Alana Monique Beard (born May 14, 1982) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. After playing college basketball for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

, she was drafted second overall by the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

in the 2004 WNBA Draft. She signed on with the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

as a free agent in 2012. Beard was the 2017 and 2018 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. However, she was injured next season, only contributing a few points for the Sparks. Beard announced her retirement from the WNBA on January 23, 2020.

Early years

Beard was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 14, 1982, to LeRoy and Marie Beard. She played for Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she led her team to four consecutive state titles. The team compiled a record of 144–6 while she was on the team. She scored 2,646 points during her four years, and finished her high school career with 53 consecutive victories. Beard was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored fifteen points.

College

Coach Gail Goestenkors, then at Duke University, successfully recruited Beard. During her four years, she set a school scoring record of 2,687 points. Beard is the first NCAA basketball player to amass over 2,600 points, 500 assist and 400 steals. During the four years Beard played for Duke, the team won four regular season and tournaments championships. Beard helped Duke reach the Final Four twice in her career. In her senior year, the team achieved the first ever number one ranking in the final AP poll of the year.

Duke statistics

Source

WNBA career

Beard was drafted in 2004 with the 2nd overall pick by the

. In her rookie season, she immediately became a starter and helped lead the Mystics to the playoffs, despite the loss of star

Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw (born August 9, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She announced her retir ...

halfway through the season. They lost to the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established as the Orlando Miracle in ...

in the first round of the playoffs 2–1. In her second season, Beard was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time in her career, while averaging 14.1 ppg, but the Mystics never made the playoffs. Beard had the best year of her career in the 2006 season, averaging a career-high 19.2 ppg, shooting nearly 50% from the field and was once again named a WNBA All-Star. Her season performance, led the Mystics to a playoff berth but were eliminated yet again by Connecticut in the first round in a 2-game sweep. The 2009 season would be Beard's final year playing with the Mystics. Following the 2009 season, Beard sat out two consecutive seasons, she missed the 2010 season after undergoing surgery to repair an ankle

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

and sat out the 2011 season with a foot injury. Beard Moore 20171004

After recovering from back-to-back season ending injuries, Beard signed with the

in 2012 during free agency. Beard played the shooting guard in the Sparks's starting lineup. With a supporting cast of

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Ang ...

, Kristi Toliver and

Nneka Ogwumike Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike (; born July 2, 1990) is a Nigerian-American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft. S ...

, the Sparks made it back to the playoffs for the first time in 2 years with Beard's contributions as the Sparks finished second in the Western Conference with a 24–10 record. She averaged 11.4 ppg in 33 games while shooting a career-high in 3-point field goal percentage. The Sparks made it to the second round but were swept 2-0 by the Minnesota Lynx. Prior to the 2015 season, Beard re-signed with the Sparks in free agency. During the 2015 season, Beard missed the first two months with

plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis or plantar heel pain (PHP) is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue which supports the arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and bottom of the foot that is usually most severe with the fi ...

. She played 14 games with 11 starts, averaging 7.8 ppg after recovery. By this time, Beard had already transitioned into playing the small forward in the Sparks's starting lineup. The Sparks still made it to the playoffs but lost 2–1 in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx, who won the championship that year. Beard Parker 20171004

In the 2016 season, Beard would be fully healthy, playing and starting in all 34 games, averaging 7.1 ppg. With the all-star trio of Parker, Toliver and Ogwumike, the Sparks were a championship contender and finished with a 26–8 record. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Sparks were the number 2 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

. The Sparks defeated the Sky 3–1 in the series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2003. In the WNBA Finals, it was the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the Finals due to the new playoff format, as they faced the championship-defending Minnesota Lynx. It would be Beard's first career finals appearance and one of the most memorable highlights of the series was in Game 1 where Beard made a game-winning jump shot at the buzzer to give the Sparks a 1–0 lead. The Sparks would go on to win the series in five games, clinching the 2016 WNBA Championship and Beard winning her first career championship. In February 2017, Beard re-signed once again with the Sparks in free agency. During the 2017 season, Beard would once again start in 34 games for the second consecutive season, averaging 6.9 ppg, achieved a career-high in field goal shooting percentage and also led the league in steals, helping the Sparks to 26–8 record and the number 2 seed in the league. In September 2017, the WNBA announced that Beard won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming only the second Sparks player after Lisa Leslie to do so. The Sparks would go on to advance to the Finals for the second season in a row, after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep, setting up a rematch with the Lynx. However, the Sparks would lose in five games, failing to win back-to-back championships. In February 2018, Beard again re-signed with the Sparks in free agency. Midway through the season, Beard suffered a groin injury which kept her out for a few weeks and would make her return by August. Beard would finish the season with a career-low in scoring, but she would end up winning Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. The Sparks finished 19–15 with the number 6 seed. They would defeat the championship-defending Minnesota Lynx 75–68 in the first round elimination game. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks would lose 96–64 to the Washington Mystics. In February 2019, Beard re-signed with the Sparks for the fourth time. In 2019, Beard was struggled with a hamstring injury throughout the entire season, causing her to only play half the season, also resulting in less playing time and a new career-low in scoring. Despite this, the Sparks were still a playoff team earning the number 3 seed with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. They defeated the defending champion Seattle Storm in the second round elimination game by a score of 92–69. However, the Sparks were swept by the

