Nikki Teasley Traded to Los Angeles
April 19, 2002 | Women's Basketball
April 19, 2002
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--UNC senior Nikki Teasley was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks Friday afternoon, just hours after being selected by Portland with the fifth pick of the 2002 WNBA Draft. Teasley and forward Sophia Witherspoon (Florida, '91) went to L.A. for guard Ukari Figgs (Purdue, '99) and second-round pick Gergana Slavtcheva of Florida International.
"I'm shocked but happy," Teasley said after learning of the trade. "I really like the Los Angeles staff and the fact they're the defending champions. I think they have a great chance to repeat and I'm really excited to go to L.A."
Teasley, UNC's career leader in assists and three-pointers, joins a squad that won the 2001 WNBA title. Los Angeles, led by league MVP Lisa Leslie, defeated Charlotte in the best-of-three championship series.
"Nikki Teasley is a superb athlete, one that reminds me of Magic Johnson," Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. "She is a big point guard that can not only hit the three-point shot, but she is a tough player who can pass the ball well and is a very good rebounder."
In Portland, Teasley would have been playing with former Tar Heels Sylvia Crawley, now a UNC assistant coach, and LaQuanda Barksdale. In Los Angeles, she'll team with Jackie Higgins, who played for Carolina in 1999 and 2000 and was selected by the Sparks in the second round of Friday's draft, 32nd overall.
UNC players in the WNBA draft
1998: Tracy Reid, seventh (Charlotte)
1999: Charlotte Smith, 33rd (Charlotte)
2000: LaQuanda Barksdale, 12th (Portland)
2000: Juana Brown, 49th (Seattle)
2002: Nikki Teasley, fifth (Portland, traded to Los Angeles)
2002: Jackie Higgins, 32nd (Los Angeles)
(Sylvia Crawley joined the Portland Fire as a free agent in 2000)