Michaela Onyenwere facts for kids
.jpg)
Onyenwere with the Chicago Sky in 2024
|
||||||||||||||
| No. 12 – Chicago Sky | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | August 10, 1999 Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| Nationality | American / Nigerian | |||||||||||||
| High school | Grandview (Aurora, Colorado) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | UCLA (2017–2021) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the New York Liberty | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2021–present | |||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | New York Liberty | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Spar Girona | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | CB Avenida | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Phoenix Mercury | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | OGM Ormanspor | |||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Chicago Sky | |||||||||||||
| 2025 | Jiangsu Phoenix | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
Michaela Onyenwere (born August 10, 1999) is an American and Nigerian basketball player. She plays as a forward for the Chicago Sky in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Before joining the WNBA, she played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.
Contents
Early Life and College Basketball
Michaela Onyenwere showed great talent in high school. In 2017, she was named a McDonald's All-American. This is a special honor for the best high school basketball players in the country.
Playing for UCLA
Michaela joined the UCLA Bruins in 2017. After her first year, she was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. This means she was one of the best new players in her college league.
In her second year (2018–19), she was named to the All-Pac-12 team. This award recognizes the top players in the Pac-12 Conference. She was also great at getting offensive rebounds. After this season, she joined the U.S. Pan-American Games Women's Basketball Team. They won a silver medal in 2019.
Michaela continued to excel in her third and fourth years at UCLA. She was named to the All-Pac-12 team three years in a row. She also earned the title of AP and USBWA Third-Team All-American twice. This means she was recognized as one of the top college players in the entire country.
She was also a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award, which goes to the best small forward in college basketball. Michaela finished her college career as one of UCLA's all-time top scorers. She scored 1,888 points, which is the fourth-highest in UCLA history.
Professional Basketball Career
After a successful college career, Michaela Onyenwere moved on to play professional basketball.
WNBA Journey
New York Liberty (2021–2022)
In 2021, Michaela was picked 6th overall in the 2021 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty. This was a big moment, as it meant she was one of the top players chosen to join the WNBA.
In her first year, or "rookie season," in 2021, Michaela was amazing. She won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. This made her the first player from the New York Liberty team to ever win this award. She was also named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. She was the best rookie for most of the season, winning the Rookie of the Month award every single month. She averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
In her second season with the Liberty in 2022, Michaela's role changed. She played fewer minutes and often came off the bench. She also dealt with some minor injuries. Because the Liberty added new star players, Michaela was traded to another team.
Phoenix Mercury (2023)
In February 2023, Michaela was traded to the Phoenix Mercury. This trade involved four different WNBA teams. She started in 27 games for the Mercury and had career-highs in many areas. However, it was a tough season for the Mercury team overall.
Chicago Sky (2024–Present)
On February 6, 2024, Michaela was traded again, this time to the Chicago Sky. She joined the Sky along with another player and several draft picks. At first, she didn't play much. But after the Olympic break in 2024, she earned a spot in the starting lineup. She replaced another player who was traded.
Michaela re-signed with the Chicago Sky for the 2025 season, showing she will continue to be a key part of their team.
Playing Overseas
Many WNBA players also play basketball in other countries during the WNBA off-season.
- In December 2021, Michaela played for the Spanish team Uni Girona CB.
- In December 2022, she joined another Spanish team, CB Avenida.
- During the 2023–2024 off-season, she played in Turkey for OGM Ormanspor.
- In February 2025, Michaela joined the Jiangsu Phoenix team in China.
Images for kids
-
Michaela Onyenwere with the Chicago Sky
-
Michaela Onyenwere with the New York Liberty
