Sport: Basketball
Born: November 28, 1977
Town: Mount Holly, New Jersey
DeMya Chakheia Walker was born November 28, 1977 in Mount Holly, NJ. She was one of six kids. DeMya grew to over six feet tall why attending Rancocas Valley High School, an institution known for its first-rate sports programs, most notably football. During her four varsity seasons, DeMya established new school records for career points and rebounds, points in a season and rebounds in a game. In 1994–95, she was named New Jersey Player of the Year and earned All-America recognition.
At 6’3″ and just south of 200 pounds, DeMya was highly recruited as a power forward. She chose to stay relatively close to home, playing three hours south, for the University of Virginia. UVA’s women’s team had won the ACC title three times in the ’90s, but during DeMya stay in Charlottesville, they would not repeat as conference champs. Nevertheless, DeMya teamed with Wendy Palmer, Erin Stivall and Tora Suber to give the Cavaliers a consistently strong team. DeMya led the Cavs in scoring as a junior and senior, in rebounding every year but her first, and in blocked shots all four varsity seasons. As a senior in 1998–99, DeMya earned honorable mention as an All-American.
DeMya embarked on her pro career in 1999—the same year the American Basketball League folded. This created a glut of talent for WNBA squads and, as a result, she went undrafted that spring. She played pro ball for an Italian team over the summer, but returned to the US in 2000 and made the Portland Fire roster. After two seasons as a reserve, DeMya cracked the starting lineup in 2002.
The Fire disbanded in 2003 after three seasons. DeMya was picked in a special draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. This proved to be a stroke of good luck. In 2005, she teamed with Yolanda Griffith, Kara Lawson and Ticha Penicheiro to help Sacramento win the WNBA Championship. It was DeMya’s best season as a pro. She averaged 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Afterwards, DeMya had her first child. She returned to the Monarchs 12 games into the 2006 season. After seven years with Sacramento, DeMya joined the Connecticut Sun, serving as a bench player from 2010 to 2012 before calling it a career. She became a coach and worked for Blue Star Basketball Camps and in 2019 became the head coach for St. Pius X High School in Houston.