<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-177897" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-topbanner.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="510" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-topbanner.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-topbanner-300x106.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-topbanner-1024x363.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-topbanner-768x272.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" />
Amplifying Asian American players and their achievements across the league&#8217;s wide range of diversity. 
The diverse styles, identities, and heritages of the WNBA players speak magnitudes to the league&#8217;s equally diverse fanbase. With the month of May recognized as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the WNBA, and the <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1653067133960744964">overall NBA family</a>, have introduced new programming that highlights their achievements. The New York Liberty recently hosted the <a href="https://liberty.wnba.com/news/new-york-liberty-to-host-inaugural-aapi-heritage-night-on-friday-may-13/">inaugural AAPI Heritage Night</a> on Friday, May 13, which signals that the Asian American presence across professional women&#8217;s basketball is evolving with powerful momentum.
Watching the 2023 season and the 2022 season, stand-out Asian players like Han Xu are becoming more recognizable on a mainstream, off-court scale. While Han Xu&#8217;s reputation is bolstered by her impressive presence on China&#8217;s team in the FIBA Women&#8217;s Basketball World Cup, these conversations are also supported by recent social movements that uplift Asian voices. Widening our scope, Han Xu is joined by another Chinese player, Li Meng, this season– together, these players represent more than a new chapter, as they’re also continuing an ongoing story around the Asian American presence in the WNBA. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-177902" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2.jpg" alt="" width="8256" height="5504" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2.jpg 8256w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-1-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 8256px) 100vw, 8256px" />
Counting current players, there’s been 12 players of Asian descent, each with unique backgrounds and achievements. Starting with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hanxu_521/">Han Xu</a>, who joined the New York Liberty in 2019, she was the youngest in her draft class at 19 while standing at an intimidating height that commands attention. This year, Han Xu will face Li Meng, a Chinese shooting guard who was recently signed to the Washington Mystics after receiving a training camp contract. While Li Meng played a pivotal role in China&#8217;s team at the 2022 FIBA Women&#8217;s Basketball World Cup, the two players have previously been teammates on the Chinese women&#8217;s national team. Their reunion in the league is a potential catalyst for increased attention to women&#8217;s basketball on an international scale. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-177903" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2.jpg" alt="" width="8256" height="5504" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2.jpg 8256w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 8256px) 100vw, 8256px" />
Other notable Asian presences in this season include <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natalienakase/">Natalie Nakase</a>, the lead assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. She&#8217;s the first Asian American coach to win a WNBA title, but she&#8217;s also had an important career as an all-conference point guard at UCLA and working for the Los Angeles Clippers. An honorable mention to this season also goes to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yanglw/">Yang Liwei</a>, another Chinese-born player, who was signed, then waived by the Los Angeles Sparks. Last year, Li Yueru played for the Chicago Sky, but she&#8217;s also been suspended this season for a Non-WNBA Injury. Other players in the 2022 season also include Los Angeles Sparks player <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kismith14/">Kianna Smith</a>, who’s proudly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx2WuL9c4Aw">spoken about her America-South Korean heritage</a>. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-177904" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3.jpg" alt="" width="8256" height="5504" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3.jpg 8256w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 8256px) 100vw, 8256px" />
The 2022 season also included a brief stint from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/macchi0308/">Rui Machida</a>, a Japanese player who joined the Washington Mystics. Rising above the potential challenges of cultural and language barriers, Machida played 36 games in the league before refocusing her energy on the Women&#8217;s Japan Basketball League. Looking back to 2021, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jisuparkk/">Ji-su Park</a> has played for the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics and was the first Korean player to enter the WNBA in 15 years. Noted as a Seattle Storm fan favorite, Japan-born player <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tokashiki_10">Ramu Tokashiki</a> played in 2015, 2016, and 2017. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-177905" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4.jpg" alt="" width="8256" height="5504" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4.jpg 8256w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/05/aapi-spotlight-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 8256px) 100vw, 8256px" />
Finally, we can move to the inaugural 1997 season of the WNBA, which featured the Chinese player, Zhang Haixia, and the Japanese player, Mikiko Hagiwara. Zhang Haixia is often recognized for leading the Chinese women&#8217;s basketball team to achieve silver medals in the 1988 Games, and for receiving the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 1997 for becoming the first Asian woman as well as an international player to win any award in the WNBA. Documentation around the 1997 season is spotty&#8211; while Zhang Haixia has a memorable 6&#8242; 8&#8243; height, there are only 2 photos of Mikiko Hagiwara that can be found online. 
After reading this list, fans may be surprised that the AAPI presence in the WNBA has roots as long as the league itself. In the hopes of reaching a future with more diverse and equitable coverage around the WNBA, this article was created to recognize these players and ensure that their names are never forgotten. 
WNBA reporter Kirsten Chen writes a lifestyle &amp; fashion column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter through @hotgothwriter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

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AAPI Heritage Month: Spotlighting Players in the Past and Present

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2023 Free Agency List

Breanna Stewart scores 22 points and grabs nine rebounds, while Jewell Loyd adds 18 points as the Seattle Storm beats the San Antonio Stars, 79-78.

