The women’s 5×5 basketball group stage has concluded, and as teams make the trip to Paris from Lille, a hierarchy of players is being cast.
Like always, many of the tournament’s superstars have had similar fates in the WNBA. Belgium’s Emma Meesseman, the 2019 Finals MVP for the Washington Mystics, leads the tournament in points (26.3 per game) for the second-straight Olympics. Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally is second, and her 33 points in Germany’s win over Japan was the most scored in an Olympic game since 2016. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have been expectedly unguardable for Team USA. However, a handful of lesser known players are emerging as stars in their own right, and making their names known on the biggest stage.
Ezinne Kalu (Nigeria)
Quite frankly, Nigeria’s entire roster deserves a nod for their performances thus far. Even the most-researched basketball analysts didn’t expect D’Tigress to make it out of Lille, and yet Nigeria finished group play with a 2-1 record and a positive point differential. They are the first African team—women’s or…
