‘How did I get here?': GB basketball captain Temi Fágbénlé's journey from shy London teen to WNBA

The Guardian

4 hours ago

'It's great to be back with Great Britain,' Temi Fágbénlé says, her voice carrying the quiet confidence of a seasoned international basketball player. 'I come from the WNBA but I'm glad I was able to make both work.' For the captain of GB's women's basketball team, balancing the demands of the world's premier league with national team duties is a familiar tightrope walk. 'I'm thankful teams see European competition as a priority for some of us. They've accommodated where they could.'
EuroBasket, a biennial competition, is one of the biggest international tournaments in the game. It is also a qualifying metric for the Women's World Cup and the Olympics. With the 2025 edition under way, Fágbénlé's presence is crucial as one of the leading WNBA players choosing to play in an international tournament during the season.
At 6ft 4in, the driving centre is a focal point for GB, an underdog team. They have been here before: written off at the 2019 tournament, they made a historic run to the semi-finals, with Fágbénlé leading the team in points, blocks and efficiency per game – a composite stat calculated using points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers and shot attempts.
This time, GB are in a challenging Group D. An opening 85-70 defeat to the four-time champions Spain means remaining fixtures against Sweden and the co-hosts Germany will be crucial. 'I feel great about our chances of advancing to the knockouts,' says Fágbénlé. 'We have a chance to win against any team we play. It just depends on our consistency, our toughness and our grit. Anyone can be beaten.'
The transition from the WNBA to EuroBasket brings a set of adjustments on the court for players. The three-second rule – 'In Europe, I get to live in the paint without any repercussion of how long I'm in there for,' laughs Fágbénlé – and the level of play differs vastly, with GB's team comprising semi-pros and amateurs along with the professionals.
'We have some people coming from college who haven't played professionally yet. It's not comparable to the WNBA or the Euroleague. But you have that common goal for your national team. And it's a great feeling because there aren't as many individual agendas. In the W, you might have people who are trying to be all-stars or trying to get this or that award. We all want to win for our country. I've played in Europe. This is my scene.'
Born in Baltimore and raised in London, Fágbénlé's 'first love' was tennis but she switched to basketball, playing at a club in Haringey before attending Harvard and the University of Southern California for college basketball. After becoming the first Briton to win a WNBA championship in 2017, with the Minnesota Lynx, she took a break from the league, doing the rounds in Europe including with the London Lions before returning to the US, this time with the Indiana Fever. It was a season of unprecedented attention, largely due to the arrival of the 2024 No 1 draft pick, Caitlin Clark, a player at the forefront of popularising women's basketball.
'There were a lot of eyes on us, a lot of outside drama. The media – and people in general – love a good story, right? It was funny to see because on the inside you know the truth. But also great to see Caitlin handle everything so gracefully, graciously and maturely. It was definitely a challenge trying to focus on basketball, but I'm glad we went as far as we did.'
The Fever went on to make their first playoff appearance since 2016 and Fágbénlé, despite struggling with injuries, combined with Clark as a surprise dynamic duo. 'Caitlin sees the floor very well and she's a great passer. I was willing to complement her game as the star of the team. I understood what my role was and that was fine with me.'
Some of the unprecedented media attention involved constant chatter about who would start, a talking point Fágbénlé dismissed in several press conferences with the team. 'I've always had a team-first mentality. We're playing a team sport. Why would you be worried about what you're doing individually? If you're worried about yourself, go play tennis or something.'
It is fitting now the 32-year-old finds herself at the WNBA's newest expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, a team she says is made up of 'sixth women'.
'Teams around the league protected five players, generally the starting five. Then the Valkyries got to pick one player from each team. You're going to pick the first player off the bench. The sixth woman. What do bench players encompass? Great teamwork. We were expected to lose a lot. But people don't get it. We're going to be contenders. Like we won't be bottom half, I don't think.'
A true team mindset did not come easy to Fágbénlé who, as an introvert, struggled to feel as if she was contributing. Basketball is a loud sport that needs constant communication and overcoming her nature to become a vocal leader was a conscious effort.
'I was quiet and I saw that wasn't the thing to be if you wanted to be a good teammate. In fact, you're being selfish. Whenever I would be on a team I would see veterans who talked – even talking as to look silly or stupid – but it was helpful.
'All of a sudden now I'm known as the talker. I talk so much. I'm like 'how did I get here?' It's hard to teach to someone who doesn't see that as a priority, but it is.'
Fágbénlé's journey – from a quiet London teenager to a seasoned leader on the big stage – feels resonant. Her evolution mirrors the spirit of the GB's EuroBasket squad: overlooked yet relentlessly committed. She is again at the heart of a team thriving on defying expectations. It surely is not a coincidence she keeps finding herself here – she is the one setting the standard.
'I will be indebted to basketball for the rest of my life. Basketball shows you who you are in times of adversity and I've been able to find the weak points in my character and fix them. Resilience is a skill that is to be honed. And I've really been honing it over the years.'