Dream adds Amanda Thompson, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Kara Braxton and Meighan Simmons to roster
From the Dream:
The Atlanta Dream have added four players to its 2016 roster, re-signing Amanda Thompson and inking DeLisha Milton-Jones, Kara Braxton and Meighan Simmons to training camp contracts it was announced Thursday.
Thompson, who made the Atlanta roster in 2014 after signing a training camp contract, did not play during the 2015 WNBA season after suffering an injury overseas. The 6-1 forward was the 19th overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft after a successful career at the University of Oklahoma. She saw action in 21 of 34 games during her last stint with the Dream in 2014 while averaging 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds.
Thompson is currently competing overseas in Romania for Sepsi Sic, which boasts a currently overall mark of 19-2. Over 11 games of action, Thompson has registered 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest.
Milton-Jones returns after spending 2015 in Atlanta and being honored as the first Dream player in the franchise’s history to be named as the winner of the WNBA’s Sportsmanship Award. In addition, Milton-Jones became the WNBA’s all-time leader in games played last season, with her current total at 499. She posted averages of 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while logging an average of 9.0 played over 18 contests.
Braxton, a 6-6 post player, was drafted out of the University of Georgia as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. The 10-year WNBA veteran last played in the league during the 2014 season with New York and was a fixture on the Liberty’s roster from 2011-14. She has averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over 297 career games.
Currently playing overseas in China for Liaoning Hengye, Braxton leads the squad with an average of 23.7 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting a solid .556 (260-for-459) from the field.
Simmons, a 5-9 guard out of the University of Tennessee, was the No. 26 selection (third round) of the 2014 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. She appeared in three preseason games before eventually being released. She also had a brief stint with Seattle in 2015.
She is currently playing overseas in Italy for Umbertide where she has totaled a team-best 16.1 points per game scoring average. Simmons has also dropped a squad-best 57 three-pointers while shooting a .403 clip (57-of-143).
Collegiately, Simmons finished her Lady Vol career with 2,064 points, becoming just the fifth player in Tennessee history to reach the 2,000-point plateau, joining an elite list that includes Chamique Holdsclaw, Bridgette Gordon, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings.
The Dream will open the 2016 regular season at the San Antonio Stars on Saturday, May 14. Atlanta’s home opener at Philips Arena will take place on Sunday, May 22 vs. the Chicago Sky in a 3 p.m. ET tip. Training camp begins on April 23.
