"Grateful to leave a legacy": Chicago Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere shares emotional message after being inducted into high school HOF

By Insiya Johar

Modified Dec 21, 2024 13:45 GMT

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Chicago Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere is treasuring an honor. This month, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at her alma mater Grandview High School in Aurora, Colorado under both basketball and track and field.

In an Instagram post this week, she shared the feat with her fans:

"Hall of Famer! I was recently inducted into the Grandview Highschool Hall of Fame for both Basketball and Track and Field! I am humbled and grateful to leave a legacy of this magnitude at a place that once meant so much to me. I'll never take the many steps in my journey/story for granted. Stamped foreverrrrr, Go Wolves."

Michaela Onyenwere has a number of accolades to her name. She played basketball for Grandview High and led them to the 2017 Colorado 5A State Championship.

Her performance in senior year led her to the title of Ms. Colorado Basketball, the 5A Girl's Basketball Player of the Year and the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year. That same year, she earned the title of McDonald's All-American.

Onyenwere participated in the 2019 Pan American Games and won a silver medal for Team USA, averaging ten points and seven rebounds, securing a 4-1 win. She also competed in the 2019 USA Basketball Women's 3x3 Minicamp in Colorado Springs. In 2021, she grabbed headlines with WNBA Rookie of the Year.

In addition to her celebrated basketball career, she was also a track and field athlete in high school. Her dad, Peter Onyenwere, was also a track and field athlete and had competed in the Olympics for Nigeria.

Michaela Onyenwere's athleticism praised by Sky GM after Chicago signing

Michaela Onyenwere's college basketball career saw her play for the UCLA Bruins, winning the All-Pac-12 title three times in a row. Her NBA career started when the New York Liberty picked her in their 2021 first draft. Since then, Onyenwere has played for the Phoenix Mercury, before teaming up with Chicago Sky in 2024.

In a press conference, Chicago Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca praised Michaela Onyenwere's athleticism, noting her Rookie of the Year award (via sky.wnba.com):

"Michaela brings great athleticism and has greatly improved every year she’s been in the league thus far. Bringing a former Rookie of the Year can only strengthen our roster. Brianna brings tremendous size, rebounding abilities and stifling defense to the team and we cannot wait to see what they can both do in a Sky uniform.”

Onyenwere played in 34 games for the Sky in 2024, starting 18, and averaged 18.7 minutes per game. She averaged 6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per outing.