Amanda Zahui Bazoukou (born September 8, 1993), known professionally as Amanda Zahui B., is a Swedish basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing basketball both in Sweden and collegiately with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Bazoukou was drafted by the Tulsa Shock with the second overall pick in the

2015 WNBA draft The 2015 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2015 WNBA season. The Seattle Storm picked first. This year's draft was unusual in that two players with remaining college eligibility declared for the draft—Jewell Loyd of Notre Dame, who h ...

Early life

Zahui Bazoukou began playing basketball when she was 10. By 13, Sweden had added her to its 16-and-under national team where she averaged double-doubles in the European Championships. Her surname is pronounced ZAH-wee B. She shortened Bazoukou to an initial so it would fit on her jersey and be easier for Americans to pronounce. Her mother is Spanish-

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and her father is from the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

College

Zahui B played three seasons for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In February 2015, Zahui B recorded a career-high 39 points in a game against Iowa Hawkeye basketball team. She also recorded 29 rebounds in that game, the most ever by a player in the Big Ten Conference. The last NBA player to record at least 39 points and 29 rebounds in a game was Moses Malone in October 1979.

Minnesota statistics

Source

Professional career

WNBA

Zahui B was drafted second overall by the Tulsa Shock when she was only a sophomore. She was 21 years old. On January 21, 2023, Zahui B was traded from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for Dearica Hamby. Zahui B was once again traded for the second in the offseason prior to the 2023 season. On February 5, 2023, she was dealt to the Washington Mystics in exchange for two second-round picks.

European League

In 2016, she was transferred to the Russian Nadezhda Orenburg where she became the highest scoring player. Her name Zahui caused some stir due to its similarity with an obscene word in Russian. In 2017 the team decided to use the name Bazoukou instead.

Career statistics

WNBA

Source

Regular season

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2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, style="text-align:left;", Tulsa , 31 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .361 , , .333 , , .750 , , 2.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 33 , , 1 , , 11.3 , , .449 , , .118 , , .787 , , 3.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 1.1 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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, 29 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .400 , , .250 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .500 , , .344 , , .605 , , 3.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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, 24 , , 23 , , 23.3 , , .468 , , .319 , , .852 , , 6.3 , , 0.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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, 21 , , 20 , , 25.3 , , .353 , , .340 , , .694 , , 8.5 , , 1.9 , , 0.9 , , 1.2 , , 2.6 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Los Angeles , 30 , , 27 , , 23.8 , , .429 , , .280 , , .767 , , 5.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , Career , 7 years, 3 teams , 197 , , 71 , , 15.7 , , .428 , , .312 , , .743 , , 4.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.3 , , 6.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Tulsa , 2 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , – , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 1 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , 1.000 , , – , , – , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , – , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , Career , 3 years, 2 teams , 4 , , 0 , , 4.8 , , .250 , , .000 , , – , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.5

Personal

On June 7, 2021, WNBA.com published an op-ed written by Zahui B., titled "What Does Pride Mean to Me?", in commemoration of

Pride Month LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically in June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and ha ...

. Zahui B. described herself as having a "personal journey of finding myself", and publicly came out as a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

. She wrote, "I celebrate my body, my mind and my sexuality. I am confident and open to the fact that I was made to love women. I was created to celebrate the beautiful women on this earth. To love the most powerful creature on this earth, the woman." Zahui B. stated that she has a family who has "always been accepting and supportive" regarding her sexuality.

References

External links

* *
Day in The Life: Amanda Zahui B.'s WNBA Draft Day
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahui B, Amanda 1993 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players Centers (basketball) Fenerbahçe women's basketball players Lesbian sportswomen LGBT basketball players Swedish LGBT sportspeople Los Angeles Sparks players Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball players New York Liberty players Sportspeople from Stockholm Swedish expatriate basketball people in the United States Swedish people of French descent Swedish people of Ivorian descent Swedish people of Spanish descent Swedish women's basketball players Tulsa Shock draft picks Tulsa Shock players 21st-century LGBT people