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Natalie Achonwa

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Natalie Achonwa
Achonwa with the Indiana Fever in 2019
Personal information
Born (1992-11-22) November 22, 1992 (age 31)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Mary's Catholic
(Hamilton, Ontario)
CollegeNotre Dame (2010–2014)
WNBA draft2014: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Indiana Fever
Playing career2015–2023
PositionPower forward
Coaching career2024–present
Career history
As player:
2015–2020Indiana Fever
2015–2016Dike Napoli
2016–2017Bucheon KEB Hana Bank
2017–2018Asan Woori Bank Wibee
2018–2019Jiangsu Phoenix
2019–2020Tango Bourges Basket
2020–2021Famila Schio
2021–2023Minnesota Lynx
As coach:
2024–presentMichigan (asst.)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place 2015 Canada
Silver medal – second place 2013 Mexico
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Team

Natalie Chioma Achonwa (born November 22, 1992) is a Canadian former professional basketball player and four-time Olympian with Canada's national team, and current assistant coach for player development at Michigan.[3] She most recently played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Notre Dame.[4] Achonwa was born in Toronto, Ontario,[5] started playing basketball in Guelph, Ontario, and is 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall.[6]

Early life

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Achonwa attended Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph, Ontario, for grade 9 before moving to Hamilton, Ontario, to play with Canada Basketball's NEDA program at St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School.[5]

College career

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Achonwa was recruited as the first ever international player on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team.[4] In 2011, Achonwa was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team along with being selected Big East Freshman of the Week in her freshman season.[5] In 2012, she was named to the NCAA Raleigh Regional All-Tournament Team.[5] In her junior season, she was named as an Honorable Mention for the Associated Press All-America Team. Since her freshman season, she and her team have had four Final Four appearances and three National Championship appearances.[5]

In what ended up being her final home game, the six-foot-three forward suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament with about five minutes left in Notre Dame's 19-point victory over Baylor on March 31, 2014. This win helped push the Irish into the NCAA Final Four.

In 2015, Achonwa was selected as the Notre Dame Representative in the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Legends Class.

College statistics

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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[7] 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 career

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Indiana Fever (2015–2020)

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Achonwa was drafted ninth overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2014 WNBA draft. She sat out the entire 2014 WNBA season due to a left knee injury she suffered during her senior year at Notre Dame in the NCAA playoffs.[8] In the fall of 2014, while continuing her rehab, Achonwa took a job as the interim Director of Operations for the Notre Dame women's basketball program.[9] She was filling in for the incumbent Katie Schwab, who was hospitalized with a life-threatening illness.

Achonwa did not sign her rookie contract with the Fever until February 2015, once she recovered from her injury.[10] She returned to the court in time for the 2015 WNBA season. She was a backup center on the Fever roster in her rookie season, averaging eight ppg and 3.5 rpg in 28 games with 17 starts. The Fever finished third place in the East with a 20–14 record. By the end of the season, Achonwa was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Led by their two all-stars Tamika Catchings and Marissa Coleman, the Fever advanced to the Finals facing off against the Minnesota Lynx but lost the series 3–2.

In the 2016 WNBA season, Achonwa had a reduced role on the Fever's roster playing 24 games while coming off the bench with limited minutes. The Fever made it to the playoffs again but was eliminated in the first-round elimination game by the Phoenix Mercury.

During the 2017 season, Achonwa played a full 34 games for the first time in her career while starting in 17 of those games, averaging 7.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg. However, the Fever finished as the second-worst team in the league with a 9–25 record.

In the 2018 season, Achonwa became a full-time starter for the Fever and played all 34 games, averaging career-highs in scoring and rebound with her new role, but the Fever would continue their losing ways, finishing 6–28 as the worst team in the league.

In 2019, Achonwa re-signed with the Fever as a restricted free agent.[11] She played 30 games and would start in 18 of the games played during the season. The Fever had an improved season but fell short of making the playoffs with a 13–21 record.

In 2020, the season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Achonwa played 18 games and started in 11, but the Fever would again miss out on the playoffs with a 6–16 record, finishing as the second-worst team in the league.

Minnesota Lynx (2021–2023)

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On January 28, 2021, Achonwa signed a multi-year deal with the Minnesota Lynx in free agency.[12]

Duke Napoli

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In the 2015–16 off-season, Achonwa played in Italy for Dike Napoli.[13] As of November 2016, Achonwa signed with Bucheon KEB Hana Bank, a South Korean club, for the 2016–17 off-season.[14] In 2017, Achonwa signed with Asan Woori Bank Wibee of the South Korean league for the 2017–18 WNBA off-season. In 2018, Achonwa signed with Jiangsu Phoenix of the Chinese league for the 2018–19 WNBA off-season. In 2019, Achonwa signed with Tango Bourges Basket of the French league for the 2019–20 WNBA off-season. In 2020, Achonwa signed with Famila Schio of the Italian league for the 2020–21 WNBA off-season.

