Ezi Magbegor is a rising star in the world of women’s basketball. The 23-year-old was born in Wellington, New Zealand, but grew up in Australia, and is already one of the most anticipated players in the WNBA. Magbegor has been playing as a center for Seattle Storm since joining whereby she has been a critical player in the team. Magbegor’s journey to professional basketball began in Australia. She started playing basketball at a young age when her family relocated to Canberra. She joined the University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra. After her successful high school career, Magbegor was drafted into the WNBL (Australia) and started playing for the Canberra Capitals.

In 2018, Magbegor signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Boomers. In the WNBL, her various performances bagged her multiple Youth Player of the Year honors, which were evidence of her growth and projection. Magbegor’s talent in WNBL led her to get drafted as the 12th overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the 2019 WNBA Draft. Magbegor joined the WNBA in 2020 and demonstrated her value. In her Rookie season, she helped the Seattle Storm to win the WNBA Championship. Magbegor has been with the Seattle Storm for 5 seasons, and 2023 was her best season where she averaged 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. As she continues to develop and gain experience, Magbegor’s role with the Seattle Storm has grown. She has become a key player for the team, contributing significantly on both ends of the court. Her success in the WNBA has also made her a role model for young basketball players in Australia and around the world.

Ezi Magbegor is the third of four siblings in her family. She has two older siblings, Elo and Ovie, and a younger brother, AJ. Ezi’s older siblings, Elo and Ovie, were the first in the family to start playing basketball. Elo was lured into the sport by her singing teacher, and Ovie followed in her footsteps.

As the tallest of the four siblings, Ezi naturally gravitated towards basketball as well. However, she initially struggled to enjoy the sport when she played on a mixed team with her brother Ovie, as she often felt overlooked and didn’t get to touch the ball as much as the other players.

Despite this early challenge, Ezi’s passion for basketball grew, and she eventually made the decision to leave her family in Melbourne and move to Canberra at the age of 15 to join the Australian Institute of Sport’s basketball program. This was a significant step for Ezi, as she was the first of her siblings to leave home to pursue her basketball dreams.