Ezinne Kalu

Ezinne Kalu (born 26 June 1992) is a Nigerian-American basketball player for Landerneau Bretagne Basket and the Nigerian national team.[1] In the 2017, 2019 and 2021 Afrobasket events, she represented D'Tigress, Africa's highest-ranked side and won three straight championship for them.[2] She was named 2019 Women's Afrobasket Most Valuable Player (MVP).[3]

Ezinne Kalu
No. 23 – Landerneau BB
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLFB
Personal information
Born (1992-06-26) 26 June 1992
Newark, United States
NationalityAmerican / Nigerian
Listed height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Listed weight80 kg (176 lb)
Career information
High schoolScience Park High School
(Essex County, New Jersey)
CollegeSavannah State (2015)
WNBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Clube Desportivo Torres
2016–2017Olivais Coimbra
2017–2018Vasas Akademia
2018–2019Rutronik Stars Keltern
2019–presentLanderneau Bretagne Basket
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Nigeria
AfroBasket
Gold medal – first place2017 Mali
Gold medal – first place2019 Senegal
Gold medal – first place2021 Cameroon

Early life

She was born in Newark, New Jersey to Gwendolyn Covington and Joseph Kalu. Her mother was born and raised in Greenville, SC. Her father is Nigerian.

Kalu attended Science Park High School in Newark, New Jersey. She was the first woman in the school's history to score over 2,000 points. Her jersey was retired in December 2017. After graduating in 2010, Kalu received a full scholarship to HBCU Savannah State University in Savannah, GA. Her team won their first MEAC Championship in 2015. She was also the first to score over 2,000 career points in the school. She graduated in May 2015 with a bachelor's degree in African Studies.[4]

Professional career

After graduating from Savannah State, Kalu spent two seasons in the Portuguese Championship. In 2015, she signed with Clube Desportivo Torres Novas (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists). At the end of her first season in Portugal, she signed for Olivais Coimbra (21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists).

In 2017, Kalu signed with Hungarian club Vasas Akademia for one season (17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists).

In November 2018, she signed with German club Keltern. She helped Keltern qualify for the final of the German Championship (13.6 points and 2.5 assists).

In 2019, she joined the French side Landerneau BB, averaging 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in the 2019-2020 season.[5][6]

  • 2021 AfroBasket tournament champion
  • 2020 Guard of the Year, France 1st Division
  • 2020 1st Team, All-Imports France League
  • 2020 1st Team, All-French Player
  • 2020 Qualified for the Tokyo Olympics (July 2021)
  • 2020 All-Star top 5 of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Serbia
  • 2020 Voted Top 12 Best Player of Africa
  • 2019 1st woman to be sponsored by AFA Sports
  • 2019 AfroBasket tournament champion (5-0 record)
  • 2019 MVP of AfroBasket tournament
  • 2019 Top 5 player of AfroBasket tournament
  • 2018 Co-Captain of the Nigeria women's national basketball team
  • 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, Budapest 1st Division
  • 2017 AfroBasket tournament champion (8-0 record)
  • 2016-17 Captain of the Nigerian women's national team
  • 2016 Guard of the Year, Portugal 1st Division

International career

Kalu played for the Nigerian national team at the 2016 FIBA women's Olympic qualifying tournament. [7] She participated in the 2017 Women's Afrobasket, where she averaged 12 pts and 3 assists per game. The team won the tournament.[8][9] Kalu participated in the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain for the Nigerian national basketball team. She averaged 10.6 points, 3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game during the tournament.[10]

Kalu then participated in the 2019 Women's Afrobasket, where she was named Most Valuable player of the tournament. She averaged 14 points and 3 assists during the tournament.[11] She competed at 2020 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, averaging 16 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.[12] She was named to the all Star five of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament held in Serbia[13]

Kalu also participated in Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July 2021 and was part of the Nigerian team that narrowly lost to Team USA, leading the team with 16 points.[14] In September 2021, she participated in the Afrobasket tournament emerging champion with Nigeria's D'Tigress averaging 12.4 points, 3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.[15] She was named to the All Star team of the tournament.[16]

References
  1. FIBA profile
  2. "Nigeria basketball star to miss World Cup qualifiers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. "Basketball: Injury rules Kalu out for six months". Punch Newspapers. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ""Women's World Cup a chance to make history for Nigeria," says point guard Kalu - FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018".
  5. "EZINNE KALU". proballers.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. "LANDERNEAU ROSTER". proballers.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  7. "Top 10 players from FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2017".
  8. ""Women's World Cup a chance to make history for Nigeria," says point guard Kalu - FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018".
  9. 2017 Women's Afrobasket profile
  10. "Ezinne KALU at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018".
  11. "Kalu named MVP of the 2019 FIBA Women's AfroBasket".
  12. "FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  13. Onwuka, Okechukwu (10 February 2020). "D'Tigress' Ezinne Kalu makes Tokyo Olympics qualifying all-star team". TODAY. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  14. "Nigeria's D'Tigress Fall to USA 72 - 81".
  15. "Ezinne Kalu (NGR)'s Profile FIBA".
  16. "Nigeria captain Elonu bags MVP, headlines All-Tournament team of Women's AfroBasket 2021". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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