Grace Berger | |
Number: | 34 |
Position: | Point guard |
Height Ft: | 6 |
Height In: | 0 |
Weight Lbs: | 160 |
League: | Turkish Super League |
Team: | OGM Ormanspor |
Birth Date: | 3 June 1999 |
Birth Place: | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S |
High School: | Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Kentucky) |
College: | Indiana (2018–2023) |
Draft League: | WNBA |
Draft Year: | 2023 |
Draft Round: | 1 |
Draft Pick: | 7 |
Draft Team: | Indiana Fever |
Career Start: | 2023 |
Years1: | –present |
Team1: | Indiana Fever |
Years2: | 2023 |
Team2: | Gernika KESB |
Years3: | 2024 |
Team3: | Athletes Unlimited League |
Years4: | 2024–present |
Team4: | OGM Ormanspor |
Highlights: |
|
Grace Elizabeth Berger (born June 3, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for OGM Ormanspor of the Turkish Super League. Berger was drafted by the Fever as the #7 pick of the 2023 WNBA draft.
Berger played basketball for Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. In her junior season, she averaged 14.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, helping her team win the Seventh Region title and reach the state finals.[1] As a senior, Berger earned Courier-Journal Athlete of the Year, Kentucky All-Star and Seventh Region Player of the Year honors after averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists and leading Sacred Heart back to the regional final.[2] She was a three-time All-State selection in high school.[3] Rated a five-star recruit by ESPN, Berger committed to play college basketball for Indiana over offers from Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan.[4]
As a freshman at Indiana, Berger averaged 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[5] In her sophomore season, she averaged 13.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, leading her team to a program-record 24 wins. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection.[6] On November 25, 2020, in her junior season debut, Berger recorded the first triple-double in program history, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 100–51 win against Eastern Kentucky.[7] She led the NCAA Division I with three triple-doubles during the season. Berger averaged 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game and was named first-team All-Big Ten.[8] At the 2021 NCAA tournament, she led Indiana to its first-ever Elite Eight appearance.[9] On February 12, 2022, Berger scored a career-high 29 points in a 76–58 win over Michigan State.[10] As a senior, she averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game and was named first-team All-Big Ten for a third straight season.[11] Berger opted to return for a fifth year of eligibility, granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
On April 10, 2023, Berger was selected in the first round as the seventh overall pick of the 2023 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.[13] In her first season with the Fever, she appeared in 36 games and her role gradually grew as the season progressed.[14] [15]
Berger's role declined in her second season with the Fever and she appeared in only 11 regular-season games.[16]
Berger played in the 2024 season of the Athletes Unlimited League.[17]
In the 2023 WNBA off-season, Berger played for Gernika KESB of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. However, a thumb injury cut her time in Europe short and she ended up playing only 8 games.[18]
In July 2024, Berger signed with OGM Ormanspor of the Turkish Super League.[19]
Stats current through end of 2024 season|-| align="left" | 2023| align="left" | Indiana|36||0||14.6||.449||.471||.840||1.6||1.9||0.5||0.2||1.0||4.2|-| align="left" | 2024| align="left" | Indiana| 11 || 0 || 9.3 || .400 || .400 || .643 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.9 || 2.8|-| align="left" | Career| align="left" | 2 years, 1 team| 47 || 0 || 13.3 || .441 || .462 || .769 || 1.5 || 1.6 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 1.0 || 3.9
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2024| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana| 1 || 0 || 2.0 ||—||—||—|| 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:left;"| Career| style="text-align:left;"| 1 year, 1 team| 1 || 0 || 2.0 ||—||—||—|| 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0
|-| style="text-align:left;" | 2018–19| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana| 34 || 4 || 20.3 || .422 || .217 || .521 || 2.8 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 0.1 || 1.6 || 5.5|-| style="text-align:left;" | 2019–20| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana| 30 || 30 || 34.4 || .456 || .300 || .769 || 5.2 || 3.5 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 2.5 || 13.1|-| style="text-align:left;" | 2020–21| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana| 27 || 27 || 34.1 || .441 || .324 || .744 || 6.8 || 4.6 || 1.1 || 0.2 || 2.0 || 15.4|-| style="text-align:left;" | 2021–22| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana| 33 || 33 || 36.4 || .460 || .261 || .788 || 6.2 || 4.7 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 2.6 || 16.2|-| style="text-align:left;" | 2022–23| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana| 24 || 24 || 32.0 || .484 || .407 || .757 || 4.8 || 5.8 || 1.0 || 0.3 || 2.5 || 12.9|-| style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career| 148 || 118 || 31.1 || .452 || .306 || .742 || 5.1 || 3.9 || 1.1 || 0.2 || 2.2 || 12.4
Berger represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup. She averaged 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, helping her team win the gold medal.[20]