Nykesha Sales
Nykesha Simone Sales (born May 10, 1976 in Bloomfield, Connecticut) is a professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. Her primary position is the small forward. Her second position is shooting guard. In 1999 Sales was added to the roster of the USA FIBA Senior National Team team.
High School career
Sales attended Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and was a letterman in basketball. In basketball, she was named the USA Today High School National Player of the Year as a senior.
College years
Sales attended the University of Connecticut (UConn) as a business major from 1994-98. She was a member of the powerhouse UConn women's basketball team, "The Huskies".
In 1995 she helped lead UConn to a NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship as well as a Final Four appearance in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. She was named Rookie of the Year in 1995. In 1997 she was a member of the Gold medal USA Women's World University Games. In 1997-98 she helped the team make two Elite Eight appearances. In the 1997-98 season, she was named to the All-American first team, Defensive Player of the Year, and also the BIG EAST Player of the Year. She was also named to the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Kodak All-America teams.
Sales left college as UConn’s all-time leading scorer with 2,178 career points. She scored the record-breaking points as part of a staged controversial layup. Sales had suffered an injury that had essentially ended her collegiate career. UConn's next game (against Villanova University) began with Villanova permitting Sales to complete an uncontested layup. (UConn then returned the favor, allowing Villanova to score. The game essentially began with a 2-2 score before serious play commenced.) This was parodied in an episode of the Fox animated sitcom King of the Hill, in which an injured football player breaks the school's career touchdown record.
WNBA career
In 1998, Sales was assigned to the Orlando Miracle as part of the expansion draft. She remained with the franchise even when the Miracle relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut and was renamed the Connecticut Sun prior to the 2003 season. She helped lead the team to the WNBA Finals in 2004 and 2005. As of 2005, Sales is a 6-time WNBA All-Star.
Despite repeatedly making the annual all-star team since the beginning of her career, Sales was left off the announced All-Decade Team on June 13, 2006 as part of a celebration of the league's 10th Anniversary. Many felt that Sales deserved the controversial final spot.
Overseas career
Europe
- 2005-2006:
Gambrinus Brno - 2007:
Lotos Gdynia - 2007-2008:
TEO Vilnius
Trivia
- Sales was raised down the street from current NFL star Dwight Freeney.
- Her Brother Brooks Sales played forward for Villanova from 1998-2002.
- Her cousin [Michael Holley] is a sports talk personality on WEEI radio.
Vital statistics
- Position: Forward
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. / 1.83 m
- College: University of Connecticut
- Team(s): Connecticut Sun (WNBA)