International career

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At age 16, Achonwa became the youngest player to ever play on the Canadian national team in 2009. She competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Achonwa was invited to join the national team, to play in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship for Women, held in Xalapa, Mexico from September 21–28, 2013. She averaged 7.5 points per game and helped the Canadian National team to a second place, silver medal finish. Canada faced Cuba in a preliminary round and won 53–40, but in the championship game, Cuba prevailed 79–71.[15][16]

She missed the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women due to injury.

Achonwa was invited to play for Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympics, making it her second Olympic appearance.[17]

She played for Canada at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

Achonwa was invited to play for Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

She made her fourth and final Olympic appearance at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the most by a Canadian basketball player. In total she played in 79 career games for Canada's national squad, the second-most in team history, joining the team when she was 16.[3]

Pan Am games 2015

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Achonwa was a member of the Canada women's national basketball team, which participated in basketball at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 10 to 26, 2015. Canada opened the preliminary rounds with an easy 101–38 win over Venezuela. The following day they beat Argentina 73–58. The final preliminary game was against Cuba; both teams were 2–0, so the winner would win the group. The game went down to the wire, with Canada eking out a 71–68 win.[18] Canada would face Brazil in the semifinal.

Canada went on to beat Brazil 91–63 to earn a spot in the gold-medal game against the USA.[19]

The gold-medal game matched the host team Canada against the US in a sold-out arena dominated by fans in red and white and waving the Canadian flag. The Canadian team, arm in arm, sang "Oh Canada" as the respective national anthems were played.

After trading baskets early, the US edged to a double-digit lead in the second quarter. However, the Canadians, spurred on by the home crowd cheering, fought back and tied up the game at halftime. It was Canada's time to shine in the third quarter as they outscored the US 26–15. The lead would reach as high as 18 points. The USA fought back, but not all the way and Canada won the game and the gold medal 81–73. It was Canada's first gold medal in basketball in the Pan Am games. Achonwa contributed 13 points and two rebounds.[20][21][22][23]

Coaching career

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On September 10, 2024, Achonwa was named an assistant coach for player development at Michigan.[24][3]

WNBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

Regular season

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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

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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

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Achonwa's father immigrated from Nigeria to Canada when he was twelve.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Indiana's Natalie Achonwa Earns Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award". WNBA.
  2. ^ "Natalie Achonwa Receives Seasonlong WNBA Community Assist Award". Indiana Fever.
  3. ^ a b c "Canadian hoop star Natalie Achonwa joins Michigan coaching staff". ESPN. The Associated Press. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Brady, Rachel. "Canadian Natalie Achonwa making basketball history at Notre Dame". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Natalie Achonwa". www.und.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  6. ^ "Natalie Achonwa". panam.cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  7. ^ "Natalie Achona bio" (PDF). Canada Basketball. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "Natalie Achonwa Sidelined With Knee Injury". Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "Natalie Achonwa". July 4, 2012.
  10. ^ Report, Tribune Staff. "Achonwa, Fever agree to contract". Notre Dame Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  11. ^ Natalie Achonwa, Shenise Johnson and Erica Wheeler re-sign with Indiana Fever
  12. ^ Natalie Achonwa to sign multiyear deal with Lynx
  13. ^ "Where in the World? WNBA Players Overseas". October 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "WNBA Players Playing Overseas".
  15. ^ "11 – Natalie Achonwa". FIBA. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  16. ^ "Full Schedule". FIBA. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  17. ^ "Natalie Achonwa Proud To Represent Canada During The Olympics – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  18. ^ "2015 Women's Pan American Games Schedule". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  19. ^ "WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM TOPS BRAZIL 91–63 TO MOVE ON TO TORONTO 2015 FINAL". CANADA BASKETBALL. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  20. ^ "U.S. Women Collect Silver At Pan American Games After Falling To Host Canada 81–73". USA Basketball. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ "U.S. Women Collect Silver At Pan American Games After Falling To Host Canada 81–73". USA Basketball. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  22. ^ Caple, Jim (July 21, 2015). "Battle of UConn Hoops Stars Goes To Canada in Pan Am Final". ESPN. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  23. ^ Smith, Doug (July 20, 2015). "Canada wins historic Pan Am women's basketball gold". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  24. ^ "Wolverines Add Achonwa to Women's Basketball Coaching Staff". MGoBlue.com. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  25. ^ Rallo, Curt (December 2, 2011). "Notre Dame women's basketball: Achonwa finds her strength". South Bend Tribune. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
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