INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever rookie Natalie Achonwa will represent her native Canada in the upcoming Pan Am Games, temporarily leaving the Fever following tonight’s game with the San Antonio Stars. She will rejoin the club following the WNBA All-Star Break.
Achonwa, a member of the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team and a first-round draft pick by the Fever in the 2014 WNBA Draft, will compete in the Pan Am Games with the Canadian National Team. Achonwa averaged 7.2 points per game as a member of the 2012 Canadian squad that qualified for the Olympic quarterfinals in London. Canada is the host nation in this year’s Pan Am Games in Toronto, July 16-20.
Photo Gallery: Achonwa with Canadian National Team
The end of the Pan Am Games coincides with the close of the first half of the WNBA season. She will miss four games with Indiana – July 15, 17, 18 and 21. The WNBA All-Star Game is Saturday, July 25.
A candidate for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, she was tabbed earlier this week as the WNBA Rookie of the Month for June. She currently leads all WNBA rookies in scoring (9.8 points per game) and field-goal percentage (52.9 percent). She is third among first-year players with 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Next month, Achonwa will compete with Canada in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships conducted in Edmonton, August 9-16. The Americas Championships in August is a qualification event for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.