Maria Alekseyevna Vadeeva (russian: Мари́я Алексéевна Вадéева; born 16 July 1998) is a Russian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...

of the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...

. Vadeeva was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She is the first player who was born after the WNBA was founded.

Career

Europe

In 2014, Vadeeva began her professional career with Sparta&K Moscow, playing in the

and the EuroCup. In 2016, Vadeeva moved south and signed with

Dynamo Kursk WBC Dynamo Kursk (russian: ЖБК «Динамо» Курск) is a Russian women's basketball club from Kursk playing in the Russian Premier League. They won their first FIBA Eurocup title in 2012. In the 2016–17 season, Kursk won the EuroLea ...

, still playing in the Premier League as well as the EuroLeague. In the 2016–17 season,

took home the title.

WNBA

Vadeeva was drafted by the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. Vadeeva had some visa issues that didn't allow her to join the team right away. She played in 25 games during her rookie season.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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National team

Youth level

Vadeeva made her international debut at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in

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, where Russia placed sixth. Vadeeva once again participated, returning to the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, where Russia won the title, taking home their fifth Under-16 Championship. Vadeeva was then named to the national team for the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in her home nation. Russia would remain undefeated until the final, falling to the United States and taking home silver. Vadeeva was awarded a place on the All-Tournament Team.

Senior level

Vadeeva made her senior international debut at

EuroBasket Women 2015 The 2015 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2015, was the 35th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. The tournament was co-held in Hungary, which hosted ...

, at just the age of 16. In her debut tournament, Vadeeva averaged 12.3 points per game and 5.9 repounds per game. Vadeeva was once again named to Russia's roster, for

EuroBasket Women 2017 The 2017 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2017, was the 36th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. The tournament was awarded to Czech Republic after ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vadeeva, Maria 1998 births Living people Basketball players from Moscow Centers (basketball) Los Angeles Sparks draft picks Los Angeles Sparks players Russian expatriate basketball people in the United States Russian women's basketball players