Michaela Onyenwere was predicted to be the first Coloradan superstar to be selected in the first round of the WNBA draft. And the prediction turned out to be true as she was drafted #6 by the New York Liberty in the 2021 draft. Before we know more about her let’s keep this one thing in mind about her last name. “Own-yen-way-day,” she clarified the pronunciation for ESPN’s Holly Rowe during an interview in March 2019.

In her debut year for Liberty, she won the Rookie of the Year award almost unanimously. At the time she was only the 5th player to sweep all the Rookie of the Month awards. And since her rookie year she has represented a total of 3 WNBA teams in 4 years. So how did the Rookie of the Year end up with her 3rd team at Chicago Sky?

Humble beginnings for Michaela Onyenwere

Basketball wasn’t the first love for the 24-year-old. She wasn’t involved with any sports because she attended a private school without sports. But once the sporting activities were presented, she took them with both hands and participated in multiple sports. She started with swimming, track and field because of her father’s influence, and later enjoyed basketball.

Peter Onyenwere an agricultural engineer by profession of Nigerian descent. He won his gold medal from the 1979 Imo State sports festival held in Owerri, Nigeria. “I’m passing the mantle to her,” said Peter as he passed the medal to her daughter as a sign of motivation. Michaela in 2019 won a bronze medal in the USA Basketball 3-on-3 National Championship. Even in the Pan American games that year, she was part of the silver-winning team in Peru.

The Colorado native is proud of her Nigerian lineage. Her grandmother became famous for celebrating her WNBA draft success. Michaela Onyenwere spoke to Players Tribune in 2021. “I know y’all didn’t forget. Yes, that was my grandma going crazy in the background when Holly Rowe was interviewing me. She asked to see my mom’s jacket, and before I knew it, my grandma got up and started doing her dance, saying ‘I’m the grandma.’ Hahaha. The thing people don’t understand is that my grandma is Nigerian, so this wasn’t something for the cameras. That’s just her 24/7 365.”

It’s her family support that gets her going. Her grandmother would always text and say “I’m proud of you,” at the end to motivate her. But how did end up playing basketball? Let’s find out.

Michaela Onyenwere’s hooping journey

“I tried out for the team and I actually made the B-team and we won the B-team championship,” Onyenwere said. “That’s where my love for basketball really started. I was a very introductory raw talent. Once I was in high school, I made varsity and then my sophomore year I knew I could really go far with basketball then came the college looks junior year.” She was just 11 when she figured basketball could be her final goal.

Michaela Onyenwere became the No. 10 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 when she committed to UCLA. Onyenwere won back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year awards in Colorado. She averaged 24.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game as a junior. Plus, was also a star on Grandview’s track team, excelling in sprints.

“I chose UCLA because of relationships,” Onyenwere said. “UCLA assistant coach Jenny Huth not only took an interest in my basketball abilities, but my life too. I consider her my coach and a second mom.” She ended the program as being leading scorer for the third straight season. Finished the season fourth on UCLA’s all-time scoring list with 1,888 career points. She became the program’s first two-time AP All-American.

Her debut season at Liberty was fantastic as she was leading the minutes for the Rookie that year. Thus, helping her sweet the Rookie Awards. But since that season was full of ups her second season was hit by injuries. As she would only start 1 game as opposed to 29 in the previous year.

In the third year, she played alongside Diana Taurasi at the Mercury, where she once again found her rhythm. She even had higher stats to show the improvement from her rookie year. Finishing the season by averaging a career-high 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals.

She was part of the trade between Sky and Mercury where the team acquired forwards Michaela Onyenwere and Brianna Turner. In exchange for Kahleah Copper and Morgan Bertsch. In addition, Chicago received Phoenix’s third overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, where they drafted Kamilla Cardoso. Additionally, Chicago’s own 2025 second-round pick (previously acquired by Phoenix in a four-team trade prior to the 2023 season), Phoenix’s 2026 first-round pick, and the rights to a 2026 second-round pick swap with Phoenix.

This season too Michaela Onyenwere has been given the bench role as she only averages 10.9 minutes with 2 starts. For the forward position currently, Angel Reese is favored who was picked by Chicago as the #7 pick.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.