Anitra Necole Blue better known as
Nikki Blue (born March 29, 1984 in Bakersfield, California) is a professional basketball player with the
New York LibertyThe New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
of the
WNBAThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
and an assistant coach at UNLV.
High school
Blue played her high school career at
West High SchoolWest High School is a Public school high school located in Bakersfield, California. The school serves about 2500 students in grades 9 to 12 in the Kern High School District...
in Bakersfield, CA. Blue set the CIF Central Section record for points scored in a single season (913 in the 2000–01 season) and career (2,934 points). Blue averaged 29 points per game her senior year at West and lead Kern County in assist per game as well. Blue is regarded as the best player to ever come out of the CIF Central Section. However, due to the lack of talent around her, West High never won a section championship during Blue's career. The closest West came was in 2002 when West lost to crosstown rival Stockdale 82–55 in the CIF Central Section Division II championship game. Blue was named a
WBCAThe Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
All-American. She participated in the 2001 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored two points, but had a good game.
College
Blue was regarded as one of the best point guards in the country, and was offered a full-ride scholarship to the
University of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, the nations top ranked team in 2002. However, Blue turned the offer down and instead opted to go to
UCLAThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, which went 10–20 during the 2002 season. Blue stated that UCLA was closer to home and she liked the idea of rebuilding a program.
At UCLA, Blue was a four year starting point guard. She was named 1st team All-Conference in the Pac-10 and 1st team All-Freshmen. She averaged 16.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 3.6 assist per game, and 2.7 steals per game her freshman year.
As a sophomore, she was named 1st team All-Conference in the Pac-10 for the second straight year. As a junior, she joined
Ann MeyersAnn Meyers Drysdale is a retired American basketball player and sportscaster. She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and the professional levels.Meyers was the first player to be part of the U.S. national team while still in high school...
as the second Bruin to record over 1,300 points and 400 assists. She was one of the finalists for the
Nancy Lieberman AwardThe Nancy Lieberman Award, named for Basketball Hall of Fame legend Nancy Lieberman, is given annually by the Rotary Club of Detroit to the nation's top collegiate point guard in women's Division I basketball...
her senior year. Her career averages at UCLA were 15.2 points per game, 5.1 assist per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 2.8 steals per game.
Professional
After her college career, Blue was selected in the second round of the
2006 WNBA DraftOn November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm into the league.On April 5, 2006, the WNBA...
by the
Washington MysticsThe 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'...
. She played 4 seasons with the Mystics before being traded on May 13, 2010 to the
New York LibertyThe New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
in exchange for rookie
Ashley HoutsAshley Houts is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA. Daughter of Greg and Joni Houts. Her sister, Emily Houts, played collegiately at Gadsden State Community College and Chattanooga...
.
Career Totals
| Season |
Team |
Games |
Minutes |
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Steals |
Blocks |
| 2006 -External links:*******...
|
Washington MysticsThe 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'...
|
24 |
181 |
54 |
20 |
36 |
18 |
0 |
| 2007 -External links:* * * * * * * *...
|
Washington MysticsThe 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'...
|
30 |
420 |
107 |
63 |
48 |
22 |
5 |
| 2008 -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....
|
Washington MysticsThe 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'...
|
26 |
537 |
99 |
41 |
73 |
19 |
2 |
| 2009 The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008...
|
Washington MysticsThe 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'...
|
16 |
91 |
24 |
10 |
12 |
7 |
0 |
| 2010 The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...
|
New York LibertyThe New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
|
15 |
77 |
18 |
6 |
13 |
4 |
0 |
Personal
Her full name is Anitra Necole Blue. She is the daughter to Sabrina Hunter and has one brother, Andre. She has served as an assistant coach in the UNLV women's basketball program for the past two years during her off-season from the WNBA. Her biggest thrill to date was being selected to play in the first McDonald's All-Star game in New York. She also lettered in volleyball (three years), softball (one year) and track and field (one year). She majored in history at UCLA.
External links