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Kiwi WNBA star Leger-Walker returns to Tauihi
Sport Nation • August 31st, 2026 8:16 am
Charlisse Leger-Walker | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Kiwi basketball star Charlisse Leger-Walker is heading home.
The Connecticut Sun guard will join the Tokomanawa Queens for the upcoming Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa season, which tips off on September 25.
Leger-Walker made history in April as the first New Zealander selected in the WNBA Draft, going 18th overall to Connecticut.
The Hamilton product has since signed a four-year, $2 million contract and recently posted a career-high 17 points against the Golden State Valkyries.
Now she will bring that experience back to New Zealand, linking up with older sister and fellow Tall Fern Krystal in Porirua.
The 24-year-old has already enjoyed a trailblazing career, becoming the first Kiwi woman to win an NCAA title after helping UCLA to glory, following six years of college basketball and a serious ACL injury.
She also remains New Zealand’s youngest-ever basketball international, having made her Tall Ferns debut at just 16 years and 202 days old.
Charlisse Leger-Walker on inspiring the next generation of Kiwi ballers | The Fast Break Podcast
