.jpg) Anigwe in 2019 | |
| No. 33 – Connecticut Sun | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center / power forward |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 31, 1997 London, England |
| Nationality | British / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Desert Vista (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| College | California (2015–2019) |
| WNBA draft | 2019: 1st round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by the Connecticut Sun | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019 | Connecticut Sun |
| 2019 | Dallas Wings |
| 2019–2020 | İzmit Belediyespor |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2020–present | Çukurova Basketbol |
| 2021 | Dallas Wings |
| 2021 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2022 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2023 | Chicago Sky |
| 2023–present | Connecticut Sun |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kristine Chioma Anigwe (born March 31, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Çukurova Basketbol in the Women's Basketball Super League.[1]
Kristine Anigwe was born in London to Nigerian parents.[2] She and her siblings were raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Desert Vista High School. At age 17, Anigwe became a U.S. citizen in June 2014.[3]
In her upperclassman years, Anigwe won two consecutive FIBA age group World Championships competing for the United States, first with the under-17s in 2014 and then with the under-19s in 2015. Anigwe scored in double figures in all 27 games for Desert Vista in her senior season, leading the state with 21.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and registering 17 double-doubles.[4]
Before her junior year of high school, Anigwe accepted an offer to play college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley,[4] where she would major in sociology.[5]
In her first season with California in 2015–16, Anigwe won eight consecutive Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week honors. She led the Golden Bears in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, field goals made, blocks, free throws made, and free throw attempts.[6] Anigwe was voted to the 2016 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament All-Tournament Team, and she was named the women's USBWA National Freshman of the Year following the season.[7]
Anigwe's success continued as a sophomore, as she became the first player in California history to average 20 points per game in consecutive seasons.[6] On December 8, 2016, Anigwe recorded the first 50-point game in Golden Bears history, scoring 50 in only 24 minutes against Sacramento State.[8] A month later, on January 8, she became the fastest player in Pac-12 history to reach 1,000 points, hitting the milestone in a loss to eventual Elite Eight participant Oregon.[6] Anigwe continued to lead the Golden Bears in points and rebounds, also leading in field goal percentage and blocks.
For the second consecutive year, Anigwe was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team. Anigwe saw her first NCAA tournament action, in which the Golden Bears narrowly defeated LSU before falling to No. 1 seed Baylor.
Anigwe registered 28 points and 25 rebounds in a win against Brown on November 19, 2017, achieving the first 25–25 game in Division I women's basketball in three years.[9]
For the third consecutive season, Anigwe led California in points and rebounds as a junior, and was named to the All-Pac-12 Team. She was also a late season nominee for the 2018 Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, and Katrina McClain Awards.[6] California were upset in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament by Virginia.
As a senior in 2018–19, Anigwe posted career highs in points (22.3) and rebounds per game (16.2), leading the country in rebounds.[10] She became the third California Golden Bear to score 2,000 career points on December 2, 2018, in a win against Cal State Northridge.[11]
Anigwe set multiple school and conference records during her senior season. On February 8 and 10, 2019, Anigwe broke California's scoring and rebounding records in consecutive home losses to Oregon State and Oregon.[12]
In her final regular-season college game on March 3, 2019, at Washington State, Anigwe scored 32 points and added 30 rebounds. In doing so, she both set the Pac-12 women's rebounding record, and became the first Division I player since 2002 to record 30 points and rebounds in a single game.[13]
Anigwe and California received an at-large big to the 2019 NCAA tournament, in which they defeated North Carolina before falling to eventual national champions Baylor.
Following the season, Anigwe was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.[14]
Source[15]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | California | 31 | 635 | 57.0% | 0.0% | 75.4% | 9.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 20.5 |
| 2016-17 | California | 34 | 714 | 56.6% | 33.3% | 68.1% | 9.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 21.0 |
| 2017-18 | California | 30 | 500 | 56.9% | 54.5% | 58.3% | 8.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 16.7 |
| 2018-19 | California | 33 | 742 | 50.8% | 30.4% | 65.6% | 16.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 22.5 |
| Career | 128 | 2591 | 55.0% | 36.8% | 67.8% | 11.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 20.2 | |
Anigwe was selected ninth overall in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun.[16]
On August 6, 2019, Anigwe was traded to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Theresa Plaisance.[17]
On May 26, 2020, Anigwe was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for a second-round 2021 draft pick.[18]
After spending time with both the Wings and Sparks in 2021, Anigwe was signed by her hometown Phoenix Mercury ahead of the 2022 WNBA season.[19]
On July 3, 2023, Anigwe was waived from the Chicago Sky after Ruthy Hebard was activated from the Inactive/Pregnancy List. [20]
Anigwe joined the Connecticut Sun in July 2023 after being waived by the Sky. She signed a 7-Day Contract with the Sun.[21] She was brought back on a 2nd 7-Day Contract with the Sun in August 2023.[22]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Connecticut | 17 | 0 | 7.1 | .314 | .000 | .706 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Dallas | 10 | 0 | 12.9 | .333 | .000 | .667 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 3.2 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 17 | 1 | 11.6 | .604 | .000 | .538 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | Dallas | 3 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 |
| 2021 | Los Angeles | 7 | 1 | 15.1 | .391 | .000 | .563 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | Phoenix | 10 | 1 | 6.5 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Career | 4 years, 4 teams | 64 | 3 | 10.1 | .444 | .000 | .593 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | 18.0 | .600 | .000 | 1.000 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 1 | 1 | 18.0 | .600 | .000 | 1.000 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 |