Jae Kingi-Cross

{{Infobox basketball biography

|name = Jae Kingi-Cross

|birth_name=Jae Monique Kingi

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1976|01|20|df=y}}FIBA Archive. [https://web.archive.org/web/20151121162123/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/22090/sid/3119/tid/239/tid2//_/2002_World_Championship_for_Women/index.html Player Search: Jae Monique Kingi]. Retrieved 2012-09-10.

|birth_place=Wellington, New Zealand

| years1 = {{wnbay|2001}}, {{wnbay|2004}} | team1 = Detroit Shock

| years2 = {{wnbay|2004}} | team2 = Phoenix Mercury

| years3 = {{wnbay|2006}} | team3 = San Antonio Silver Stars

|death_date=

|death_place=

|show-medals=yes

|medaltemplates={{MedalSport |Women's Basketball}}

{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}

}}

Jae Monique Kingi-Cross ({{nee}} Kingi; 20 January 1976) is a New Zealand-born Australian former basketball player and coach. She played for the Detroit Shock, Houston Comets, Phoenix Mercury, and San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Kingi-Cross was the first player of Māori descent to be selected in the WNBA draft.

Professional career

In the domestic Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), Kingi-Cross played 192 games for the Australian Institute of Sport and the Adelaide Lightning.Women's National Basketball League. [http://www.wnbl.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Guide/2009_10/WNBL_All-Time_Playing_Roster_2009-10.pdf All-time Playing Roster] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015013259/http://www.wnbl.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Guide/2009_10/WNBL_All-Time_Playing_Roster_2009-10.pdf |date=15 October 2013 }}. Retrieved 2012-09-11.[http://www.wnbl.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Guide/2011_12/100_club.pdf Players with 100 or more career games] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517232431/http://www.wnbl.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Guide/2011_12/100_club.pdf |date=17 May 2013 }}. Women's National Basketball League. Retrieved 2012-09-11. Kingi-Cross was also twice named to the WNBL All-Star Five, in seasons 2000/01 and 2001/02.[http://www.wnbl.com.au/index.php?id=91 All Star Five] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215201851/http://www.wnbl.com.au/index.php?id=91 |date=15 February 2015 }}. Women's National Basketball League. Retrieved 2012-09-11.

In 2001, Kingi-Cross moved to the United States to play in the Women's National Basketball Association where she was selected in the second round (pick 22 overall) of the 2001 WNBA draft by the Detroit Shock.[http://www.wnba.com/history/alltime_draft_list.html#2001 All-Time WNBA Draft List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012083033/http://wnba.com/history/alltime_draft_list.html#2001 |date=12 October 2008 }}. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2012-09-11. Kingi-Cross also played with the Phoenix Mercury (2004), the San Antonio Silver Stars (2006) and the Houston Comets (2007).[http://www.wnba.com/silverstars/news/cross_signing_060313.html Silver Stars Sign Jae Kingi-Cross]. San Antonio Silver Stars. News (13 March 2006). Retrieved 2012-09-12.[http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/opals-suit-up-for-wnba-with-beijing-on-their-minds/2007/05/17/1178995296445.html Opals suit up for WNBA with Beijing on their minds]. The Sydney Morning Herald (17 May 2007). Retrieved 2012-09-12.Women's National Basketball Association. [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/jae_kingi-cross/career_stats.html Player Profile: Jae Kingi-Cross] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216023117/http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/jae_kingi-cross/career_stats.html |date=16 December 2013 }}. Retrieved 2012-09-12. Entering the 2006 World Championship held in Brazil, Kingi-Cross was the only Australian playing in the WNBA who was not selected in the Opals team.Howell, Stephen (9 August 2006). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/basketball/opals-strengthen-bid-to-topple-us-giants/2006/08/08/1154802889473.html?page=fullpage Opals strengthen bid to topple US giants]. The Age. Retrieved 2012-09-12.

National team career

Kingi-Cross was a member of the Australia women's national basketball team for 12 years, from 1995-2006 and was in the squad that won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships held in China.[http://www.usc.edu.au/community/health-and-sport/sports-hall-of-fame/jae-cross-2008-basketball.htm Jae Cross (2008) Basketball]. University of the Sunshine Coast: Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-09-10.FIBA Archive. 2002 World Championship for Women. [https://archive.today/20130122220339/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid//sid/3119/tid/0/_/2002_FIBA_World_Championship_for_Women/index.html Final Standings]. Retrieved 2012-09-10. Pregnancy kept Kingi-Cross out of the 2004 Olympic squad that went to Athens.Howell, Stephen (16 March 2006). [http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/opal-a-gem-of-an-import/2006/03/15/1142098537635.html Opal a gem of an import]. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2012-09-11.

Coaching career

Kingi-Cross spent five seasons as an assistant coach and two seasons as associate head coach with the Rice Owls women's basketball team. She served as head coach of the St. Thomas Celts women's basketball team from 2015-2023.{{cite web |title=Jae Cross Named Women's Basketball Coach |url=https://ustcelts.com/sports/wbkb/2015-16/releases/20150601_Jae_Cross_Named_Womens_Basketball_Coach |website=ustcelts.com |access-date=30 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427233206/https://ustcelts.com/sports/wbkb/2015-16/releases/20150601_Jae_Cross_Named_Womens_Basketball_Coach |archive-date=27 April 2025}}

Career statistics

=WNBA=

{{WNBA player statistics start|caption=WNBA regular season statistics{{cite web |title=Jae Kingi-Cross WNBA Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/k/kingija01w.html |website=Basketball Reference |access-date=}}}}

| align=left | {{wnbay|2001}}

| align=left | Detroit

|29||17||21.6||.387||.375||.722||2.2||2.6||1.1||0.3||1.8||5.8

|- class="sortbottom"

| align=left | 2002

| align=center colspan=13| Did not appear in league

|- class="sortbottom"

| align=left | 2003

| align=center colspan=13| Did not play (maternity leave)

| align=left rowspan=2 | {{wnbay|2004}}

| align=left | Detroit

|5||0||3.0||—||—||.750||0.2||0.2||0.0||0.0||0.4||0.6

| align=left | Phoenix

|13||0||9.8||.333||.429||.714||1.0||0.9||0.4||0.2||0.5||1.5

|- class="sortbottom"

| align=left | 2005

| align=center colspan=13| Did not play (waived)

| align=left | {{wnbay|2006}}

| align=left | San Antonio

|18||1||6.4||.444||.333||.778||0.6||0.6||0.3||0.0||0.3||1.4

|- class="sortbottom"

| align=left | Career

| align=left | 3 years, 3 teams

|65||18||13.6||.388||.376||.732||1.3||1.5||0.6||0.2||1.0||3.3

Personal life

In 2008, she was inducted into her home town of Canberra's Sports Hall of Fame.Rice Owls: Women's Basketball. [http://www.riceowls.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/cross_jae00.html Biography: Jae Cross]. Retrieved 2012-09-12. Kingi-Cross and her husband, Tom Cross, live in Texas with their four daughters.