Nneka Okonkwo inks deal with Portland Fire through season's end

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Nigeria forward Amy Okonkwo has signed a rest-of-season contract with WNBA side Portland Fire, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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The D’Tigress captain returns to the WNBA after previous spells with the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings, where she made an impact off the bench, including a career-high 20 points against the Phoenix Mercury in September 2025.

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Okonkwo joins Portland as a replacement player under the WNBA’s Season-Ending Injury Exception, following a string of injuries to the team, including Sarah Ashlee Barker’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury.

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She first joined Dallas on a seven-day hardship contract in August 2025 before earning a rest-of-season deal after impressing during her initial spell with the Wings.

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Okonkwo returned to the franchise for their 2026 training camp before moving to Atlanta on a development contract in May, making nine appearances, including one start, across her two WNBA spells.

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The back-to-back AfroBasket Most Valuable Player arrives in Portland after leading Nigeria to their fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, securing her third continental crown. She was named tournament MVP for the second successive edition, having also won the award in 2023, and recently linked up with the D’Tigress squad as they prepare for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

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Okonkwo began her college career at the University of Southern California before transferring to Texas Christian University, where she earned All-Big 12 Second Team honours in 2018 and 2019.

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The forward joined the Fire for practice at the Moda Center on Tuesday, as Portland prepares to face the Minnesota Lynx.

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