Imani McGee-Stafford

Imani Trishawn McGee-Stafford (born October 11, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played college basketball for University of Texas at Austin.

Imani McGee-Stafford
No. 34 – Perth Lynx
PositionCenter
LeagueWNBL
Personal information
Born (1994-10-11) October 11, 1994
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolWindward (Los Angeles, California)
CollegeTexas (2012–2016)
WNBA draft2016: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Sky
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Chicago Sky
2016–2017Bnot Herziliya
2017–2018Atlanta Dream
2017Beijing Great Wall
2018Liaoning Flying Eagles
2019Adana Basketbol
2019Dallas Wings
2019–presentPerth Lynx
Career highlights and awards
  • WNBA All-Rookie Team (2016)
  • Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year (2016)
  • Honda Sports Award (2015)
  • Big 12 Female Sportsperson of the Year (2015)
  • 2× First-team All-Big 12 (2015, 2016)
  • Second-team All-Big 12 (2014)
  • 2× Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2013, 2016)
  • Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2013)
  • Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2013)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Women's Basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-17 World Championship
Gold medal – first place2011 Toulouse and Rodez Team

College

In 2015, while at Texas, McGee-Stafford 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". She grew up in a challenging home environment, but overcame the challenge and became a voice for others.[1][2][3]

Texas statistics

Source[4]

Legend
  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
2012-13 Texas 30 334 48.3% 22.2% 64.4% 9.4 1.0 0.7 2.5 11.1
2013-14 Texas 33 356 49.8% 57.1% 62.8% 7.3 0.5 0.5 2.2 10.8
2014-15 Texas 27 266 56.2% 0.0% 70.0% 7.1 0.6 0.7 1.9 9.9
2015-16 Texas 36 405 50.3% 30.0% 78.6% 8.9 0.8 0.8 2.9 11.3
Career 126 1361 50.6% 32.1% 69.6% 8.2 0.7 0.7 2.4 10.8

Professional career

WNBA

McGee-Stafford was drafted 10th overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2016 WNBA draft. In her rookie season, she was ranked seventh in the league in blocks per game and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. In her first playoff game, she broke the WNBA playoff rookie record for blocks in a game with 6. Midway through the 2017 season, McGee-Stafford was traded to the Atlanta Dream along with teammate Tamera Young in exchange for Jordan Hooper and a first-round draft pick.[5] She continued on with Atlanta in 2018 before joining the Dallas Wings for the 2019 season.

Overseas

In December 2016, McGee-Stafford moved to Israel to play for Bnot Hertzeliya. In 16 games during the 2016–17 season, she averaged 14.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Between November and December 2017, she played in China for Beijing Great Wall of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association. She returned to China a year later, where she played for the Liaoning Flying Eagles between October and November 2018. In February 2019, she had a four-game stint in Turkey with Adana Basketbol.[6]

On June 13, 2019, McGee-Stafford signed with the Perth Lynx in Australia for the 2019–20 WNBL season.[7][8]

WNBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2016 Chicago 311618.9.554.000.6605.60.60.61.30.96.7
2017* Chicago 22415.5.444.333.7064.40.50.40.81.04.6
2017* Atlanta 1009.2.542.000.5002.90.20.10.70.32.9
2017 Total 32413.5.463.333.6523.90.40.30.80.84.1
Career 2 years, 2 teams 632016.2.514.333.6584.80.50.41.00.85.3

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2016 Chicago 5520.4.500.000.6008.20.80.02.01.08.4
Career 1 year, 1 team 5520.4.500.000.6008.20.80.02.01.08.4

Personal life

McGee-Stafford was married to former Texas Longhorns football player Paul Boyette Jr. in 2015, but the couple divorced in 2017.[9] She is the daughter of former WNBA player Pamela McGee, the younger maternal half-sister of current NBA player JaVale McGee, and a cousin of NFL player Jarron Gilbert. She also appeared on Let's Make a Deal with her grandmother on March 8, 2018 and received a pair of scooters. In the spring of 2020, she announced that she is stepping away for the next two WNBA seasons to pursue a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.[10] In March 2023, McGee-Stafford was announced as a partner in MOORvision Technologies and Ucam, a camera built to capture athlete's point of view during games.[11]

References
  1. "McGee-Stafford to accept Honda Inspiration Award on Monday". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  2. "Awards Overview". CWSA. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  3. "Imani McGee-Stafford of Texas Named Honda Inspiration Award Winner". CWSA. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  4. "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  5. Ryan, Shannon. "Sky trade Imani Boyette, Tamera Young to Dream". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  6. "Imani McGee-Stafford". usbasket.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  7. "LYNX SIGN WNBA CENTRE IMANI MCGEE-STAFFORD". wnbl.com.au. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  8. O'Donoghue, Craig (June 13, 2019). "Perth Lynx hit the jackpot with 201cm American Imani McGee-Stafford". thewest.com.au. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  9. Staff, Rick Cantu American-Statesman (2018-05-08). "Former Texas post Imani McGee-Stafford reflects on life in her published book of poetry". Hookem.com. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  10. "Wings' McGee-Stafford steps away for law school". ESPN.com. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  11. Ramil, David (March 31, 2023). "Wearable Camera Aims To Change How Sports, Entertainment Viewed". forbes.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
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