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With one more day left of the WNBA regular season, the Atlanta Dream are still fighting for a playoff spot. They are attempting to do so short-handed as well. They are currently without Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Aerial Powers, both of whom are out due to injury. To help shore up their roster, the Dream signed overseas star Ezinne Kalu on Wednesday, the team announced.
Ezinne Kalu's contract with the Dream is a 7-day hardship contract. The Dream had 12 players on their roster, the maximum number allowed. But with two players out, they were able to add another player on a hardship contract. Both Parker-Tyus and Powers have been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, meaning they will miss the team's season finale on Thursday against the New York Liberty.
That game is a huge game for the Dream as they are hoping to secure the eighth seed in the WNBA standings. The pathway to the playoffs for the Dream is quite simple, win on Thursday and they're in regardless of what else happens. They're playing the Liberty who might choose to rest players ahead of the postseason.
Should the Dream, lose, then things become a little more murky. They would need losses by both the Chicago Sky and the Washington Mystics to keep their hold on the eighth seed.
Ezinne Kalu shined against Team USA during the Olympics
Ezinne Kalu joins the Dream as a rookie in the WNBA. She played her high school basketball at Science Park High School in New Jersey and had her jersey retired after becoming the only player in school history to reach 2,000 career points. She went on to play college basketball at Savannah State University where she also amassed 2,000 career points.
She was not drafted in the WNBA and has been playing overseas for the past nine years. She's played professionally in Portugal, Hungary, Germany and France.
Kalu is also a member of the Nigerian national team whom she's been playing for since 2016 at the FIBA women's Olympic qualifying tournament. Kalu suited up for Nigeria during the 2024 Olympics and stood out against Team USA during the quarterfinals.
Despite Nigeria's 88-74 loss, Kalu finished the game with 16 points, two rebounds, seven assists and one steal. 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. She was one of the top players during the entire Olympics with her 18.5 points being fourth behind Emma Meesseman, A'ja Wilson and Satou Sabally. All three are highly accomplished WNBA players.
