Monique Akoa Makani
Akoa Makani with the Phoenix Mercury in 2025 | |
| No. 8 – Phoenix Mercury | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 4 February 2001 Bafang, Cameroon |
| Nationality | Cameroonian / French |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2021 | ASVEL Féminin |
| 2021–2022 | CSP Nantes-Rezé |
| 2022–2025 | Charnay Basket Bourgogne Sud |
| 2025–present | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2025–present | Tango Bourges Basket |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Monique Akoa Makani (born 4 February 2001) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Tango Bourges Basket of the La Boulangère Wonderligue.
Early life
Akoa Makani was born on 4 February 2001, in Bafang, Cameroon.[1] She grew up there before moving with her family to France at age nine.[2][3] She grew up playing football before trying out basketball in school, afterwards joining the local club Basket Charpennes Croix-Luizet.[2] She played there for a year before joining the club ASVEL Féminin.[2] She was a member of the ASVEL training centre for nine years.[4]
Professional career
France
Akoa Makani was promoted to ASVEL's first-team towards the end of the 2018–19 season, appearing in four games while averaging 2.8 points and helping them win the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB) title.[2][5] She saw limited playing time for the club across the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.[5] For the 2021–22 season, she played with CSP Nantes-Rezé in Ligue 2, averaging 12.8 points per game.[5]
Akoa Makani moved to Charnay Basket Bourgogne Sud in 2022–23 and averaged 6.8 points while helping the club win the league title and a promotion to the LFB.[5][6] In the LFB, she averaged 12.5 points for Charnay in 2023–24 and 14.7 points in 2024–25.[5]
Akoa Makani signed with Tango Bourges Basket for the 2025–26 season.[7]
WNBA
Phoenix Mercury (2025–present)
On 25 March 2025, Akoa Makani signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[8] She made the team's final roster.[9]
International career
Akoa Makani has competed for the Cameroon women's national basketball team, participating at the 2023 Women's AfroBasket and in qualifiers for the 2024 AfroBasket.[10]
References
- ^ "Monique Akoa-Makani". ESPN.
- ^ a b c d Lacoste, Alexandre (17 April 2025). "Monique Akoa-Makani, dire non à l'Olympique Lyonnais pour devenir la révélation de la Wonderligue" [Monique Akoa-Makani, saying no to Olympique Lyonnais to become the revelation of the Wonder League]. BeBasket.fr (in French).
- ^ Brohan, Simon (3 September 2021). "Basket-ball. Les Déferlantes et Makani vont s'évaluer" [Basketball. The Déferlantes and Makani will assess each other]. Ouest-France (in French).
- ^ Bonnet, Norbert (7 May 2025). "Monique Akoa Makani, de Charpennes-Croix-Luizet à la WNBA". Le Progrès.
- ^ a b c d e "Monique Akoa Makani". Proballers.com.
- ^ "Monique Akoa-Makani, l'heure des adieux à Charnay basket" [Monique Akoa-Makani, Time to Say Goodbye to Charnay Basketball]. MagVille (in French). 9 April 2025 – via archive.today.
- ^ "Bourges officialise quatre recrues, ses ambitions et son budget pour 2025-2026" [Bourges announces four new recruits, its ambitions and its budget for 2025-2026]. BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Welleng, Dillon (13 March 2025). "Basketball : Monique Makani Nears WNBA". Cameroon Tribune.
- ^ Ortiz, Jenna (15 May 2025). "Phoenix Mercury deliver a surprising cut for 2025 opening night roster". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ "PHOENIX MERCURY SIGN MONIQUE AKOA MAKANI, SHYLA HEAL AND ALEXIS PRINCE TO TRAINING CAMP CONTRACTS". Phoenix Mercury. 25 March 2025.