D’Tigress Star player, Ezinne Kalu, has had her Atlanta Dream debut which went viral as the team won 78-67 over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center to secure the final WNBA playoff place.
The 32-year-old, who played for Nigeria in the unforgettable Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, contributed to the second half of the game when Tina Charles set two WNBA records in one night, taking the lead in rebounds and doubles.
Ezinne reached the milestone with the Atlanta Dream a few days after signing a seven-day hardship contract, which allows teams to temporarily add players when numerous roster members are absent due to injury, illness, or other reasons.
Atlanta went into the game knowing they could clinch a playoff berth with a win, whilst the Liberty had nothing to play for after securing the top seed. The Dream started strong behind Charles, who broke Sylvia Fowles’ rebound record of 4,006 boards a few minutes into the game.
She needed three coming into the game to break the record and now has 4,014 in her career.
Charles was honored before the game as she was inducted into the city’s Basketball Hall of Fame, along with nine other former players and coaches. Her Dream teammates were on the court, applauding her on as she was introduced. She is the first WNBA player to have scored 7,000 points and 4,000 rebounds during her career.
She ranks second on the career scoring list, trailing only Diana Taurasi. “We arrived here with our suitcases packed. We knew we’d take care of business,” Charles remarked in a post-match press conference, according to the Atlanta Dream’s official website.
They fulfilled their desire when they won the game and earned the eighth seed in the postseason. The two clubs will face in the postseason, which begins Sunday in New York. Game 2 will take place on Tuesday night. The eighth-seeded Dream will remain in New York to face the top-seeded Liberty in a best-of-three series, with the first two games in New York and, if necessary, the third game in Atlanta.
This is the Dream’s second consecutive postseason campaign under head coach Tanisha Wright, who guided the team to a first-round matchup with the Dallas Wings previous season. The Dream’s last two postseason appearances came in 2013 and 2014. They’ve made three WNBA Finals appearances and seven Conference Finals since 2010.
The 2024 WNBA Playoffs will begin on September 22, with the league’s top eight teams competing in a best-of-three series. The winners of each first-round series will progress to a best-of-five semifinal round, and the winners of each semifinal round series will go on to the WNBA Finals, which are also best-of-five.
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
