Maria Najjuma (born 25 December 2003) is a Ugandan basketball player. She was named 2019 FIBA U16 Women's African Championship All-Star Five alongside Mariam Coulibaly, Maimouna Haidara, Sara Caetano and Malak Sadek.[3][4]

Maria Najjuma
Personal information
Born25 December 2003[1]
NationalityUgandan
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
PositionCenter[2]

Early life

edit

Najjuma was introduced to basketball when she was a teenager. Having determination to study, she was sponsored to go back to school at Nations Changers Christian school where she wrote her primary leaving examinations and passed. She proceeded to St. Noa girls secondary school on scholarship where she was called by Ugandan National team to play for the U16 category where she picked over 30 bounds and 30 points in a game. Later On, she got a scholarship in the US and has been playing for her country 's national team since then.[5][6]

Career

edit

Najjuma was named All-star Five during the 2019 FIBA U16 Women's African Championship, and highest rebounder with 112 rebounds which earned her a place into the NBA Academy Africa to grow her skills.[7][8][9]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Maria NAJJUMA at the FIBA U16 Women's African Championship 2019". FIBA.basketball. 2003-12-25. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  2. ^ "Maria Najjuma, Basketball Player, News, Stats". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  3. ^ Kawalya, Brian (2019-08-04). "FIBA Africa U16: Najjuma Wins Big As Uganda Finish Fifth". Live from ground. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. ^ "Mali are #FIBAU16Africa 2019 Champions". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  5. ^ "Maria Najjuma – Country Basketball Academy". Country Basketball Academy – Nurturing Talent. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  6. ^ "Najjuma looks to leave mark at debut Uganda appearance". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  7. ^ "Uganda's Maria Najjuma selected for NBA Academy Camp – Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations". 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  8. ^ Sports, Pulse (2023-02-04). "Former U16 star set to boost Uganda Gazelles camp". Pulse Sports Uganda. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  9. ^ "Coulibaly bags MVP at Women's #FIBAU16Africa 2019". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-13.