Kayte Lauren Christensen (born November 16, 1980) is an American color commentator for the Sacramento Kings[2] and former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Lakeview, Oregon | November 16, 1980
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 2[1] in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 171[1] lb (78 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Modoc (Alturas, California) |
College | UC Santa Barbara (1998–2002) |
WNBA draft | 2002: 3rd round, 40th overall pick |
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury | |
Playing career | 2002–2008 |
Position | Forward |
Number | 20 |
Career history | |
2002–2005 | Phoenix Mercury |
2006 | Houston Comets |
2006 | Phoenix Mercury |
2007–2008 | Chicago Sky |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career WNBA statistics | |
Points | 463 (3.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 373 (2.6 rpg) |
Steals | 90 (0.6 spg) |
Stats at Basketball Reference |
Early life and education
editKayte Lauren Christensen was born in Lakeview, Oregon to Randy and Cathy Christensen.[3] She attended Modoc High School in Alturas, California and graduated in 1998.[3] She was named the Shasta Cascade League MVP in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.[3] Her senior season saw her named the California Division V Player of the Year in 1998 en route to winning the California Interscholastic Federation Division V championship.[3]
Christensen attended college at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she competed on the women's basketball team with future WNBA players Erin Buescher, Lindsay Taylor, and Kristen Mann.[3] She was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman team in 1999 and was the 2002 Big West Player of the Year.[3][4][5][6]
Playing career
editChristensen was selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the third round (40th overall) of the 2002 WNBA draft.[7] She spent four seasons with the Mercury before she signed with the Houston Comets on March 24, 2006.[5] She was waived on May 19, 2006, when she failed to make Houston's regular-season roster.[6] She was signed to a short-term injury hardship contract by Houston on May 23, 2006, before rejoining the Mercury on June 15, 2006.[8][9]
After the 2006 season ended, Christensen became a free agent until she signed a contract with the Chicago Sky on March 8, 2007.[10][11] She was released from the Chicago Sky on May 20, 2008 after missing games due to a recurring back injury.[11]
Christensen has played professional basketball overseas in South Korea, Turkey, and Greece during the WNBA offseasons.[12][13]
Christensen has twice received the WNBA Offseason Community Assist Award, first in 2003 and second in 2004.[14]
Commentary career
editChristensen served as the Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball radio color analyst, beginning in 2003, for the Sun Devil Sports Network on NBC 1190 AM.[15]
Christensen served as a courtside reporter for the NBA's Sacramento Kings during Comcast SportsNet broadcasts at Sleep Train Arena. In May 2010, she was replaced by Jim Gray. She returned to her courtside role in the Kings' 2013–14 season.[16] Before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season the Kings announced that Christensen would replace Doug Christie as the team's television broadcast color analyst.[17]
She also has worked as a women's basketball color analyst for ESPN and ESPNU, a social media correspondent for the Phoenix Suns, and a social media engagement producer for The Arizona Republic.[18]
Public diplomacy
editIn June 2011, Christensen traveled to Venezuela as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this function, she worked with Darvin Ham to conduct basketball clinics for 300 youth from underserved areas and met with Venezuelan sports officials. In so doing, Christensen helped contribute to SportsUnited's mission to promote greater understanding and inclusion through sport.[19]
Career statistics
editWNBA career statistics
editGP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
Regular season
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Phoenix | 30 | 2 | 13.8 | 50.5 | 0.0 | 68.6 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 4.0 |
2003 | Phoenix | 30 | 16 | 22.0 | 48.4 | 0.0 | 60.2 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 6.9 |
2004 | Phoenix | 32 | 1 | 12.7 | 38.8 | 0.0 | 63.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
2005 | Phoenix | 11 | 1 | 9.8 | 46.7 | 0.0 | 57.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
2006 | Houston | 6 | 0 | 14.5 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
Phoenix | 11 | 0 | 4.8 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | |
2007 | Chicago | 23 | 7 | 9.2 | 41.7 | 0.0 | 44.4 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 |
Career | 1 year, 3 teams | 143 | 27 | 13.6 | 46.4 | 0.0 | 60.8 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 3.2 |
College
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998–99 | Santa Barbara | 30 | - | - | 55.1 | 100.0 | 62.1 | 5.6 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | - | 8.0 |
1999–00 | Santa Barbara | 18 | - | - | 56.5 | 0.0 | 50.8 | 6.3 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 | - | 10.4 |
2000–01 | Santa Barbara | 31 | - | - | 54.9 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 7.6 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | - | 13.7 |
2001–02 | Santa Barbara | 32 | - | - | 54.3 | 0.0 | 65.5 | 9.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | - | 14.5 |
Career | 111 | - | - | 54.9 | 11.1 | 63.1 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.9 | - | 11.9 | |
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[20] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Kayte Christensen". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ "Kings Name Kayte Christensen-Hunter as TV Game Analyst". NBA.com/kings. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "UC Santa Barbara player profile". ucsbgauchos.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Awards and Honors: UC SANTA BARBARA'S CHRISTENSEN NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR". bigwest.org/. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "Comets Add Kayte Christensen". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Christensen Rejoins Comets". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Appelbaum, Eliav (April 24, 2002). "Christensen Embarks Today for WNBA Player Orientation in Chicago". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "2006 WNBA Transactions". Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Mercury Sign Kayte Christensen". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. June 15, 2006. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Sky Signs Kayte Christensen". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "Sky Release Christensen". Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Kayte Christensen: Blogging From Overseas". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Five Former Gauchos Enter 2006 WNBA Training Camps". cstv.com. April 20, 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Christensen Receives Offseason Community Assist Award". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. May 28, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Mercury's Kayte Christensen Hired as Women's Basketball Color Analyst". thesundevils.com. Arizona State Sun Devils. December 4, 2003. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ Ziller, Tom (September 17, 2013). "Kayte Christensen returns to Kings broadcasts". sactownroyalty.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Kayte Christensen-Hunter to replace Doug Christie as Kings color analyst". 9 September 2021.
- ^ "KINGS BROADCASTER BIOGRAPHIES". nba.com. Sacramento Kings. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Basketball Players to Visit Venezuela as Sports Envoys | IIP Digital". iipdigital.usembassy.gov. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
- ^ "Kayte Christensen College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- WNBA player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived May 17, 2008)
- UC Santa Barbara player profile Archived 2017-05-20 at the Wayback Machine