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Latasha Nashay Byears (born August 12, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 professional women's basketball
Women's basketball

Women's basketball is one of the few games which developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges....
 player who plays for the Houston Comets
Houston Comets

The Houston Comets was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team is one of the original eight WNBA teams and won all four championships in the first four years of the league's existence....
 in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association has 13 teams and is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States....
. Byears, who previously played for the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs

The Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith....
, the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1997, the Sparks are one of the eight original WNBA teams....
, and the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. They started play in 1998, the second year of the WNBA and are one of the WNBA's first expansion franchises....
, ranked eighth all-time in field goal percentage (.514) and was among the top 10 rebounders in the league's history as of 2003.

Nicknamed "Tot", Byears usually played the position of power forward
Power forward (basketball)

Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF"....
. However, the openly lesbian
Lesbian

File:Lesbian Couple from back holding hands.jpgLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females....
 Byears became more well-known for her troubles on and off the basketball court.

rs grew up in Millington, Tennessee
Millington, Tennessee

Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 10,433. It is the home of Memphis Motorsports Park....
 and went to high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 in nearby Arlington, Tennessee
Arlington, Tennessee

Arlington is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census. It is one of seven municipalities in Shelby County....
.






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Latasha Nashay Byears (born August 12, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 professional women's basketball
Women's basketball

Women's basketball is one of the few games which developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges....
 player who plays for the Houston Comets
Houston Comets

The Houston Comets was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team is one of the original eight WNBA teams and won all four championships in the first four years of the league's existence....
 in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association has 13 teams and is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States....
. Byears, who previously played for the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs

The Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith....
, the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1997, the Sparks are one of the eight original WNBA teams....
, and the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. They started play in 1998, the second year of the WNBA and are one of the WNBA's first expansion franchises....
, ranked eighth all-time in field goal percentage (.514) and was among the top 10 rebounders in the league's history as of 2003.

Nicknamed "Tot", Byears usually played the position of power forward
Power forward (basketball)

Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF"....
. However, the openly lesbian
Lesbian

File:Lesbian Couple from back holding hands.jpgLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females....
 Byears became more well-known for her troubles on and off the basketball court.

College years

Byears grew up in Millington, Tennessee
Millington, Tennessee

Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 10,433. It is the home of Memphis Motorsports Park....
 and went to high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 in nearby Arlington, Tennessee
Arlington, Tennessee

Arlington is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census. It is one of seven municipalities in Shelby County....
. Afterwards, Byears played two years in Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, located in Miami, Oklahoma
Miami, Oklahoma

Miami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 13,704 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma....
. She later transferred to DePaul University
DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois, Illinois, United States Founded by the Congregation of the Missions in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest who valued philanthropy, Vincent de Paul....
 in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, where she averaged 22.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game during the 1995-1996 season, a performance that earned her a first team All-America
All-America

An All-American "team" is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players, those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position, who are referred to as All-America or, less precisely, All-American Sportspersons....
n.

WNBA career

Despite not being selected at the first WNBA Draft
WNBA Draft

The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the Women's National Basketball Association through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and List of WNBA players....
, the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs

The Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith....
 invited Byears to their training camp prior to their inaugural season in 1997. Byears then starred for the Monarchs for the next four seasons, making headlines for her rough play, including throwing a ball at the face of Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and University of Connecticut star Sue Bird....
 player Michelle Marciniak
Michelle Marciniak

Michelle Marciniak is a former All American collegiate and professional basketball player, who played point guard in the Women's National Basketball Association ....
.

Byears was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1997, the Sparks are one of the eight original WNBA teams....
 after the 2000 season ended, where she excelled. However, following a June 5, 2003 Sparks game, Byears and three men unconnected to the Sparks were investigated for an alleged rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 of a WNBA player. Byears was cut by the Sparks at the beginning of the season. Four months later, in light of Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant is an United States National Basketball Association All-Star Game shooting guard who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association....
's rape allegations and how the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association....
, who owned the Sparks at the time, supported Bryant during the allegations, Byears sued the Lakers, accusing the team of double standards. The criminal proceedings would eventually be closed in August 2005 due to insufficient evidence, and Byears' lawsuit against the Lakers was settled just months later. Shortly after settling the lawsuit, Byears returned to the WNBA after a two-year absence, signing with the Mystics.

In November 2006 Byears joined the Bulgarian team of CSKA Sofia.

In 2007, Byears signed a free agent
Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a team player whose contract with a team has expired, and the player is able to sign a contract with another team if that player is chosen....
 contract with the Houston Comets
Houston Comets

The Houston Comets was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team is one of the original eight WNBA teams and won all four championships in the first four years of the league's existence....
, she was briefly waived in 2008, before being re-signed after an unimpressive start by the team.

She is currently playing for Leszno in Poland during the 2008-09 WNBA off-season.

External links