Source: Radio New Zealand
Charlisse Leger-Walker (L) of UCLA poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (R) after being selected with the 18th pick in the second round by the Connecticut Sun during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images / Angelina Katsanis
Charlisse Leger-Walker’s historic rise into the WNBA is being described as a defining moment for Māori and Pasifika visibility in global sport, with an academic saying her success is reshaping what rangatahi believe is possible.
Leger-Walker (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou, Samoa) was selected 18th overall in the 2026 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun, becoming the first Māori and New Zealand woman ever drafted into the league.
She is just the second New Zealand woman to reach the world’s premier basketball league, following Megan Compain, who played for the Utah Starzz in 1997, but was not drafted.
The 24-year-old guard from Kirikiriroa had already etched her name into history after earlier becoming the first wahine from New Zealand to win an NCAA Division I championship with the UCLA Bruins.
Ngā Wai a Te Tūī (Māori and Indigenous Research Centre) and School of Healthcare and Social Practice, associate professor Lefaoali’i Dr Dion Enari said Leger-Walker’s journey is a powerful example of representation at the highest level.
“She is such a role model to so many people, and it’s only when you see someone that looks like you achieve that, it becomes more real that you can achieve on an international level,” he told RNZ.
“Not just to Māori and not just to Pacific, but to all of New Zealand, that someone that was from here can reach the pinnacle in their sport in the world.”
Enari said moments like this help reshape identity and aspiration for young athletes growing up in Aotearoa, particularly those who have rarely seen themselves represented in elite global sport.
“When it comes to Māori and Pacific in sport, it’s never really just about the individual,” he said.
“It’s a way of serving your people through the vehicle of sport.
“A lot of Māori and Pacific go into sport not so much for their own individual gain, but use sport as a vehicle to better serve their families, their iwi, their hapū, and to pay it forward for future generations.”
SARAH STIER
Leger-Walker herself has spoken to RNZ about that same responsibility, saying the visibility of her basketball journey is a key motivation for continuing at the highest level.
“A lot of the reason why I play basketball and want to continue playing it at a high level is so that I can inspire other rangatahi back home,” she told RNZ.
“I just really hope that anybody who is watching, especially our young kids back home, that they can understand this is so doable.
“Why not us? Why not us playing on the biggest stages in front of the whole world?”
That message is exactly why representation matters, Enari said.
“She shows that rangatahi can do anything, no matter where you came from …you can go and literally achieve the pinnacle of the field that you choose.
“To me, this goes beyond being one of the world’s best in basketball. It proves you can be the best in whatever you do, in whatever field that you pick from here in Aotearoa.”
He said the impact is strongest when athletes are visible in spaces where Māori and Pasifika presence has historically been limited.
“It’s not until you see someone that looks like you actually do it that it becomes an actualised reality as a Māori and Pacific person,” he said.
“Anyone can tell you that you can achieve and you can be whatever you want to be, but it’s not until you see it that it becomes real.”
This kōrero echoes what Leger-Walker previously told RNZ.
“When I was growing up … there was just nobody who looked like me or who was Māori or Pasifika in the leagues or over in college,” she said.
“So I just think it’s massive, because when you see people who look like you doing it, it’s a little bit more relatable.”
Lefaoali’i Dr Dion Enari is an Associate Professor in Pacific and Sport research at Unitec and holds a PhD in Samoan culture from Bond University, Australia (2022) and a master’s in international relations from Griffith University (2014). Supplied: Lefaoali’i Associate Professor Dion Enari
Enari said Leger-Walker has “really shown” the pipeline of making it on a global stage.
“I believe more of our Māori and Pacific athletes should explore avenues outside of Aotearoa.
“There’s only so far you can grow as an athlete in New Zealand.
“We cannot just keep it here in New Zealand. We’ve got to make those international connections as well.”
Leger-Walker’s success also comes from a strong sporting whānau. Her mother, former Tall Fern Leanne Walker, and wider family have all been influential in her journey.
Enari said that collective support plays a major role in Māori and Pasifika sporting success.
“Our research shows the family support Māori and Pacific render to their athletes is a positive contributing factor to their success,” he said.
“We have this saying, I am not self-made, I am village made, I am iwi made, I am hapū made.
“She is testament to the love and support that she received from her family to help get her where she is today.”
In 2018, Leger-Walker became the youngest player to play for the Tall Ferns, when she debuted as a 16-year-old at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Supplied / Charlisse Leger-Walker
Enari said acknowledging one’s cultural identity is essential when recognising success.
“It is important to acknowledge their ancestral lineage and their ancestral ties, because that’s what made them who they are,” he said.
“To not acknowledge that is to not acknowledge a part of them.”
Leger-Walker’s WNBA selection marks the beginning of a new professional chapter, but also a wider shift for New Zealand basketball. She joins a small rōpū of New Zealand athletes to reach the league, and the first Māori woman to ever be drafted.
Enari said that visibility will continue to ripple through the next generation.
“By her walking that talk and making it in America, I believe it is good role modelling for people to seek opportunities outside of here,” he said.
“We will always be from New Zealand, but we should not let geographical boundaries confine our talent.
“She has proven it is possible … and that is the impact she is making.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
