Mwadi Mabika
Encyclopedia
Mwadi Mabika is a Congolese basketball
player and an All-Star in the Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA).
She studied biology
and chemistry
at the Massamba School in Kinshasa
.
She was brought to the United States
by NBA
star and fellow countryman, Dikembe Mutombo
, and his brother Tshitingo Mutombo, who personally appealed to the government officials in Zaire
for permission to bring her to the U.S.
She played for the Los Angeles Sparks
during the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997. Mabika helped guide the Sparks to consecutive championships
in 2001 and 2002.
In December 2005, she joined the women's national basketball team - known as Simba Ladies - to represent her country at the Basketball African Cup of Nations.
In February 2008, she signed a free agent
contract with the Houston Comets
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and an All-Star in the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA).
She studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the Massamba School in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
.
She was brought to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
star and fellow countryman, Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo , commonly referred to as Dikembe Mutombo, is a retired Congolese American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the NBA...
, and his brother Tshitingo Mutombo, who personally appealed to the government officials in Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
for permission to bring her to the U.S.
She played for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
during the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997. Mabika helped guide the Sparks to consecutive championships
WNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....
in 2001 and 2002.
In December 2005, she joined the women's national basketball team - known as Simba Ladies - to represent her country at the Basketball African Cup of Nations.
In February 2008, she signed a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
contract with the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
.