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Storm 79, Stars 78

Odyssey Sims scores 20 points, hands out six assists and grabs four rebounds to lead the defending champion Sparks (1-0) to their first victory of the season over the Storm (0-1), 78-68. Jewell Loyd scores 25 points in the loss for the Storm.

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Game Highlights: Sparks 78, Storm 68

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The 2017 WNBA season is only six weeks away, and many of the league’s stars have wrapped up their offseason campaigns overseas. Some are still in action across the pond, but others have helped their respective teams win trophies and can now focus on the summer season ahead.
Here is an update on some of the WNBA players thriving overseas.
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
For the second straight year, Fowles guided Beijing Great Wall to the championship in China’s WCBA. In a league full of other WNBA stars, Fowles helped Beijing go undefeated during the playoffs, including a three-game sweep of Glory Johnson’s Xinjiang squad in the semifinals. After averaging 21.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, Fowles produced an even more impressive 29 points and 11.7 boards per contest in the championship series. She was named to the All-WCBA First Team alongside Johnson and Breanna Stewart.
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
The six-time EuroLeague champion is on her way to earning more hardware this spring. Playing alongside other WNBA stars at UMMC Ekaterinburg – including Kristi Toliver, Emma Meesseman and Mercury teammate Brittney Griner – Taurasi is leading the squad with 18.3 points per game and shooting 45 percent from downtown in EuroLeague action. Aiming to repeat as champions, UMMC Ekaterinburg is scheduled to face Fenerbahce in the semifinals in mid-April. In the Russian league, Taurasi’s team went 19-1 in the regular season and will commence its semifinal series next week.
Griner, Toliver and Meesseman have all played key roles in UMMC Ekaterinburg’s season. They are averaging 16.6, 10.4, and 9.1 points per game, respectively, in EuroLeague play.
Sonja Petrovic, Phoenix Mercury
Another player thriving in the EuroLeague is Taurasi’s teammate in Phoenix, Sonja Petrovic, who is playing with ZVVZ USK Praha. With Petrovic pacing the team at 17 points per game, ZVVZ USK Praha has cruised to the semifinals and will now take on a Dynamo Kursk squad that features WNBA stars Angel McCoughtry and Nneka Ogwumike. ZVVZ USK Praha is also in the semifinals of the Czech league, which begin Wednesday. With the help of fellow WNBA players Kia Vaughn, Marta Xargay, and Candice Dupree, Petrovic guided ZVVZ USK Praha to a perfect 22-0 regular season.
Moriah Jefferson, San Antonio Stars
Seattle’s Jewell Loyd starred for Galatasaray following her rookie year in the WNBA, and now it’s Jefferson doing the same while guiding the Turkish squad to a successful season. She’s averaging 18.2 points and 4.6 assists per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field in league play. With three games remaining, Galatasaray sits in fourth place with a 16-6 record. Jefferson was even better in EuroCup action, finishing with averages of 22 points and 4.9 assists per game as her squad was eliminated in the semifinals last week. Galatasaray had gone unbeaten in group play before coming up short in the knockout round.
Ramu Tokashiki, Seattle Storm
Tokashiki is the face of women’s basketball in Japan, and earlier this month she completed another dominant season in her home country. With Tokashiki leading the way, JX-Eneos Sunflowers went undefeated throughout the regular season and tournament play, capturing trophies for the league title and the All-Japan championship. Tokashiki’s numbers dipped a bit from the previous two years when she led the league in scoring, but she still led the league in field goal percentage (61.5) and blocks (2.1 per game). That helped her earn a third consecutive MVP award.
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
Jones chose to play in South Korea for her first season abroad, and the Sun forward made the most of the opportunity. She led the league in points (15.8 per game), rebounds (14.3) and blocks (2.8) while helping Woori Bank win 33 of its 35 regular-season games. In the championship series, Jones went up against Sun teammate Alyssa Thomas, the leading scorer for Blue Minx. Thomas had an incredible Game 1 in the series – 21 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three steals – but it wasn’t enough as Woori Bank pulled out a narrow victory. An overtime win in Game 3 on March 20 sealed the title for Jones’ squad.

