Eziyoda "Ezi" Magbegor (born 13 August 1999) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the Seattle Storm of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA). Magbegor was a member of the Australian Women's basketball team (Opals) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Opals were eliminated after losing to the US in the quarterfinals. She was part of the Australian team that won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Professional career

WNBL

After beginning her career in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) with Basketball Australia's development team, the Centre of Excellence, Magbegor did not take long to gain attention from professional leagues. In July 2017, Magbegor was signed by the Canberra Capitals for the 2017–18 WNBL season. In March 2018, it was announced that Magbegor had signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Boomers. Magbegor first suited up for the Boomers in the 2018–19 WNBL season, choosing to stay home in Australia working alongside the likes of Jenna O'Hea, Lauren Jackson and

Guy Molloy Guy Molloy (born 4 November 1965) is an Australian basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Sydney Flames of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Early life Molloy was born in Young, New South Wales. He moved to Canber ...

despite several offers from US colleges. In February 2020, Magbegor was named the Betty Watson Australian Youth Player of the Year (formerly the WNBL Rookie of the Year award) at the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) Awards, scoring 38 votes from a possible tally of 42 votes. In April 2022, Magbegor was part of the Melbourne Boomers championship team before moving to play basketball next season in Hungary

WNBA

Seattle Storm (2020–present)

Magbegor was selected 12th overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2019 WNBA draft. At just 19 years old, she did not come over for the 2019 WNBA season, as both she and the Storm preferred that she remain in Australia to continue her development. Magbegor joined the Storm for the 2020 WNBA season, which was played in the Wubble. In her rookie season, on a team with championship ambitions, Magbegor had a limited role. She averaged 13.3 minutes, 6.5 points, and 2.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, while shooting 56.9% from the floor, the ninth-best in the league. During the Storm's playoff run, she played only 35 minutes as the team went on to win the championship. Magbegor became the second-youngest player in history to win a WNBA championship. In her second season with the Storm, Magbegor's role slightly increased, and she started three games in the regular season. The Storm won the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup and finished fourth in the regular season standings. However, they were unable to replicate their previous playoff success, losing to the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

in a second-round single-elimination game. In that matchup, Magbegor made her first career playoff start, as Seattle was without their star forward Breanna Stewart due to injury. In her third season with the Storm, Magbegor became a regular starter, starting in 23 games and averaging 24.8 minutes per game. However, she eventually lost her starting spot to midseason signing Tina Charles. In the playoffs, Magbegor's playing time decreased to an average of 15.5 minutes per game as the Storm fell to the eventual champions Las Vegas Aces 1–3 in the semifinals. Nonetheless, it was a successful season for Magbegor who was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in her career. Before the 2023 season, Magbegor signed a two-year deal with the Storm. With Seattle losing Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles to free agency, and Sue Bird to retirement, the 2023 Seattle Storm season marked the start of a new chapter. Magbegor took on an undisputed starting role, starting all 40 games and averaging 32.6 minutes per game. She posted career-highs in all statistical categories and earned her first-ever selection to the WNBA All-Star Game. Magbegor was also named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second consecutive season. Despite her individual success, the Storm, with a much younger and less experienced roster, struggled and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015. For the 2024 season, the Storm significantly strengthened their roster by signing star free agents

Nneka Ogwumike Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike (; born July 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks first overall in ...

and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Alongside these two and Jewell Loyd, Magbegor formed what the team marketed as the "Core Four." In June, Magbegor signed a one-year contract extension with the Storm. She started 37 games in the regular season, missing only the final three due to a concussion. As a result of being in the concussion protocol, she also missed the first playoff game against the Aces. Although she returned for the second game, her efforts could not prevent another loss, which led to the Storm's elimination from the playoffs. Despite her solid performances, Magbegor was not selected for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, a decision ESPN's Kevin Pelton described as "the most egregious omission ever." However, she received three votes for the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the first time in her career.

