Stunning forward for Nigeria’s D’Tigress, Michaela Onyemere, recently celebrated her appearance in the X (formerly Twitter) billboard campaign, describing it as a dream come true, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Chicago Sky player, who is part of the D’Tigress roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, expressed her excitement on Instagram, encouraging fans to pursue their dreams relentlessly.
“If you tweet it, you can be it. I am so honoured to be a part of this Twitter billboard campaign alongside so many other influential people,” Onyemere wrote. “Chase your dreams to the fullest extent, no matter how crazy people think you might be. I was 13 when I tweeted this, and eight years later, here we are! If you can believe it, I promise you can be it. Dream big always.”
The billboards featuring Onyemere are located in prominent spots including New York’s 7th Ave and 49th Street, 42nd Street and 8th Ave, Times Square, Bryant Park Subway Station, and newsstands throughout Midtown; San Francisco’s Kearney WS and Montgomery Muni Station; and Los Angeles’ The Hollywood Roosevelt and Sepulveda WS.
Onyenwere was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2021 WNBA Draft and began her career with the New York Liberty, averaging 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. She made 37 three-pointers, the highest among all rookies in her class. She swept every Rookie of the Month award and won the Rookie of the Year award, narrowly missing a unanimous selection, and was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Onyenwere, who is expected to significantly contribute to D’Tigress at the Olympic Games, proudly speaks of her Nigerian heritage. “I am the daughter of Nigerian immigrants,” she said on the WNBA’s ‘Naija-MMADE’ YouTube show. “Both my mom and my dad were born in Nigeria. It is such an honour to represent Nigeria.”
She continued, “I am just so proud to be Nigerian, and I never let anyone forget it. I make sure I let people know I am Nigerian because it is a big part of who I am, and the Nigerian community has completely embraced me.”
Onyenwere also highlighted the support she received from the Nigerian community. “From Draft Night, I was getting messages from young Nigerian kids who are in Nigeria, saying you are an inspiration. You don’t really think about those things until you see those messages. I am influencing people on a different continent. They’ve supported me from day one, and I am grateful and appreciative of the support I have received from the Nigerian community.”
D’Tigress face a challenging pool in Paris, drawn against top-ranked teams including hosts France (No. 7), Canada (No. 5), and Australia (No. 3). Ranked No. 12, Nigeria will open their campaign against Australia on July 29.
