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Finding Confidence in Culture: How Seattle Storm’s Ezi Magbegor embraces her Nigerian heritage
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- Finding Confidence in Culture: How Seattle Storm’s Ezi Magbegor embraces her Nigerian heritage
For much of her childhood, Ezi Magbegorrecalls standing out — whether it was her height, her hair, or her heritage.
"There weren't kids who looked like us at school and on the basketball court, but at home, we were eating fufu, we were eating jollof rice, we were eating egusi, " Magbegor, who was raised in Australia by Nigerian parents, told NBC Sports.
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But despite those differences, her parents never allowed her and her siblings to forget the importance of their Isoko culture.
Today, the Seattle Storm forward carries those differences with pride, embracing her heritage through her fashion on the court, traditional hairstyles, and curiosity to connect with Nigerian tradition.
What once set her apart has become the source of her confidence.
In the conversation below, part of NBC Sports' By Way of Africa series , Magbegor reflects on her appreciation for her Nigerian culture, the reason she started wearing African designers in the tunnel, and how a dream about Chinese food helped alter the course of her family's future.
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*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The conversation took place in August 2026 before the FIBA World Cup and before Ezi's torn ACL.
Mary Omatiga: Ezi, you were born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, but your family is Nigerian. Can you tell me your full name and what it translates to?
Ezi Magbegor:My full name is Eziyoda Uzezi Magbegor. I was actually named after my grandmother, so my dad's mom. Eziyoda means determined to win, live, and thrive, and Magbegor means good luck. Just being able to know and understand the meaning of my name, and know that I was named after such a special woman in my dad's life, but also in our life as well, is pretty important to me. I just love being able to carry my name on.
That's beautiful. What part of Nigeria does your family come from? What tribe?
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Magbegor:My family is Isoko, so from Delta State. My mom and dad, their villages were actually next to each other, so from Ivori and Idheze.
The Isoko people are a smaller tribe. I know everyone's always asking me, "Are you Igbo or Yoruba?" I'm like, "Neither. I'm Isoko." I think it's just really important to me to be able to carry that family tradition and family name on.
Your parents were both born and raised in Nigeria. What was their journey to Australia like, and how have their experiences and the stories they've told you shaped your life?
Magbegor:Yeah, they've shared a lot with me, and I think in my later years, I've been very intentional about understanding my parents' stories because they have so many, so I'm just very excited to ask.
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My dad is big on dreams, and so whenever he has dreams, they either happen, or he's just very intentional about telling what dreams he has. When he was maybe 12 or 13, he had a dream that he was eating Chinese food in Australia. Random.
When he was 18, he always knew he wanted to go abroad, and in the newspaper, they had chances for people to go to America, Canada, or Australia. Because he had that dream, he chose Australia, and so he migrated to Australia, went to university in Canberra, went back to Nigeria, met my mom, and then they moved to New Zealand. That's how we ended up in New Zealand, and then when I was five, we moved to Australia.
Do you look at your parents' sacrifice and courage to follow their dreams differently now that you're older?
Magbegor:For sure. I think when you're a kid, you don't really understand why your parents can't go to all your games or show up for different things, but it's because they're working so hard to keep you in those things, to put you through school, to put you in sports.
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I think, in retrospect, I don't know how they did it. There were four of us playing basketball, and they had to drive us all over Victoria, picking us up from school, dropping us at practice, and then going to work. On a Friday night, they were driving us all around the state and didn't eat dinner until 11 p.m. or 12 a.m.
They just always wanted to make sure we were happy, and they didn't put us in basketball knowing that I was going to make it a career. They didn't really understand the concept of the WNBA or playing basketball as a profession. So even just thinking about that, it's like, you did all of that because you wanted us to be happy.
I'm just very grateful to be able to share that with them now.
Your parents moved to Australia to follow their dreams. When you were 15, you left home to pursue your dream. How much your parents' journey do you see in your own?
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Magbegor:I think I see a lot of it. Just being able to go and move somewhere, not knowing what the future is going to hold, and it being an unknown experience. I did move to Canberra at 15, but not really knowing or understanding that basketball would become my career. It was just something that I really wanted to do. I obtained a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport. My parents, surprisingly, were all for it.
