'Basketball was life-changing': Canada's Laeticia Amihere finds confidence on court
Mississauga, Ont., native was drafted 8th overall by WNBA's Atlanta Dream in April
On the basketball court is where Canada's Laeticia Amihere thrives.
Insecure about her height growing up, it was the moment she traded the pitch for the hardwood that she felt like she truly belonged.
"The first sport I played was soccer," said Amihere. "My parents are from West Africa, [the sport] is huge in our tradition. Obviously I grew a little bit too tall to be a striker so I picked up basketball."
"I just didn't have that confidence growing up," said Amihere. "I wasn't used to seeing people that are as tall as me. It wasn't until I was able to step on that basketball court where I saw people like me and I just finally embraced it. Any other setting in my life, I was always an outlier.
"For me, [now] I could finally use things I was insecure about to an advantage. Basketball was life-changing for me."
At 15, Amihere drew global attention as the first Canadian woman to dunk in a game.
WATCH | Amihere's journey to becoming key player for Canadian national team:
"A lot of people would tell me that's not typical for girls to do that. And I don't know how many other Canadians have been able just to do it, even in practice. So I knew that when I did it, it was something remarkable," Amihere told CBC Sports.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal would send Amihere an Instagram message after seeing a replay of the viral dunk, saying, "That's nice." Canadian rap star Drake also sent a message to Amihere and began following her on Instagram.
The dunk, which came in a 2017 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament game also earned the attention of scouts.
"It was crazy. Like none of my teammates expected it. The coaches didn't expect it. But I think it was really just the momentum that carried me," Amihere added, on the dunk.
Laeticia Amihere was the first Canadian female to throw down an in-game dunk💪. Now she's ready to compete in March Madness with the first seed South Carolina Gamecocks. 🇨🇦<br>Link to the full story:<a href="https://t.co/UVC5AW7StM">https://t.co/UVC5AW7StM</a> <a href="https://t.co/5Od07fd5l6">pic.twitter.com/5Od07fd5l6</a>
—@wethewestfest'You can make it, I promise you can'
Amihere debuted for Canada in 2015, helping the country win its first-ever gold at the U16 FIBA America Championship. In 2017, the Canadian forward made her senior national team debut.
Before graduating from King's Christian Collegiate in Oakville, Ont., and committing to South Carolina in 2018, Amihere suffered two ACL tears.
"I heard a pop, and I knew that wasn't a good sign," Amihere told ESPN, following her first knee injury. "I had never been injured in my life. The trainer said there was nothing wrong. But I realized I was hurt."
WATCH | Amihere selected by Dream:
In 2022, the Canadian basketball phenom helped the Gamecocks win the NCAA national title. One year later, Amihere declared for the WNBA draft and was selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Dream in the first round.
The 22-year-old rising WNBA star, who represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is looking to inspire the next generation of Canadian and West African women playing basketball.
"All those Canadians, and all those people in West Africa, and in countries that are underserved, and they're overlooked. You can make it, I promise you can because I was that kid, and I'm on the biggest stage now," Amihere told Sportsnet.
"I'm really trying to pave a way for all those young women. Just keep going, because, trust me, basketball is on the rise for women."
