Bonjour l’Équipe!

This month’s #FranceAndUS newsletter spotlights women’s basketball and the inspiring players who are helping to bring their two countries closer one hoops dream at a time. Although the men’s game has more often been in the spotlight, the generations of female players who have crisscrossed the Atlantic to play the game have been equally important in creating a burgeoning French and American basketball rivalry in international competition. After all, it’s far less intimidating to compete against an opponent you know intimately thanks to overseas playing careers at the collegiate and professional levels…

With that in mind, here are a few sporty conversation starters to spark your weekend (and holiday) discussions:

🏀The first French woman to play NCAA D1 basketball was legendary joueuse Paoline Ekambi, who played two seasons with Marist College (1984-85, 1985-86). Since then, ever-more young women have chased their dreams of playing in the United States via the collegiate circuit.

🏀…women like Katia Foucade-Hoard, the first French player, male or female, to complete four years of NCAA D1 basketball on full scholarship. Read about the three-time University of Washington Huskies co-captain below and learn how the playground basketball phenomenon played a powerful role cultivating a unique hoops culture that encompassed fashion, music, and more.

🏀Players like Diandra Tchatchouang found her NCAA experience highly influential on-court as well as off-court in her activism work, which today includes service on the Paris2024 Athletes’ Commission.

🏀This season, there are 3️⃣0️⃣French women playing NCAA D1 basketball, according to EuroBasket.com.

Here are the latest #FranceAndUS Voices, powered by our partnership with the Musée du Basket. Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!