It was always, "Do you want to do it?" And if I wanted to do it, they were behind me a hundred percent.
But I say now that that was so pivotal for my career, but also my personal development. Just being able to grow in who I am, grow in independence, and grow in my skill level as well.
I feel like that was a very pivotal point in my upbringing.
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When you look at all that you've accomplished so far, how much would you say that your Nigerian heritage has played a role in that?
Magbegor:I think it's played a huge role. Just being able to have the values that my parents instilled in me and my siblings at a very young age has definitely helped.
We talked about the sacrifices that they made, and just wanting to do it for yourself, but also for others as well. In anything that I do, it's easier for me to achieve things or do things when I'm thinking of other people.
I think just being able to look outward definitely stems from my parents because they poured into us kids and poured into people from back home. It was just the two of them, out of their families in Australia, and so you have to look after the family back in Nigeria. Seeing them always thinking of other people has really helped me grow, be a team player, and be where I am today.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 09: Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries blocks a shot by Ezi Magbegor #13 of the Seattle Storm during the fourth quarter at Climate Pledge Arena on September 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images)
I've heard you say that, apart from your siblings, there weren't a lot of people who looked like you growing up in Melbourne. What was it like being Nigerian in Australia, and was it difficult to be different?
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Magbegor:Yeah, I think it was difficult. When I was in primary school, I didn't really notice it as much, but my siblings and I were the only Black kids at primary school.
Thankfully, I never experienced a lot of bullying or racism during my schooling years. But I think coming over to the States, or when I had my first African American teammate in Melbourne, it was like, wow, it's so nice to have someone on my team that looks like me.
Or coming into the bubble in 2020 and being able to take my hair out, with people asking if I wanted help taking my braids down. Just the little things that make you feel more welcome and at home. I think it's very important.
But I think the thing that my parents did was definitely not allow us to forget where we came from. So yes, there weren't kids who looked like us at school and on the basketball court. But at home, we were eating fufu, we were eating jollof rice, we were eating egusi.
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I think now, whenever I am homesick, I listen to Nigerian music, I eat Nigerian food, and just really try to connect to my roots.
I love that! How has your appreciation for your culture and those things that made you different changed as you've gotten older?
Magbegor:I think it's changed a lot. I would definitely say I didn't always enjoy being different when I was younger, and I didn't like standing out. I was always the tallest. I had a different skin color from everyone, and it wasn't always something that I appreciated about myself.
But I think now it's the best thing. I feel like it's a flex. I love being Nigerian. I love having culture and being able to share that, and share those experiences and stories with others.
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I've become really intentional about asking my parents to share their stories because my dad is a really good storyteller. He loves sharing his experiences and loves being asked. I think that's how, being so far away, I can connect with him, whether it's on the phone or when I'll see him in Berlin for the World Cup in a few weeks.
It's incredible being Nigerian.
You talked earlier about having people to help you take out your hair. I know that growing up, your mom owned a hair braiding shop, and I saw a post on Instagram where you said you used to hate Bantu knots, and now you wear them with so much pride.
How has your relationship with your hair changed as you've gotten older?
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Magbegor:Yeah, it's changed a lot. My mom used to own a hair salon, and it was called Ezi Love . It had my name in it, but also my older siblings, Ovieand Elo,their names in it as well. My younger brother wasn't born yet, so his name wasn't [included].
My mom has told a lot of stories about that hair salon. She used to have my brother and me underneath her counter while she braided hair, and my sister would help her finish the ends.
I think I've always had a relationship with my hair. When we were younger, it was easier for my mom to relax our hair, so I never really learned how to deal with my hair in its natural state.
I had Bantu knots when I wasn't playing, and I think it was just a chance for me to be able to wear those hairstyles that I didn't enjoy as a kid. I really did not like being different, more different than the other kids. So if I had these circles on my head — which is what I called them when I was younger — that made me feel even more different.
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Now, I really embrace it. I love getting my hair done. I love having my hair in different styles. I think I'm growing more confident in my natural hair. But it's also a way for me to represent my culture and myself.
When I look at your story, Ezi, I see so many Nigerian fingerprints on it. We talked about the meaning of your name and how you've grown into that determination as you've gotten older. We've talked about your parents being daring enough to move and you following suit. And now, as you've gotten older, you've really embraced your heritage and are representing your culture.
