Nakia Sanford is a professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player. She currently plays the center

Center (basketball)

The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 position for the Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...

 in the WNBA.

College career

Sanford finished her career at Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 ranked fourth all-time rebounder (832) and shot-blocker (89).

WNBA career

Sanford was not drafted. She was signed by the Washington Mystics

Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...

 before the 2003 WNBA season

2003 WNBA season

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. During her first three season, she saw limited action. It was not until the 2006 WNBA season

2006 WNBA season

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 that Sanford began to show progress as a player. She set career highs for all her stats in 2006, including rebounds per game (6.0) and field goal percentage (52%). In 2007, she set new career highs averaging 7 rebounds and 11 points per game. She saw decreased playing time during the 2008 WNBA season

2008 WNBA season

-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....

, however.