Ezinne Kalu facts for kids
| No. 23 – Zhejiang Golden Bulls | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 June 1992 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Nationality | American / Nigerian | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Science Park Chargers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8.11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Savannah State (2015) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2015–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | WCBA | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Clube Desportivo Torres | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Olivais Coimbra | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Vasas Akademia | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Rutronik Stars Keltern | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Landerneau Bretagne Basket | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Kayseri Basketbol | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Dynamo Kursk | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Oxygen Roma | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Atlanta Dream | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Ezinne Kalu is a talented professional basketball player. She plays for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. Ezinne was born in the United States. But she proudly plays for the Nigerian national team. She has helped Nigeria win three straight championships. These wins were at the AfroBasket events in 2017, 2019, and 2021. In 2019, she was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the AfroBasket tournament!
Ezinne Kalu's Early Life and School Basketball
Ezinne Kalu was born on June 26, 1992. Her birthplace was Newark, New Jersey, in the U.S. Her mother, Gwendolyn Covington, grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Her father, Joseph Kalu, is from Nigeria.
Ezinne went to Science Park High School in Newark. She was an amazing basketball player there. She became the first girl in her school's history to score over 2,000 points! This was a huge achievement. In December 2017, her school honored her. They retired her jersey number. This means no one else at the school will wear that number.
After high school, Ezinne earned a full scholarship. She went to Savannah State University in Georgia in 2010. Her college team, the Savannah State Lady Tigers, won their first MEAC Championship in 2015. Ezinne also scored over 2,000 points in her college career. She graduated in May 2015. She earned a bachelor's degree in African Studies.
Ezinne Kalu's Professional Basketball Journey
After college, Ezinne started her professional career. She first played in Portugal for two seasons. In 2015, she joined Clube Desportivo Torres Novas. The next year, she played for Olivais Coimbra.
In 2017, Ezinne moved to Hungary. She signed with the club Vasas Akademia for one season. In November 2018, she joined the German club Keltern. She helped her team reach the final of the German Championship.
In 2019, Ezinne joined the French team Landerneau BB. She played there for several seasons. She was recognized as the Guard of the Year in France's 1st Division in 2020. She was also named to the 1st Team All-Imports France League.
Ezinne continued to play for various teams. In 2022, she played for Kayseri Basketbol in Turkey. From 2022 to 2023, she was with Dynamo Kursk in Russia. In 2023, she joined Oxygen Roma in Italy. In 2024, she briefly played for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. Currently, she plays for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China.
Ezinne Kalu's International Success with Nigeria
Ezinne Kalu is a key player for the Nigerian national team, known as D'Tigress. She first played for Nigeria in 2016. This was during the FIBA women's Olympic qualifying tournament.
She played in the 2017 Women's Afrobasket tournament. Her team won the championship! Ezinne also represented Nigeria at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain.
In 2019, Ezinne helped Nigeria win the 2019 Women's Afrobasket again. She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament! She also competed in the 2020 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. She was named to the All-Star five of that tournament.
Ezinne was part of the Nigerian team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July 2021. She led her team with 16 points in a close game against Team USA. In September 2021, she helped D'Tigress win their third straight AfroBasket tournament. She was named to the All-Star team of that tournament too.