in the semi-finals. Beard announced her retirement from the WNBA on January 23, 2020 after a 15-year career.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004 , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.1 , , .418 , , .375 , , .718 , , 4.2, , 2.7 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.3 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 30 , , 33.8 , , .380 , , .317 , , .762 , , 4.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 2.1 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 31.3 , , .495 , , .363 , , .758 , , 4.7 , , 3.1 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 2.8 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 35.4 , , .416 , , .322 , , .847 , , 4.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.9 , , 0.7 , , 2.8 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.1 , , .395 , , .354 , , .733 , , 3.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.5 , , 3.2 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 30 , , 31.8 , , .429 , , .299 , , .737 , , 4.0 , , 2.2 , , 2.3 , , 0.5 , , 3.2 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, 33 , , 33 , , 30.8 , , .436 , , .402 , , .795 , , 2.2 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 2.5 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 22.0 , , .459 , , .125 , , .824 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 27.7 , , .463 , , .286 , , .745 , , 2.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.7 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 11 , , 26.1 , , .490 , , .182 , , .900 , , 3.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 1.4 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 29.3 , , .467 , , .342 , , .692 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , , 1.7 , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.8 , , .497 , , .316 , , .804 , , 3.3 , , 2.2 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.0° , , 0.5 , , 1.3 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 30 , , 25.5 , , .392 , , .400 , , .810 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 3 , , 14.7 , , .449 , , .200 , , .778 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 0.5 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 14 years, 2 teams , 419 , , 402 , , 29.4 , , .435 , , .336 , , .766 , , 3.4 , , 2.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 11.3

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 34.0 , , .439 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.6 , , 3.3 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 32.0 , , .278 , , .200 , , .900 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 27.0 , , .308 , , .125 , , .667 , , 5.0 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4, , 34.0 , , .491 , , .000 , , .588 , , 2.3 , , 3.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 2.5 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 30.9 , , .407, , .000 , , 1.000 , , 4.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.6 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 23.9 , , .375 , , .000 , , .000 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 35.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 31.1 , , .456 , , .500 , , .778 , , 3.8 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.2 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 32.5, , .510 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.6 , , 0.9 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 26.5 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.5 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .412 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.7 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 11 years, 2 teams , 42 , , 38 , , 30.0 , , .422 , , .146 , , .764 , , 3.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 8.9

Overseas career

Beard's first overseas stint was in the 2005-06 off-season when she played in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

for the Shinsegae Coolcat. Beard played in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for Elitzur Ramla during the 2006-07 off-season. In the 2008-09 offseason, Beard played in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

for Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia. In the 2011-12 off-season, Beard played once again in Israel for Elitzur Ramla. In the 2012-13 off-season she played in Poland for Wisla Can-Pack Kraków. In the 2015-16 off-season, Beard played in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

for Perfumerias Avenida.

USA Basketball

Beard was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship. Beard helped the team the gold medal, starting all five games and leading all scorers with 15.4 points per game. She was the leading scorer in the opening game against Puerto Rico with 23 points (tied with Aminata Yanni) and the leading scorer against Argentina with 24 points. She continued as a member of the team which went on to the World Championships in Brno, Czech Republic. Beard was the second leading scorer for the USA team (behind Diana Taurasi) with 18.0 points per game. That scoring placed her fifth among all participants. She helped the team win the bronze medal.

Off the court

In 2004, Beard started the ''Alana Beard Foundation'' a nonprofit organization that sponsors female AAU basketball teams, aiding young women with the necessary resources to achieve success on or off court. The foundation currently sponsors seven female AAU basketball teams. Six of the teams are located in Maryland called Alana Beard's Future and one in her hometown Shreveport, Louisiana, called the Southern Mystics. In 2018, Beard traveled to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

as a Sports Envoy with the U.S. State Department's

Sports Diplomacy Politics and sports or sports diplomacy describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political International relations, relations. Sports diplomacy may transcend cultural differences and bring people together. The us ...

Office. Together with Cherokee Parks, Beard and Parks led a basketball clinic for youth in Davao and Manila. In so doing, Beard helped contribute to Sports Diplomacy's mission to promote leadership and inclusion in youth.

Honors and awards

High school

* USAT Second team All-America 2000 * Parade Second team All-America 2000

College

* John R. Wooden Award-Women's Basketball National Player of the Year 2004 *State Farm Wade Trophy-National Player of the Year 2004 *Associated Press -National Player of the Year 2004 *Naismith Player of the Year *Lowe's Senior CLASS Award 2004 *United States Basketball Writers Association-National Player of the Year 2004 *Victor Award-National Player of the Year 2003 *ESPN.com-National Player of the Year 2003, 2004 *Bayer Advantage Senior Class Award 2004 *Kodak All-American 2002, 2003, 2004 *AP All-American 2002, 2003, 2004 *United States Basketball Writers Association All-America 2002, 2003, 2004 *Women's Basketball News Service All-America 2001, 2003, 2004 *Kodak/WBCA All-District II 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 *United States Basketball Writers Association National Freshman of the Year 2001 *Sports Illustrated National Freshman of the Year 2001 *Women's Basketball Journal National Freshman of the Year 2001 *CBS Sportsline National Freshman of the Year 2001 *Basketball Times Freshman All-America 2001 *WBCA Player(s) of the Year 2004 * ACC Female Athlete of the Year 2003, 2004 *ACC Women's Legends Class of 2015

Professional

*2005 WNBA All-Star Team *2006 WNBA All-Star Team *2007 WNBA All-Star Team *2009 WNBA All-Star Selection *2016 WNBA Champion

Notes

References

External links

* *
Alana's bio at usolympicteam.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Alana 1982 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Spain American women's basketball players Basketball players from Shreveport, Louisiana Canberra Capitals players Duke Blue Devils women's basketball players Los Angeles Sparks players Shooting guards Washington Mystics draft picks Washington Mystics players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars 21st-century American women United States women's national basketball team players