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WNBA Overseas Report: March 28

Tamera Young scores 24 points, Elena Delle Donne adds 22 and the Sky defeat the Storm 92-88.

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Game Recap: Sky 92, Storm 88

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Ramu Tokashiki scores 15 points in loss to the Sky

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Ramu Tokashiki with the rejection vs. the Wings

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SEATTLE – Seattle Storm forward Ramu Tokashiki will miss two Storm games to fulfill her Olympic Team duties. Tokashiki will represent Japan in the 2016 Olympics and will miss the Storm games on Wednesday, July 20 vs. San Antonio and Friday, July 22 at Minnesota.
“We wish Taku all the best as she prepares for the Rio Olympics, and can’t wait to cheer her on in August,” said Storm President &amp; GM Alisha Valavanis.
After being named to the WNBA’s All-Rookie team in 2015, Tokashiki is averaging 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.3 minutes per game in her second season with the Storm. When she signed with Seattle ahead of the 2015 season, Tokashiki became the third Japanese player to make a WNBA roster.
This will mark the first Olympic appearance for Tokashiki, a three-time Most Valuable Player in Japan’s WJBL. The 25-year-old previously led her National Team to titles at the 2013 and 2015 FIBA Asia Championships, where she also earned MVP honors.

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Ramu Tokashiki To Miss Two Storm Games To Join Japan National Team

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Ramu Tokashiki Beats The First Quarter Buzzer

Latest

Ramu Tokashiki

HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 176
BIRTHDATE: June 11, 1991
BIRTHPLACE: Kita-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
HOMETOWN: Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
HIGH SCHOOL: Ohka Gakuen HS
WNBA EXPERIENCE: 3 seasons
HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent on April 6, 2015
PRONUNCIATION: Rah-Moo Toh-caush-key
TWITTER HANDLE: @TOKASHIKI_10
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 
<ul>
<li>Scored her 500th-career point at Phoenix on 8/12/17</li>
<li>Named to WNBA All-Rookie team in 2015 alongside Seattle teammate Jewell Loyd</li>
<li>Started 16 games as a WNBA rookie, averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game</li>
<li>Is a three-time Most Valuable Player in the WJBL</li>
<li>Has won the WJBL title every season since joining JX-Eneos in 2010-11</li>
<li>Led the WJBL in scoring (19.5 points per game) and blocks (2.1 per game) in 2015-16</li>
<li>Led the WJBL in scoring (18.7 points per game), rebounding (11.4 per game) and blocks (2.1 per game) in 2014-15</li>
</ul>
2017 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
<ul>
<li>Posted a season-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the season opener at Los Angeles on 5/13/17</li>
<li>Tallied eight points on 4-for-7 shooting off the bench at New York on 6/11/17</li>
<li>Notched nine points on 3-for-5 shooting vs. San Antonio on 6/18/17</li>
<li>Came off the bench to record 11 points at Washington on 6/27/17</li>
<li>Recorded a career-high three assists vs. Los Angeles on 7/8/17</li>
<li>Scored her 500th-career point at Phoenix on 8/12/17</li>
</ul>
2016 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
<ul>
<li>Scored 7 points in 7 minutes of play against Connecticut</li>
<li>Recored career-high 3 steals at Indiana and posted 6 points</li>
<li>Scored 10 first-half points off the bench on her way to a season-high 15 against New York</li>
<li>Grabbed 5 rebounds to tie her season-high and posted 13 points at Minnesota on 8/28</li>
<li>Tied season-high with 15 points and grabbed a season-high 7 rebounds at Chicago on 9/2</li>
</ul>
2015 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
<ul>
<li>Missed four games while with the Japanese National Team, competing in the 2015 FIBA Asia Women’s Championship (Aug. 23 &#8211; Sept. 6)</li>
<li>Scored a career-high 21 points on 6/28 at Tulsa, shooting 10-for-15 from the field</li>
<li>Grabbed a career-high nine boards on 8/16 against San Antonio</li>
</ul>
OVERSEAS COMPETITION: 
<ul>
<li>2016-17: JX-Eneos, Japan</li>
<li>2015-16: JX-Eneos, Japan</li>
</ul>
NATIONAL TEAM EXPERIENCE: 
<ul>
<li>Led the Japanese National Team to a title at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship</li>
<li>Guided the Japanese National Team to a title in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, scoring 20 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the championship game</li>
<li>Led the Japanese National Team to third place at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship</li>
</ul>
PERSONAL: 
<ul>
<li>Goes by ‘Taku,’ pronounced “TOCK”</li>
<li>Working on learning the English language</li>
<li>Loves to listen to music and Starbucks</li>
</ul>