| Anita Ortega | |
| Career Position: | Guard |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 8 |
| Nationality: | American / Puerto Rican |
| High School: | Los Angeles High School (Los Angeles, California) |
| College: | UCLA (1975–1979) |
| Years1: | 1979–1981 |
| Team1: | San Francisco Pioneers |
| Years2: | 1981 |
| Team2: | Minnesota Fillies |
| Cyears1: | 1981–1983 |
| Cteam1: | UCLA (assistant) |
| Highlights: | |
Anita Ortega is an American-Puerto Rican former basketball player and law enforcement officer. She played college basketball at UCLA[1] where she won the 1978 AIAW championship. She later played professionally in the Women's Professional Basketball League before starting a career as a law enforcement officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Ortega was a four year starter at UCLA from 1975 to 1979. During her junior year, she won the 1978 AIAW championship.
Ortega played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL), the first women's professional basketball league in the United States, from 1979 to 1981. During her first season with the San Francisco Pioneers, she averaged 24.1 points 5.2 assists per game and was selected both to the All-Pro team and to the 1980 WBL All-Star Game. In 1981, she was traded to the Minnesota Fillies.[2] [3]
In 1979, she played in the Pan American Games, representing Puerto Rico.
After the WBL folded in 1981, Ortega returned to the UCLA as an assistant coach. She left coaching to attend the police academy and later served in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1984 until her retirement in 2016.[2] [4]
Her father was born in Bayamón.
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-79 | UCLA | 34 | 548 | 43.3% | 69.4% | 5.0 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 16.1 | |
| 1977-78 | UCLA | 29 | 535 | 49.9% | 61.3% | 4.4 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 18.4 | |
| 1976-77 | UCLA | 23 | 340 | 45.4% | 61.7% | 5.8 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 14.8 | |
| 1975-76 | UCLA | 23 | 328 | 44.7% | 61.8% | 5.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 14.3 | |
| Career | UCLA | 109 | 1751 | 45.9% | 64.1% | 5.1 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 16.1 |