Ghana’s team may not be competing in basketball at the Tokyo2020 Olympics but all eyes are on the Japanese Mawuli twins of Ghanaian ancestry. Meet the Japanese superstar Evelyn and Stephanie Mawuli who are making African women basketball players proud.
Born to Ghanaian immigrants to Japan, Evelyn and Stephanie Mawuli are Japanese basketball players playing for Japan in the ongoing 2020 olympics. They were born in Toyohasi, Aichi-Japan in 1995 and 1998 respectively.
The elder sister, Evelyn Mawuli, made her international debut in 2009 at the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship held in India. She consequently played again in the Under-17 world championship for Japan in 2012. In the 2020/2021 Women’s Japan Basketball playoffs, she was named one of the All-Star Five players. Absolutely remarkable!
Growing up with basketball, Evelyn has been playing for the Toyota Antelopes since 2017. Basketball aside, Evelyn is also entrepreneurial. She’s also set up a sport management agency naned ‘Circle of Life’.
Stephanie Mawuli just like her sister plays for the Toyota Antelopes. She plays for the Japan Women’s national 3×3 team. In 2019, she led the national under 23 team to world championship. She became the first ever player that acquired both 5×5 and 3×3 medals at the Asian games in 2018. In the Olympics qualifying tournament in Graz, she was named most valuable player.
They do not identify as Ghanaians. Nevertheless, Ghanaians are proud to see these queens shine on the world’s stage.
