The Alicante woman of Senegalese origin who challenges the WNBA stars
Awa Fam's parents ran an African handicraft shop, but they closed it to dedicate themselves to street vending
BarcelonaTired of the few future options he saw in Senegal, Awa Fam's father traveled to Alicante, where he had a friend who helped him process his papers and find work. His wife arrived shortly after and the family settled in Santa Pola. His parents, Madoumbe and Arane, ran an African crafts shop, but when she was born at Elche Hospital, they closed it to dedicate themselves to street vending.
Awa grew up happy and soon imitated her brothers, who played basketball. When she was ten years old, she was already 1.70 meters tall. Valencia Basket signed her when she was only 12 years old, and shortly after, when she was 15, she debuted in the Liga Femenina Endesa. The orange club inscribed her name on the Wall of Dreams, the space where the entity gives visibility to the youth academy players who reach the elite. Her progression was so great that the player has reached the WNBA, where she is accumulating many accolades with the Seattle Storm, the franchise that chose her in the third position of the draft.
“I expected the adaptation to be a little more difficult. I'm surprised by the calm with which I'm handling it,” admits the player, who is averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. A survey conducted among the executives of all WNBA franchises predicts that she will be the best player of her generation in five years. “The experience is being very good. I'm very happy, I'm very comfortable. I've been very lucky with the team I've gotten, as Seattle is incredible. My teammates are lovely and they've welcomed me really well,” she admits.
The transition from Valencia to Seattle was so rapid that Fam barely had time to process it. “When you play against incredible players, whose names I've been hearing and seeing for a long time, or when you play a game, rest, and the next day you play again, you realize you're in the United States,” explains the player from Alicante.
The magazine Slam, a publication that basketball fans in the United States consider their personal bible, dedicates a generous feature to her in its latest issue, comparing her playing style to a dance. Fam's favorite artist is Drake, but she also loves Rihanna, Gunna, Future, and Bad Bunny.
One of the most special moments was when Awa Fam competed against A’ja Wilson, who has three WNBA titles and two Olympic medals to her name. “Sharing the court with her was the most special moment. It was incredible, something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I have the photo saved, I’ll see if I frame it at my home. Being able to fulfill this dream and having had the luck to speak with her was very special. She was very kind. It’s something I’ll take with me forever,” she confesses in an interview with the Efe agency.
From suffering racist attacks to success
Fam, who suffered some racist attacks when she was just a child, has always looked up to basketball players, but the documentary about Iñaki and Nico Williams inspired the Alicante native. While acknowledging that politics is not discussed much at home, the athlete does not forget that when she started playing basketball, the neighbors of Santa Pola joined forces to buy her sneakers. The player is very emotional and, when she said goodbye to the Valencia Basket fans, she could not hold back her tears.
Although she is focused on the process of adapting to her new team and the WNBA, Fam has not lost sight of the World Cup that will be held in September in Germany. “It is a dream that I have waited for for a long time. Wearing the Spanish jersey to compete in anything is something that really excites me, I have a great time. We are creating a new generation of young people,” she argues. The Spanish national team has been drawn in a group with Japan and Germany.