Seattle Storm rookie Awa Fam, from Spain, embodies the vision the WNBA wants to showcase to the world

Awa Fam’s first season in the WNBA hasn’t unfolded perfectly for the Seattle Storm , but the Spanish rookie has offered a compelling glimpse of what the league’s future could look like.

Selected No. 3 overall by Seattle in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Fam entered the league as one of the most promising young players in international basketball.

At 6-foot-4, she brings size, mobility and versatility to the court, but it’s her unusual path to the WNBA that makes her particularly significant.

Fam didn’t take the familiar American route through college basketball. Instead, she began playing professional basketball in Spain at just 15 years old, joining Valencia Basket and becoming the youngest player to appear for the club’s top team.

While many players her age were still focused entirely on school and youth basketball, Fam was traveling across Europe to compete against experienced professionals.

“I was 15 years old playing against 30-year-old girls,” Fam recalled, describing the experience as a crazy life.

That early exposure helped prepare her for the demands of professional basketball and eventually made her transition to Seattle considerably smoother.

Because she remained with Valencia for its Liga Femenina playoffs after being drafted, the Storm used video calls with assistant coaches to help her prepare for life in the WNBA.

Fam made an immediate impression when she finally joined Seattle. She scored 10 points in her WNBA debut against the Washington Mystics on May 24, shooting 4-for-7 from the field. Less than two weeks later, she became the youngest player in Storm history to start a game.

Her rookie campaign has also put her alongside a promising young Seattle core that includes 2025 No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga and fellow rookie Fla’Jae Johnson.

Despite the Storm’s difficult season, Fam has emerged as one of the team’s encouraging building blocks.

Fam is becoming part of a global WNBA

Now, her attention turns back to Spain and the international stage. Fam is representing her country at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, which begins Sept. 4.

Spain will face Japan, Mali and host Germany in Group A, giving Fam another opportunity to compete against elite players from around the world.

Her participation also highlights how closely connected the WNBA has become with international basketball.

Seattle has three players involved in the tournament, with Ezi Magbegor and Jade Melbourne representing Australia and Dominique Malonga playing for France. Across the tournament, WNBA talent will be spread throughout numerous national teams.

That growing international presence fits the league’s broader ambitions. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has identified global growth as an important part of what comes next for the league, and the 2026 draft itself underscored the expanding international pipeline.

Fam’s temporary contract suspension with Seattle allows her to represent Spain before returning to the Storm following the tournament. It’s a fitting arrangement for a player whose career has always crossed borders.

Fam represents the increasingly fluid relationship between European basketball and the WNBA, and could become one of the young faces of the league’s global future.