Deanna Nicole Nolan was born on August 25, 1979 in Flint, Michigan. (Her original name was Deana, but was legally changed to Deanna in 2000.) Her nickname is Tweety.

High School
Deanna attended Flint Northern High School. She led her team to back-to-back Michigan state championships in 1994 and 1995, and was crowned as Michigan's 1995 Miss Basketball.

College
Deanna attended the University of Georgia, where she graduated in December, 2001 with a degree in child and family development.

She played basketball for the Lady Bulldogs, who went 86-12 record overall during her collegiate career.

As a senior, she earned 2001 All-SEC Tournament Team honors.

WNBA
Deanna was the 6th pick of the first round, by the Detroit Shock, in the 2001 WNBA Draft.

Deanna helped the Shock go "from worst to first" in 2003. She was also named MVP of the 2006 WNBA Finals.