Balogun’s D’Tigress record earns New York Liberty WNBA deal

Elizabeth Balogun’s achievements with Nigeria’s D’Tigress have helped secure her return to the Women’s National Basketball Association, with the 25-year-old joining New York Liberty on a developmental player contract.

The versatile 6-foot-1 forward won gold with Nigeria at the 2023 and 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournaments. She also played in four matches for D’Tigress at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, adding major international experience to her club résumé.

Balogun was part of Nigeria’s campaign at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament, where she averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 block across five games. She attempted five three-pointers per game and converted 36 percent of those efforts.

Her latest club season came with Landerneau BC in France’s LFB. Across 17 appearances, she posted averages of 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. She also had a brief pre-season spell with Toronto Tempo, scoring 18 points in two appearances.

The move takes Balogun back to the WNBA after she spent the previous season in France. She will turn 26 on September 9 and now has an opportunity to continue her professional career with the New York-based franchise.

Balogun’s college career ran from 2018 to 2023, covering Georgia Tech, Louisville and Duke. She averaged 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.1 blocks in 150 appearances, including 123 starts. At Duke, she led the team in rebounding in 2021/22 and ranked second in scoring during the 2022/23 season, while her time at Louisville included two ACC regular-season titles.