Was there a moment where something clicked for you and you decided to embrace it more?
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Magbegor:I honestly think it was always something I wanted to embrace, especially in recent years. But I think this year in particular, being injured and being able to focus on things outside of basketball.
Obviously, I was able to have hairstyles that would last longer than a few days because I wasn't playing. I was like, "This year is going to be tough on the court. I'm not playing for half the season, so let me lean into what I actually want to lean into." And that was really just embracing my culture outwardly and being proud of it, because I am proud of my culture.
I realized there's no better time for me to feel confident than when I'm in traditional clothing or wearing different hairstyles, like Bantu knots or cornrows. That's when I feel the most like myself, which is really surprising to me now.
If you were to ask me a few years ago, I would think it was the long hair or the standard clothing. But it's really when I am connecting to the Nigerian hairstyles and Nigerian clothing that I feel most like myself.
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The outfits look stunning; you look amazing in them! What does it mean to you to have seen the positive and encouraging response from your fits?
Magbegor:It means a lot. I've had a lot of people reach out and say that they love the outfits and are understanding the story [behind them] as well. But I think it means more to my family.
My mom has been begging me to wear traditional clothing for years. So to be able to get to a point where I feel comfortable wearing it, and it just feels like me, I think that's something that is for my family, but can also extend to anyone.
Being able to be confident in what you wear and representing your culture, it's okay to do so, knowing that you're going to feel the most comfortable and the most confident in it.
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Sometimes you're going to get a great reception, and sometimes you're not. But at the end of the day, if you do it for yourself, then it doesn't matter.
Who have been some of your favorite African brands and designers to wear, and what's the process like in choosing as well?
Magbegor:I think I've had a few favorites. Definitely Hertunba and Kilèntár are a couple of my favorites, also RUKS Á LA MODE .
I see them online and pin my favorite favorite outfits during the offseason. Obviously, getting injured, I knew I was going to wear the outfits for more than like, two seconds. I was going to wear them on the bench as well. So just being able to pick a few, and obviously, I wanted to do different hairstyles, so putting that together with the outfits as well.
Ezi Magbegor's Instagram
But the last outfit I wore on the bench, with the traditional attire, that was custom-made. I got that for Christmas. My parents got the material from Nigeria when they went last year, and then I got the head tie made for Christmas.
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I didn't know where I was going to wear the outfit, but I brought it over to the States, and it just felt like the perfect moment to wear it. I had run out of outfits. I was like, "I don't know what to wear."
I had always thought that was too dressy, but then I put it on and thought, 'You know what? I'm just going to wear it.
I know that you're going to Nigeria for the first time this year. What are you looking forward to the most?
Magbegor:Hopefully, it's still in the works. But I think when I do go — I haven't been to Nigeria yet — just being able to be there, I want to connect to my family, my roots, and I think it's just something different. Being able to be where I came from and see where my parents grew up as well. That's really important to me, and just to be able to share that experience with them.
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Hopefully, I'll be able to do that in the next offseason. That would be really incredible. I'm very excited.
So to wrap, I've got a fun little game for us: "This or That," rapid-fire. No thinking. Just go with your gut.
Jollof Rice or rice and stew?
Magbegor: Rice and stew.
Team goat meat or team no thanks?
Magbegor:Team no thanks, sorry.
Start, bench, cut: Plantain, fried yam, and akara.
Magbegor:Start plantain, bench fried yam, cut akara.
Afrobeats or Amapiano?
Magbegor:Afrobeats.
Name your top three Afrobeats artists.
Magbegor: Tems , Burna Boy , and Asake .
What Afrobeats song has been on repeat for you lately?
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Magbegor: "Why Love" by Asake .
Editor's Note: By Way of Africa is a series committed to highlighting the talent and stories from the African continent and its diaspora. African stories are worth telling, and the culture—all of the languages, tribes, and traditions—is worth celebrating. Embedded in these narratives is a profound testament to the diligence, discipline, and work ethic deeply ingrained in African heritage. Whether born on the continent or dispersed across the globe, the contributions of these stories to society resound uniquely, by way of Africa.
