Fans of Spanish women's basketball had something major to celebrate Friday night after the team kept France — the winners of the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games — at bay and beat the team 65-64 in a tightly-wound, hard-fought match in the EuroBasket semi-finals. Spain was buoyed in large part by the work of 19-year-old Awa Fam, who racked up 21 points, three assists, and nine rebounds, and who also became the first U20 player to put up more than 20 points in a EuroBasket women's semi-final since 1989 — and who could be a major draft disrupter next year.
Most American basketball fans probably aren't all too familiar with Fam, but that could change this season. She made a name for herself last season while playing for Gernika in the Liga Feminina, was named the best center at the U16s in 2022, and was the MVP of the 2024 U20s, and at age 17 she was already drawing comparisons to an undergraduate Aliyah Boston. And while her numbers aren't always as big as they were today, she's reliable and consistent — traits that aren't always a given, especially for a player so young.
Fam is draft-eligible since she isn't America, and much like France's Dominique Malonga and Lithuania's Juste Jocyte, who were drafted as the No. 2 and No. 5 overall picks in this year's WNBA Draft, if she has a strong performance this season she could have a major impact on what happens in 2026.
Awa Fam isn't the only international prospect to watch out for
Fam isn't the only player from overseas who might surprise NCAA fans — Chinese National Team member Zhang Ziyu could end up taking JuJu Watkins' presumed No. 1 overall spot in 2027. Zhang is getting a lot of attention for a major reason: she's 7'5", which makes her virtually impossible to guard. The team refers to Zhang as its "moving Great Wall" and put her size to good use so far in her Women's Asia Cup debut.
Both of Zhang's parents were professional basketball players, which likely accounts for her skills on the floor. Bosnia and Herzegovina head coach Emir Halimic celebrated her as the "best player I've ever seen," and Japan's head coach Corey Gaines admitted the team needs to do more to figure out how to stop her.
International players will continue to rise in the WNBA
As we've seen with the NBA and the WNBA in recent years, the international basketball community is only growing in terms of skill, and both leagues will likely continue to see an influx of players from overseas. Fam and Zhang are just two of many, many athletes Americans audiences might want to go ahead and learn more about.