Farhiya Abdi drafted by LA Sparks
Dalmar Gure
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The LA Sparks made history Tuesday afternoon by drafting Farhiya Abdi from Sweden. The 6'2 forward was selected with the first pick of the second round (13th overall) and is the first Somali to be drafted in the WNBA.
The 20 year old currently plays professional basketball for Czech Republic’s Frisco Brno where she is a rising star. Earlier this season she had 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to go with it.
Farhiya’s parents Saido and Ali came to Sweden from Somalia in 1980 where they raised seven children, Farhiya being the youngest. She writes in her blog that she first shot a basketball when she was 11 but wasn’t seriously playing until she was 14.
It did not take Farhiya long to win accolades such as MVP of the under 16 European Championship's. She followed that up by winning a Swedish championship while being named Sweden's forward of the year in 2010. She was nominated for the Young Player of the Year award in her recent campaign with Brno.