D'Tigress captain Amy Okonkwo returns to WNBA
Nigeria women’s basketball captain Amy Okonkwo is back in the WNBA, joining the Portland Fire on a rest-of-season hardship contract.
The move marks another chapter in Okonkwo’s growing WNBA career, following previous spells with the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream.
Okonkwo initially joined Dallas on a seven-day hardship contract in August 2025 and quickly impressed enough to earn a deal for the remainder of the season. She returned to the Wings for their 2026 training camp before switching to Atlanta in May on a development contract.
The Nigerian forward made nine appearances, including one start, during her two WNBA stints before landing the opportunity in Portland.
She joins the Fire as a replacement player under the WNBA’s Season-Ending Injury Exception, following a series of injuries within the Portland squad, including Sarah Ashlee Barker’s season-ending ACL injury.
Okonkwo also arrives in Portland on the back of another historic international campaign.
The back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP recently captained Nigeria to a record-extending fifth consecutive continental title in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, securing her third AfroBasket crown.
She was named tournament MVP for the second straight edition, having also claimed the individual honour when Nigeria won the title in 2023.
The 2025 AfroBasket triumph further cemented Okonkwo’s status as one of the leading figures in African women’s basketball. She has since rejoined the D’Tigress as the team prepares for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
During her previous WNBA stint with Dallas in 2025, Okonkwo made a strong impression off the bench, highlighted by a career-best 20-point performance against the Phoenix Mercury in September.
She will now look to make an immediate impact in Portland as the Fire continue their campaign.
Okonkwo joined her new teammates for practice at the Moda Center on Tuesday, ahead of Portland’s clash with the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. local time, which is 3:00 a.m. Nigerian time on Thursday.
Before turning professional, Okonkwo began her college career at the University of Southern California before transferring to Texas Christian University, where she earned All-Big 12 Second Team honours in 2018 and 2019.
Her return to the WNBA gives the Nigerian captain another opportunity to showcase her talent on the world’s biggest women’s basketball stage.
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