Ezinne Kalu is a skilled basketball player currently playing for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). Originally from the United States, she competes internationally for Nigeria. During the Afrobasket tournaments in 2017, 2019, and 2021, she represented D’Tigress, the top-ranked team in Africa, and secured three consecutive championships for them. In 2019, she was honored as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Women’s Afrobasket.

Ezinne Kalu was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Gwendolyn Covington and Joseph Kalu. Her mother hails from Greenville, SC, while her father is Nigerian. Ezinne attended Science Park High School in Newark, where she made history as the first female player to score over 2,000 points. Her jersey was retired in December 2017. After completing her high school education in 2010, Kalu earned a full scholarship to Savannah State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) located in Savannah, GA. There, her team clinched their inaugural MEAC Championship in 2015, and she became the first player in the institution’s history to surpass 2,000 career points. She graduated in May 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in African Studies.

Following her graduation from Savannah State, Ezinne Kalu played for two seasons in the Portuguese Championship. In 2015, she joined Clube Desportivo Torres Novas, where she averaged 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. After her first season in Portugal, she transferred to Olivais Coimbra, where she recorded averages of 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Additionally, she represented the Nigerian national team at the 2016 FIBA women’s Olympic qualifying tournament.

In 2017, Ezinne Kalu signed a contract with the Hungarian club Vasas Akademia for a single season, during which she averaged 17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. She took part in the 2017 Women’s Afrobasket, where she recorded an average of 12 points and 3 assists per game, contributing to her team’s victory in the tournament.

In November 2018, she joined the German club Keltern, where she played a crucial role in helping the team reach the finals of the German Championship, averaging 13.6 points and 2.5 assists. Ezinne Kalu also represented the Nigerian national basketball team at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain, where she averaged 10.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game throughout the tournament.

In 2019, Ezinne Kalu moved to the French team Landerneau BB, where she averaged 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists during the 2019-2020 season. She participated in the 2019 Women’s Afrobasket, earning the title of Most Valuable Player of the tournament, with averages of 14 points and 3 assists. Additionally, she competed in the 2020 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, where she averaged 16 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, and was selected for the All-Star Five of the tournament held in Serbia.

Ezinne Kalu also took part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July 2021, where she was a member of the Nigerian team that narrowly lost to Team USA, leading her team with 16 points. In September 2021, she participated in the Afrobasket tournament, emerging as a champion with Nigeria’s D’Tigress, averaging 12.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, and was named to the All-Star team of the tournament.

Ezinne Kalu photos