Sky in 2014.
On February 2, 2018, Breland signed a contract with the Atlanta Dream.[8]
On February 19,2020, Breland was traded to the Phoenix Mercury in a three-team deal.
References
- Heyman, Brian (May 21, 2011). "Rookie in W.N.B.A. Who Is Veteran in Life's Lessons Faces Battle to Make Liberty". New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- "A Life Inspired: Jessica Breland's heart-stirring ascension".
- Staff, S. I. "North Carolina's Breland wins Inspiration Award". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Awards Overview". CWSA. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Past Inspiration Award Winners". CWSA. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- http://www.wnba.com draft2011/draft_board.html 2011 WNBA Draft board
- Kennedy, Rene’ (February 1, 2018). "Atlanta making moves early in free agency". SwishAppeal.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.