Iziane "Izi" Castro Marques (born March 13, 1982) is a retired Brazilian 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. Castro Marques played for the

Brazil women's national basketball team The Brazil women's national basketball team represents Brazil in international women's basketball. Brazil won the 1994 FIBA World Championship for Women in Australia. Achievements Olympic Games FIBA World Championship FIBA AmeriCup * 1989 ...

and played for the

Miami Sol The Miami Sol were a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of 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 ...

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...

and the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

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). Castro Marques also played overseas in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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 ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

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 ...

. Following her retirement, Castro Marques became the technical director of Sampaio Basquete of the Brazilian Women's Basketball League.

WNBA career

After playing in the Paulista League in Brazil for BCN Osasco in 2001 and leading the league in scoring, Castro Marques was invited to the

's training camp. After training camp, she would make the final cut for team and signed with the Sol. In her rookie season, Castro Marques was the second-youngest player in the WNBA at the time (20 years, 1 month, 12 days). At the end of 2002 season, the Miami Sol folded and Castro Marques would sign with the

in 2003. The Mercury would waive Castro Marques at the end of the season. Castro Marques chose not to play in the WNBA in 2004 to focus on the Brazilian national team for the Summer Olympics that year. In 2005, Castro Marques returned to the WNBA and signed with the

, becoming a starter for the first time in her career. In the early part of the 2006 season, her erratic play got her benched in favor of rookie Barbara Turner, but Castro Marques came back strong after eight games in reserve, and never relinquished the starting job during that season. In the 2007 season, Castro Marques started in all 34 games while averaging 12.3 ppg, making it the first time she averaged double-digits in scoring. Castro Marques had also gained some playoff experience for the first time in her career in her three-year stint with the Storm. On February 6, 2008, Castro Marques was traded by Seattle to the

along with the Storm's first round pick in exchange for

Roneeka Hodges Roneeka Hodges (born July 19, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the LS ...

and the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. In her four-year stint with the Atlanta Dream from 2008 to 2011, she played with fellow Brazilian

Érika de Souza Érika Cristina de Souza (born 9 March 1982) is a Brazilian professional basketball player for BC Castors Braine of the EuroLeague.

, whom she played with in high school back in Brazil. Castro Marques had the best years of her career in Atlanta, especially in the 2010 season where she averaged a career-high 16.9 ppg and had also helped Atlanta reach the WNBA Finals twice in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Castro Marques sat out the first half of the season to focus on the Brazilian National Team for the Summer Olympics. Castro Marques signed with the

halfway through the season and played 11 games. In 2013, Castro Marques signed with the

, it would be her final year playing in the WNBA.

Overseas career

During her basketball career, Castro Marques has played overseas on many occasions. In the 2002-03 off-season, Castro Marques played in France for Aix Basket. In the 2003-04 off-season, Castro Marques played in

for Perfumerias Avenidas. In the 2004-05 off-season, Castro Marques played in

for B.C. Euras Ekaterinburg. In the 2005-06 off-season Castro Marques played in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

for

USK Praha USK Praha (, University Sports Club Prague), formerly known as Slavia VŠ Praha (), is a Czech Republic, Czech professional basketball Club (organization), club that was founded in 1953 in the city of Prague. USK Praha plays in the National Bas ...

. In the 2006-07 off-season, Castro Marques played for

TTT Riga TTT Rīga is a professional women's basketball club based in Riga, Latvia. "TTT" means Tram and Trolley Trust. The team held its first official game on 5 November 1958. The next 25 years are known as the ''First Golden age'' of the club. Internati ...

of the

Euroleague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. In the 2007-08 off-season, Castro Marques played for Hondarribia-Irun in

and for Ourinhos in

. During the 2008-09 WNBA off-season, Castro Marques played for

Villeneuve d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area (27.46 km2) ...

, Extragusa Vilagarcia in the Spanish League and Spartak Moscow in Russia. In the 2009-10 off-season, Castro Marques signed a contract with Wisła Can Pack Kraków in

. In the 2010-11 off-season, Castro Marques played for

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

. From 2011 to 2013, Castro Marques played a couple off-seasons in Brazil for her hometown team Maranhao Basquete. In 2015–16, Castro Marques played for Sampaio Basquete in Brazil Castro Marques continued to play for Sampaio Basquete in 2016-17 before retiring from professional basketball.

International competitions

Her national team has finished fourth in two consecutive international competitions, the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

and the

2006 FIBA World Championship for Women The 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women took place in Brazil from September 12 to September 23, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Confederação Brasileira de Basketball, the Brazilian national fed ...

, which Brazil hosted. Star of the squad, she was not included in the roster for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

due to her refusal to enter a quarterfinal game in overtime after a verbal altercation with her coach during the

FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women 2008 The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2008 for women took place from June 9 to June 15, 2008. On December 9, 2007, FIBA announced that Spain would host the wildcard tournament. Through this tournament, the final five qualifying berths for ...

. During preparation for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, Castro Marques was again cut from the Olympic team due to "an act of indiscipline", namely bringing her boyfriend to concentration. She was a member of the team which competed for Brazil at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

, winning a bronze medal. Castro Marques also played for Brazil in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

as the team captain. It would be her last olympics before retiring from the team.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 19 , , 1 , , 9.6 , , .333 , , .059 , , .680 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 16 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .352 , , .296 , , .611 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

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

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 ...

, 33 , , 32 , , 26.6 , , .384 , , .333 , , .808 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

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

, 34 , , 26 , , 19.3 , , .469 , , .385 , , .661 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 1.4 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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

, 34 , , 34 , , 28.3 , , .420 , , .385 , , .802 , , 2.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 29 , , 20 , , 23.1 , , .353 , , .309 , , .814 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 1.9 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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

, 34 , , 33 , , 26.9 , , .413 , , .345 , , .780 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.4 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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

, 34 , , 34 , , 28.9 , , .444 , , .295 , , .659 , , 1.7 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 2.7 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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

, 34 , , 14 , , 19.8 , , .360 , , .213 , , .620 , , 2.9 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 1.5 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

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

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .264 , , .167 , , .714 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 28 , , 9 , , 15.7 , , .352 , , .326 , , .725 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.3 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 11 years, 6 teams , 306 , , 203 , , 21.8 , , .399 , , .319 , , .726 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , , 9.4

Postseason

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

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 28.7 , , .333 , , .167 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 2.6 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 29.3 , , .389 , , .222 , , .867 , , 2.7 , , 2.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 2.0 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 2 , , 2 , , 25.5 , , .400 , , .308 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 2 , , 2 , , 25.5 , , .500 , , .500 , , .706 , , 1.5 , , 4.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 7 , , 7 , , 32.1 , , .471 , , .407 , , .478 , , 2.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 2.0 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 8 , , 3 , , 25.6 , , .453 , , .536 , , .444 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 2 teams , 25, , 20 , , 28.2 , , .446 , , .407 , , .623 , , 2.9 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 13.0

References

External links