A wave of happiness ran throughout Evelyn and Stephanie Mawuli’s home when both stars were selected to represent Japan in the Paris Olympics. The two athletes must have enjoyed every bit of their time during the opening ceremony on Friday. While both sisters attracted a lot of media attention for their selection, not much is known about their personal lives and basketball journey.

For starters, the two were born to Ghanaian immigrants who decided to move to Japan for better opportunities. Today, EssentiallySports takes a look at their life.

Who is Evelyn Mawuli?

Evelyn and Stephanie as mentioned were born in 1995 and 1998, respectively. Both the sisters were born in Toyohashi, Aichi. While Evelyn is 29 years old, Stephanie is 25. The duo also made it to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Both the sisters were born in Toyohashi, Aichi.

When Evelyn got Japanese citizenship, it opened doors for her to represent the country at international events. She made her debut at the 2009 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship and helped her team win the silver medal. Bittersweet at her team winning a silver, Evelyn then propelled the squad to bag a gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship. She was even named to the All-tournament team during the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship.

Once she made her mark, she was selected for the senior team for the 2014 Asian Games. She contributed to the team winning the bronze at the event. Naturally, with so many accolades, Evelyn is a sought-after player in the local Japanese leagues. She has represented Aisin AW Wings and Toyota Antelopes in the WJBL. However, it would be surprising to know that even after so many achievements, she is not the only high flier in her family. In fact, her younger sister Stephanie is quite close.

Who is Stephanie Mawuli?

Stephanie helped her team bag silver at the Asia U-18 Championship and Asia U-16 Championship in 2016 and 2013, respectively. She has also been a part of the Japanese 3*3  squad during the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games where she came home with a silver. She is the first-ever player to win medals in both 5*5 and 3*3 basketball at the Asian Games.

During the 3*3 U23 World Cup, Stephanie won gold at the 2019 Lanzhou. And 2 years later, she materialized her dream of clinching the gold at the senior level when she won at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan. Another interesting fact about Stephanie is that she was also signed by the WNBA team, the New York Liberty. She played for the Liberty in the training camp in 2023 but was waived off in May 2024.

She then made it to the Spanish league where she represented Casademont Zaragoza. Hopefully, she will get the necessary success to make headway again into the WNBA. As for their Olympics participation, fans would be hoping that they yield the best result and help their squad to a formidable position at the quadrennial event.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.