Sheldon played basketball for Dublin Coffman High School in Dublin, Ohio. Before her junior year, she suffered a concussion in a car accident and was unable to play basketball for several weeks.[1] As a junior, she averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6 assists and 5.2 steals per game, sharing Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association Division I Co-Player of the Year with Kierstan Bell.[2] Sheldon scored a school-record 52 points against Eastmoor Academy, in her senior season.[3] She averaged 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 5.1 steals per game as a senior, earning state Division I Player of the Year honors from the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.[4] Sheldon left Coffman as the school's all-time leader in points, assists and steals.[5] She was a three-time Columbus Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year and Ohio Miss Basketball finalist in high school.[6][7] In addition to basketball, she was an all-state volleyball player at Coffman.[7]
Rated a five-star recruit by ESPN,[8] Sheldon committed to playing college basketball for Ohio State after also considering Michigan State, Michigan and Indiana, among other programs.[9] She was drawn to the school because she was a lifelong Ohio State fan and wanted to remain close to her younger sister, who has Down syndrome.[4]
On December 17, 2019, Sheldon scored a freshman season-high 23 points in a 104–74 win over Sacramento State. As a freshman, she averaged 9.6 points per game.[10] Sheldon scored a sophomore season-high 29 points in a 92–87 win against Iowa on February 4, 2021.[11] She averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.[12] On January 12, 2022, Sheldon recorded a career-high 33 points, six rebounds and six assists in an 89–83 win against Michigan State.[13] As a junior, she averaged 19.7 points, 4.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. She was named first-team All-Big Ten and made the coaches' All-Defensive Team.[14] On November 13, Sheldon scored 14 points and tied the program single-game record with 11 steals in an 82–64 win over Boston College.[15] She was sidelined for most of her senior season with a foot injury and averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals in 13 games. Despite being considered a potential first-round pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, Sheldon returned to Ohio State for a fifth season.[16]
Professional career
WNBA
On April 15, 2024, Sheldon was selected in the first round as the fifth overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.[17] On April 18, 2024, Sheldon was signed to the Wings' rookie scale contract.[18]
Sheldon made her WNBA regular season debut on May 15, 2024, in a home 87-79 win against the Chicago Sky.[19]
Sheldon's father, Duane, played college basketball for Baldwin Wallace before embarking on a coaching career and later becoming the athletic director at Dublin Coffman High School. Her mother, Laura, competed on the track and field team at Baldwin Wallace. Sheldon has a younger brother, Ajay, who plays basketball for Ohio, and a younger sister, Emmy.[22]