National team career

Youth level

Magbegor made her international debut at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, with the U19 Gems as a 16 year old. She then represented the U17 Sapphires at the 2015 Oceania Championships. Dominating the tournament, averaging 18 points per game and helping Australia take home Gold. Magbegor then lead the Sapphires to their inaugural

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

title in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. After snapping team USA's 28-game win streak at U17 level, Australia went on to take home Gold. Alongside two of her teammates, Magbegor was named to the All-Tournament Team. In addition to this, she received the Most Valuable Player award.

Senior level

In December 2017, Magbegor was named to her first

Opals Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide, silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% and 10%. Due to the amorphous (chemical) physical structure, it is classified as a ...

squad, earning her a place in the first camp as preparations for this years upcoming tournaments got underway. After taking part in the team camp in February, Magbegor was then named to the final roster for the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she would make her Opals debut. Magbegor starred for the Opals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, having a standout game in Australia's win against the US in a pre-tournament friendly with 17 points, equal most in the game with Breanna Stewart. Magbegor then top scored for Australia during the Olympic tournament with 20 points and eight rebounds in the game against Belgium (her Olympic debut), and 15 points against China. Magbegor, like all the other members of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opals women's basketball team, had a difficult tournament. The Opals lost their first two group stage matches. They looked flat against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and then lost to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in heartbreaking circumstances. In their last group match the Opals needed to beat

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

by 25 or more in their final match to progress. This they did by 27 in a very exciting match. However, they lost to the United States in their quarterfinal 79 to 55. Magbegor returned to the spotlight at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The Opals won the bronze medal with a win over Belgium. Magbegor starred in that match, scoring 30 points on 71 percent shooting, while also contributing 13 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals. Her performance won her credit for both her offensive and defensive achievement.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

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2020 The year 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 even ...

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Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .569 , , .333 , , .704 , , 2.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 6.5 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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, 30 , , 3 , , 15.2 , , .506 , , .556 , , .846 , , 3.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.9 , , 6.7 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 33 , , 23 , , 24.8 , , .550 , , .345 , , .736 , , 5.6 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , 9.5 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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, style="background:#d3d3d3;", 40 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 40 , , 32.6 , , .513 , , .385 , , .699 , , 8.1 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.9 , , 2.4 , , 13.8 , - , style='text-align:left;', , style='text-align:left;',

, 37 , , 37 , , 30.7 , , .512 , , .245 , , .874 , , 8.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , 11.7 , - class="sortbottom" , rowspan=2 style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 5 years, 1 team , 162 , , 103 , , 24.7 , , .524 , , .343 , , .769 , , 6.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , 10.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 12.1 , , .250 , , .000 , , — , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

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, 6 , , 0 , , 15.5 , , .583 , , — , , .667 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 5.0 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 1 , , 1 , , 28.0 , , .600 , , .667 , , .000 , , 7.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 4 years, 1 team , 14 , , 2 , , 13.4 , , .500 , , .500 , , .571 , , 2.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 4.2

Personal life

Born in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

to Nigerian parents, Magbegor moved to Australia with her family at age six. One of Australian basketball's most promising talents, she has already been said to be the next Lauren Jackson. As of 2021, Magbegor is currently studying a Bachelor of Psychology at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...

; she had initially been studying a Bachelor of Commerce in 2019. In 2021, Magbegor was named as Deakin University's Female Sportsperson of the Year.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magbegor, Ezi 1999 births Living people Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian people of Nigerian descent Australian women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Canberra Capitals players Centers (basketball) Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists in basketball Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade Melbourne Boomers players New Zealand emigrants to Australia Olympic basketball players for Australia Power forwards Seattle Storm draft picks Seattle Storm players Basketball players from Wellington City Sportswomen from Victoria (state) FISU World University Games gold medalists for Australia Summer World University Games medalists in basketball Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games WNBA All-Stars Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in basketball 21st-century Australian sportswomen