Birthdate: January 11, 1981
Birthplace: Beverly Hills, CA
High School: North High School, Eastlake, OH
College: North Carolina State University
Year Inducted: 2019

In her four-year career at North High School, Kaayla Chones scored over 2,000 points while grabbing more than 1,600 rebounds. She was named co-Ms. Basketball for the state both her junior and senior year.

Daughter of 10-year NBA veteran Jim Chones, Kaayla led Eastlake North to a 21-4 record and a regional “sweet 16” appearance her senior year. A three-time Division I All-Ohio selection and a three-time USA Today All-American, Kaayla holds every scoring, rebounding and blocked shot record at North High for boys and girls.

Her outstanding North career led to North Carolina State University where Chones started all 29 games as a freshman and was named to the ACC All-freshman team. She was a medical redshirt her sophomore year but came back strong earning second team All ACC honors, while leading the team in scoring.

By her senior year Chones had earned Kodak/WBCA All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Wade Trophy award. Chones became NC State’s sixth all-time best rebounder and is ranked 11th all-time leading scorer.

Chones played two seasons in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics after being drafted 13th overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. She played professionally in five different countries for eight seasons including Spain, Italy, France, Hungary, and Israel where she won a league championship in 2013.