Since her inclusion in the Nigeria women’s basketball roster for the Olympic Games in Paris, Chicago Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere has been catching the eyes of Nigerian men.
Onyenwere will join what will be a reinvigorated D’Tigress squad in Paris, which will also include Elizabeth Balogun and the returning Ezinne Kalu.
The 24-year-old is getting attention from Nigerian men online just like Super Falcons defender Michelle Alozie did with her stunning looks and impressive performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year.
Basketball wasn’t the first love for Onyenwere. She wasn’t involved with any sports because she attended a private school without sports. But once the sporting activities were presented, she took them with both hands and participated in multiple sports. She started with swimming, track and field because of her father Peter Onyenwere’s influence, and later enjoyed basketball.
Mr Onyenwere, an agricultural engineer by profession, won his gold medal from the 1979 Imo State Sports Festival held in Owerri.
Onyenwere was just 11 when she figured basketball could be her final goal.
Born on August 10, 1999 in Aurora, Colorado, United States, the six-feet tall Onyenwere played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference.
In her first senior season in 2021, Onyenwere was named the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Rookie of the Year. She was the leading candidate for most of the season, winning every Rookie of the Month award to become just the fifth player in WNBA history to sweep that honour during a season.
In her WNBA career, she has starred for New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and now plays for Chicago Sky.
