Monica Okoye

Monica Okoye (オコエ 桃仁花, Okoe Monika; born 7 February 1999) is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Canberra Capitals of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She also plays for the Japanese national team.

Monica Okoye

Okoye with the Fujitsu Red Wave in 2019
No. 99 – Canberra Capitals
Position	Forward
League	WNBL
Personal information
Born	(1999-02-07) 7 February 1999 (age 26) Tokyo, Japan
Listed height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Career information
High school	Myojo Gakuen (Tokyo, Japan)
Playing career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2019	Denso Iris
2019–2022	Fujitsu Red Wave
2022–2023	AO Eleutheria Moschato
2023	Geelong United Supercats
2023–present	Canberra Capitals
Medals Representing  Japan Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Jordan 2023 Australia 2025 China Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou team

Early life

Okoye was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan.^[1] She attended Myojo Gakuen High School.^[2]

Professional career

Okoye debuted in the Women's Japan Basketball League in the 2017–18 season with Denso Iris. She played two seasons for Denso before joining Fujitsu Red Wave in 2019, where she played three seasons.^[3]

For the 2022–23 season, Okoye joined AO Eleutheria Moschato of the Greek Women's Basketball League.^[3]

Okoye moved to Australia to play for the Geelong United Supercats of the NBL1 South in the 2023 season.^[4]

On 3 July 2023, Okoye signed with the Canberra Capitals of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2023–24 season.^[5]

National team

Okoye played for the Japanese national team at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.^[6] She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal.^[7][8]

Personal life

Monica's mother is Japanese and her father is Nigerian of Igbo descent.^[9][10] Her older brother, Louis, plays professional baseball for the Yomiuri Giants.^[11]