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Okonkwo’s WNBA hardship contract ends

By Daily Sports Nigeria on August 29, 2025

D’Tigress captain, Amy Okonkwo’s seven-day hardship contract has come to an end, having played her final game for WNBA franchise Dallas Wings in their 101-95 defeat against the Connecticut Suns, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The three-time African champion and two-time women’s AfroBasket Most Valuable Player, had joined the Texas-based outfit on a short-term deal last week, to help fill in for the Wings team that had suffered notable absentees, including centre Li Yueru, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL sprain, and guard Arike Ogunbowale, who has been sidelined indefinitely with a right knee tendinitis, while rookie JJ Quinerly is currently nursing a left leg injury.

Despite the Wings having already been eliminated from playoff contention, Okonkwo stepped up big on her final outing for the team in midweek as she came off the bench and scored a career-high 14 points, which is the most she has recorded in a single game in the WNBA, as well as registering one rebound, two assists, two steals and one block while converting 50 per cent of her attempts from the floor in a total of 23 minutes of action.

Okonkwo, who finally realised her dreams of featuring in the WNBA, will return to her Turkish team, Besiktas, with whom she had signed a one-year contract earlier this summer. Prior to her move to Turkey, she previously starred for French outfit Bourges, where she averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 48 per cent from the three-point line.

Interestingly, the two-time Olympian also made two appearances during pre-season for the Connecticut Suns, whom she played against on Wednesday night, where she averaged seven points and four rebounds.

During her short stint with the Wings, Okonkwo, 29, featured in three WNBA games for the franchise. She scored eight points in her debut outing on August 23, as the Wings were beaten 95-60 by the Seattle Storm. She registered her first double-digit point-haul when she scored 12 in her team’s 90-81 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on August 24, before dropping 14 points in the defeat to the Suns on August 28.

Source Punch Ng

Posted August 29, 2025