Portland Fire Sign D’Tigress Captain Amy Okonkwo As Injury Replacement

Portland Fire Sign D’Tigress Captain Amy Okonkwo As Injury Replacement

Sampson Adedeji

WNBA side Portland Fire have signed Nigeria women’s national team captain Amy Okonkwo to a standard contract, the club announced on Tuesday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The 29-year-old forward joins Portland under the league’s Season-Ending Injury Exception as a replacement for Sarah Ashlee Barker, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL.

Okonkwo cut short her involvement with the D’Tigress, who are currently in camp preparing for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

The Nigerian captain had been with the team in Chicago and featured in the first of two warm-up games against China before returning to the United States to complete her move to Portland.

She subsequently trained with her new teammates on Tuesday as she begins her stint with the Fire.

Okonkwo’s move comes as D’Tigress continue their preparations for the World Cup, with Nigeria among the African teams set to compete on the global stage.