D’Tigress star, Ezinne Kalu joins Zhejiang Golden Bulls

D’Tigress guard, Ezinne Kalu, has officially been welcomed by her new team, Zhejiang Golden Bulls, as she joins the Women’s Chinese Basketball League.

The Nigerian basketball star was warmly received by the club on Wednesday, marking the beginning of her next chapter in professional basketball.

Kalu’s move to Zhejiang Golden Bulls is expected to bring her skills and experience to the Chinese league, further elevating her already impressive career.

The club took to their social media handle to express their delight at having her in their books in a statement that read, “Ezinne Kalu Welcome to WCBA Zhejiang chnhoops. @_thenigerianqueen Welcome to WCBA @nigeriabasketball @wcba_china #wcba #wnba #fiba #china #basketball.”

The 32-year-old Ezinne Kalu previously played for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, where she recorded averages of 3.5 points per game (ppg), 1.0 assists per game (apg), and 1.0 steals per game (spg) in two appearances for the team.

Upon her arrival in China, Kalu took to her X handle (formerly Twitter) to express gratitude to all her supporters.

She shared her excitement for the new journey, thanking everyone who has backed her throughout her basketball career.

”Hi everyone! After a very long trip, I have finally made it to China safely! I can’t believe this will be my new home for the next few months. After I unpack and properly settle in, I will update you all on games, schedule, etc. Thank you all for always supporting me,” stated the talented player fondly called The Naija Queen.

Kalu, who was added to the Zhejiang roster on October 2 for the new 2024/25 season, played last season. The last season at Oxygen Roma Basket in the Italian Serie A1 league.

Nigerian international Ezinne Kalu, who had an outstanding campaign with D’Tigress at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, announced her signing with Zhejiang Golden Bulls on October 11 via her X account (formerly Twitter).

In her post, she shared her excitement, saying, “I will be playing in Zhejiang, China. Not too far from other local cities in China. I will be sure to reach out to you all.”

Kalu recently achieved a long-held dream of playing in the WNBA when she signed a seven-day hardship contract with the Atlanta Dream.

This contract allowed the team to temporarily replace injured or ill players.

Taking to her official X account, Kalu expressed her happiness at finally getting a chance to compete in the prestigious league, marking a major milestone in her basketball career.

“Delayed but not mean denied,” tweeted the player, who recently found out that she is the first athlete from a historically black college to play in the WNBA in over 15 years.

Kalu has been a consistent standout player in the D’Tigress since 2016, winning the last three editions of the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship.