Natalie Achonwa facts for kids
Achonwa with the Indiana Fever in 2019
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| Michigan Wolverines | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Assistant Coach for Player Development | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 22, 1992 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| High school | St. Mary's Catholic (Hamilton, Ontario) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 198 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (2010–2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Indiana Fever | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2015–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2024–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Dike Napoli | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Bucheon KEB Hana Bank | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Asan Woori Bank Wibee | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Jiangsu Phoenix | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Tango Bourges Basket | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Famila Schio | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Minnesota Lynx | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Michigan (asst.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Natalie Achonwa is a Canadian basketball star. She used to play professionally and was part of Canada's national team in four Olympic Games! Now, she helps coach basketball players at the University of Michigan. Natalie played for the Minnesota Lynx in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and also played college basketball at Notre Dame. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, and started playing basketball in Guelph, Ontario. She is 191 centimeters (about 6 feet 3 inches) tall.
Contents
Early Life and School Years
Natalie Achonwa first went to Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph, Ontario. Later, she moved to Hamilton, Ontario. There, she joined the Canada Basketball's NEDA program at St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School. This helped her develop her basketball skills.
College Basketball Journey
Natalie made history by becoming the first international player to join the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team.
Awards and Achievements at Notre Dame
- In 2011, Natalie was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. This means she was one of the best new players in the league.
- She was also chosen as the Big East Freshman of the Week during her first year.
- In 2012, she earned a spot on the NCAA Raleigh Regional All-Tournament Team.
- During her junior year, she received an Honorable Mention for the Associated Press All-America Team. This showed she was one of the top players in the country.
- Throughout her time at Notre Dame, Natalie and her team reached the Final Four four times. They also played in the National Championship game three times.
Facing Challenges: An Injury
In her last home game at Notre Dame, Natalie faced a tough challenge. She tore a ligament in her left knee. This happened with only five minutes left in a big win against Baylor on March 31, 2014. Even with her injury, this victory helped her team reach the NCAA Final Four.
Honoring a College Legend
In 2015, Natalie was chosen as the Notre Dame Representative for the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Legends Class. This is a special honor for former college athletes.
College Statistics: How Natalie Played
These numbers show how well Natalie played during her college years.
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| YEAR | SCHOOL | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Notre Dame | 39 | 0 | 18.3 | 0.566 | 0.500 | 0.571 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 6.9 |
| 2011–12 | Notre Dame | 36 | 1 | 17.2 | 0.520 | 0.300 | 0.720 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 7.6 |
| 2012–13 | Notre Dame | 37 | 37 | 27.1 | 0.520 | 0.000 | 0.800 | 9.5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 13.8 |
| 2013–14 | Notre Dame | 33 | 33 | 25.4 | 0.611 | 0.000 | 0.709 | 7.7 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 14.9 |
| Total | Notre Dame | 145 | 71 | 21.9 | 0.562 | 0.357 | 0.723 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 10.7 |
Professional Basketball Career
Playing in the WNBA
Starting with the Indiana Fever (2015–2020)
The Indiana Fever picked Natalie ninth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. She couldn't play in the 2014 WNBA season because of her knee injury from college. While recovering, she even worked as an interim Director of Operations for the Notre Dame women's basketball team.
Natalie signed her first WNBA contract in February 2015, after she recovered. She was ready for the 2015 WNBA season. As a backup center, she played well, averaging 8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. The Fever made it to the WNBA Finals but lost to the Minnesota Lynx.
In 2016, Natalie had a smaller role, playing fewer minutes. The Fever reached the playoffs but were eliminated early. In 2017, she played all 34 games for the first time, starting in 17 of them. She averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.
By 2018, Natalie became a full-time starter for the Fever, playing all 34 games. She achieved her highest scores and rebounds per game that season. In 2019, she re-signed with the Fever and played 30 games. The team improved but still missed the playoffs.
The 2020 season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Natalie played 18 games, but the Fever again did not make the playoffs.
Moving to the Minnesota Lynx (2021–2023)
On January 28, 2021, Natalie signed a multi-year contract with the Minnesota Lynx.
Playing Overseas
When the WNBA season was over, Natalie played basketball in other countries.
- In 2015–16, she played in Italy for Dike Napoli.
- In 2016–17, she played for Bucheon KEB Hana Bank in South Korea.
- In 2017–18, she joined Asan Woori Bank Wibee, also in South Korea.
- In 2018–19, she played for Jiangsu Phoenix in China.
- In 2019–20, she was with Tango Bourges Basket in France.
- In 2020–21, she played for Famila Schio in Italy.
International Career: Representing Canada
Natalie Achonwa started playing for the Canadian national team in 2009. At just 16 years old, she was the youngest player ever on the team! She competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.
FIBA AmeriCup and Pan American Games
In 2013, Natalie helped the Canadian National team win a silver medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Mexico. She averaged 7.5 points per game.
She was also a key player for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. The Canadian team won the gold medal in a thrilling final against the USA. This was Canada's first gold medal in basketball at the Pan Am Games! Natalie scored 13 points in that gold-medal game.
Olympic Appearances
Natalie has represented Canada in four Olympic Games:
Her four Olympic appearances are the most by any Canadian basketball player. She played in 79 games for Canada's national team, which is the second-highest in team history.
Coaching Career
On September 10, 2024, Natalie Achonwa became an assistant coach for player development at Michigan. She now helps young players improve their skills.
WNBA Career Statistics: Her Professional Numbers
These tables show Natalie's performance during her WNBA career.
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Indiana | 28 | 17 | 17.3 | .550 | .000 | .746 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| 2016 | Indiana | 24 | 0 | 8.1 | .545 | .000 | .700 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.6 |
| 2017 | Indiana | 34 | 17 | 18.3 | .557 | .000 | .763 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 7.1 |
| 2018 | Indiana | 34 | 34 | 26.0 | .527 | .000 | .800 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 10.3 |
| 2019 | Indiana | 30 | 18 | 21.1 | .488 | .250 | .909 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 8.7 |
| 2020 | Indiana | 18 | 11 | 20.2 | .496 | .000 | .813 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 7.8 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 21 | 1 | 12.0 | .496 | .000 | .813 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 3.7 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 22 | 0 | 15.1 | .516 | .000 | .815 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 5.3 |
| Career | 8 years, 2 teams | 211 | 98 | 17.9 | .519 | .120 | .808 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 7.1 |
Postseason
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Indiana | 6 | 1 | 7.0 | .267 | .000 | .500 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.8 |
| 2016 | Indiana | 1 | 0 | 8.7 | .667 | .000 | .000 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | .667 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 3 years, 2 teams | 8 | 1 | 7.8 | .381 | .000 | .500 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
Personal Life
Natalie Achonwa's father moved to Canada from Nigeria when he was twelve years old.
See also
In Spanish: Natalie Achonwa para niños
