Kiwi basketball sensation Charlisse Leger-Walker has become the first New Zealander drafted to a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team.
The 24-year-old guard was taken by the Connecticut Sun and was the 18th pick of the draft, which took place in New York on Tuesday (NZT).
She will be the second woman from New Zealand to play in the WNBA — and the first in almost 30 years, behind Megan Compain who played for the Utah Starzz in 1997.
"It means a lot," Leger-Walker said following the draft, adding that she was "really humbled" to be a role model for aspiring players.
"I hope that everyone watching from New Zealand knows that they belong here, and if they set their sights here, they can be limitless."
Hamilton-born Leger-Walker is part of a very basketball-rich family, with her sister Krystal and Mum Leanne having both played for the Tall Ferns.
In 2018, she made her debut for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games — becoming the youngest player to play for the senior national team at just 16 years old.
She attended school in Cambridge before starting her collegiate basketball career in the US with Washington State in 2020, where she spent four years with the team.
Last year, she transferred to the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Bruins, where she became a key figure in helping the team win this year's NCAA title.
Leger-Walker was the sixth player from UCLA to be drafted today.
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