Dana Evans

Dana Evans: A Brief Biography

Dana Lynn Evans is a basketball player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) who plays for the Chicago Sky team. Evans started playing basketball at a relatively young age, choosing the sport in the fourth grade but quickly became known for her defence, according to Slam. She went to West Side Leadership Academy where she was the first female from Gary to participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game. Her high school performance paved her way to the University of Louisville where she performed equally well. Evans was awarded the ACC Sixth Player of the Year in her second year and became a two-time ACC Player of the Year, thus becoming the first player to be awarded the Sixth Player of the Year and then the Player of the Year in the ACC.

Evans was drafted in the 2021 WNBA Draft as the 13th overall pick in the second round by the Dallas Wings but was traded to the Chicago Sky during her first season. She was instrumental in the Sky’s championship win in her rookie season. Evans has also played in the international leagues such as KSC Szekszárd and Beşiktaş. Being a prolific scorer, she has further enhanced her performance, scoring an average of 7.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 rebounds per game in the 2024 regular season. Besides basketball, Evans is a Jordan Brand athlete and has her own player-exclusive shoes that reflect her changing fashion and impact on the game.

Dana Evans Early Life

Dana Evans was born on 1st August 1998 in Gary Indiana to parents Shwanda and Damon Evans. She credits her father and her high school coaches to motivate her to become a strong and decisive basketball player, according to Heart & Soul. However, she did not begin to play basketball until the fourth grade. She started rather late and was able to rise through the ranks rather fast, especially on the defensive side of things. Before the end of sixth grade, she had received a scholarship to play college basketball from Valparaiso head coach Keith Freeman.

Evans went to West Side Leadership Academy in Gary and became the first girl from Gary to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. In her high school, she averaged 35.8 points per game in her final year of high school and her team won three Class 4A sectional championships.

Dana Evans Personal Life

Dana Evans, whose full name is Dana Lynn Evans best known for basketball was born in Gary, Indiana, but little is known about her early life. Despite the rise on the career ladder in the WNBA, she is close-lipped about her relationships and personal affairs.

Dana Evans Family Background

Dana Evans was born on 1st August 1998 in Gary, Indiana, to Shwanada and Damon Evans. Evans comes from a basketball-oriented family, but she began to play basketball only at the age of 9, in the fourth grade. Her parents were basketball lovers and this made them take her through the basics of basketball which helped her to grow into a good player. Although she faced some tough times during her college years, she attributes her parents to make her stick to her situations rather than looking for easy way outs in the form of a college transfer, according to The Next Hoops. Dana has three brothers namely Damon Jr., Justin and DJ and a sister, Deja.

Dana Evans Social Media

Dana Evans is seen very often on social media posting about her life updates and games as well. She also likes to post some of her latest outfits and also her trips abroad. Her Instagram account has the handle @dana_kianna and she also has an X (formerly Twitter) account with the username @Danaaakianaaa.

Dana Evans Brand ambassador

Dana Evans has an endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand. Evans, along with being a signature athlete for the brand, also helps design Player Exclusive shoe lineups, which has also been worn by NBA player Jason Tatum, according to Sole Retriever. Besides her collaboration with Jordan Brand, Evans has also worked with Opulence Beauty, a beauty company, in which she has a minority stake, according to Sports Business Journal. Being an Opulence Beauty ambassador, she hopes that the women of the world will be empowered to be beautiful regardless of the time they spend playing basketball, demonstrating on-court beauty as a “way of showing confidence”, as per Sports Business Journal.

Dana Evans Career Stats

Dana Evans has participated in 140 regular season games, scoring 866 points, 283 assists, and 128 rebounds, as of September 2024. During the 2024 season, Evans scored 7.2 points and provided 2.4 assists, and 1.1 rebounds per game in the regular season, which proves her progress and stability as a guard. Evans had one of her best performances in the 2021 WNBA Finals where she contributed significantly to the Chicago Sky’s first title. Another memorable game was in the 2023 season when she recorded her career-high 23 points, with 2 rebounds and 8 assists against the Seattle Storm and showed that she can take over the game when necessary. Below mentioned are her season-wise statistics since she was drafted in 2021:

Dana Evans Achievements

Dana Evans has demonstrated some great moments throughout her playing career since she started playing basketball in the 4th grade. Here are some of her most memorable moments as a professional basketball player:

ACC All-Freshman Team (2018)

Dana Evans received an ACC All-Freshman Team nomination in 2018 as she showed her potential early on by averaging 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game with 1.1 blocks per game.

ACC Sixth Player of the Year (2019)

Dana Evans also had a great start at the University of Louisville and was awarded the ACC Sixth Player of the Year in her sophomore year. This award was particularly significant in that it demonstrated her capacity to make a huge impact coming off the bench, as a scorer and a defender.

2-time ACC Player of the Year (2020 and 2021)

Evans’s performance remained impressive as she was the first player in ACC history to change from Sixth Player of the Year to Player of the Year. She was awarded the ACC Player of the Year in her junior and senior years, which placed her among the best college basketball players.

2-time First-team All-ACC (2020 and 2021)

Evans was also the recipient of 2 nominations into the First-team All-ACC in 2020 and 2021 as a result of her performances in her junior and senior years at college.

2-time WBCA All-American (2020, 2021)

Evans was also nominated into the WBCA All-American teams due to some great performances in the final 2 years of her college tenure.

Second-team All-American (2020)

Evans was a second-team All-American in the final year of her college, and received the nomination from both the Associated Press (AP) and the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), as she averaged a career-high 20.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds in that year playing 30 games for the University of Louisville.

WNBA Champion (2021)

During her first year in the WNBA, Evans was traded to the Chicago Sky, which she helped lead to the championship. Her defensive work and timely scoring were instrumental in the Sky’s first WNBA title, a major achievement in her career.

WNBA All-Rookie Team (2021)

Evans had a great first season and she got a place in the WNBA All-Rookie Team. This recognition was an acknowledgement of her performance in the league and the potential for future performance.

International Play

However, apart from WNBA, Evans has also featured in other countries such as Hungary where she played for KSC Szekszárd and Turkey where she played for Beşiktaş. She has played for her country and this has made her to be a rounded player and also exposed to different styles of play.

Jordan Brand Athlete

Being a Jordan Brand athlete, Evans has not only worn special shoes but also has been involved in the creation of her own player-exclusive shoes. This partnership demonstrates how she is involved in both the sports and fashion industries and how she can promote the brand with passion.

Opulence Beauty Ambassador

Besides her athletic accomplishments, Evans sponsors Opulence Beauty, a Black-owned beauty company. This is something that she has always been interested in, especially in beauty and fashion and therefore she is a perfect role model for young athletes who would want to pursue their careers in athletics while at the same time being stylish.

Dana Evans contract

Dana Evans is on a 3-year, $193,370 deal with the Dallas Wings, which was her rookie deal and includes an average annual salary of $64,457. She was traded to the Chicago Sky on June 02, 2021, who exercised a $78,469 option for her in 2024. In 2024, Evans earned a base salary of $78,469, while carrying a cap hit of $78,469 with a dead cap value of $78,469. (via Spotrac)