| Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah | |
| Number: | 22 |
| Position: | Center /power forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 2 |
| League: | Seria A |
| Team: | Faenza Basket Project |
| Birth Date: | 12 July 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| High School: | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, Rabun County, Georgia |
| College: | Northwestern Wildcats |
| Draft Year: | 2019 |
| Draft League: | WNBA |
| Career Start: | 2019 |
| Years1: | 2019–2019 |
| Team1: | Chicago Sky |
| Years2: | 2019–2020 |
| Team2: | Pallacanestro Vigarano |
| Years3: | 2020–2021 |
| Team3: | BC Namur-Capitale |
| Years4: | 2021–present |
| Team4: | Faenza Basket Project |
Pallas Daemi Kunaiyi-Akpannah (born July 12, 1997) is a Nigerian basketball player.[1] She played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats[2] [3] She plays for the Italian Seria A side Faenza Basket Project.[4]
Kunaiyi-Akpannah started her high school in a boarding school in Nigeria, she started playing basketball at the age of 14, she attended a basketball camp Hope for girls organised by Mobolaji Akiode in Abuja Nigeria where her athletic abilities where noticed.[5] Kunaiyi-Akpannah moved to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, Rabun County, Georgia, United States, from Nigeria when she was 15 years old, she played travel basketball in her high school holidays and she also averaged a double-double behind close to 10 points and more than 11 rebounds per game while helping the Eagles to a 21–5 record. She led her team to a second-place finish in the 2014 State Tournament[6] [2] She also participated in other sports such as track and field events at high School.[7]
Kunaiyi-Akpannah played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats where she was teammates with fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft Nia Coffey, she averaged less than 4 points per game and she also averaged 9.3 rebounds per game in four Big Ten Tournament games despite playing only 21.8 minutes per game in her freshman season at Northwestern[3] Kunaiyi-Akpannah sophomore year saw her average 1.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[8] [2] In her junior year, she was second in the Big Ten with 11.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and her 18 double-doubles were eighth in the nation.[9] [8] In her final year, she was named in the First Team All-Big Ten by the media, after finishing third in the conference in rebounds and 13th in the nation with 11 rebounds, while increasing her scoring to 11.1 points.[9] She made over 1000 rebounds during her time in college, she is the second player in Northwestern History to make over 1000 rebounds.[10] [11]
Kunaiyi-Akpannah was undrafted in the 2019 WNBA Draft, she was signed into a training camp contract by the WNBA team Chicago Sky on May 4, 2019, she was later waived by the team on May 8, 2019.[12] [13]
Kunaiyi-Akpannah moved to the Italian Seria A side Pallacanestro Vigarano in 2019, she plays as a Center on the team.[14] On December 15, 2019 she had a double-double which included 11 points and a career high of 27 rebounds against Broni where the team won 83–75.[15]
On 28 May 2020, Kunaiyi-Akpannah signed for Namur-Capitale for the 2020-2021 season.[16] The team ended the season winning the Belgian Championship after fellow finalists, Castors Braine, withdrew due to many of their players testing positive for covid-19.[17]
On 29 June 2021, she signed for Italian Seria A club Faenza Basket Project for the 2021-2022 season.[18]
Kunaiyi-Akpannah was called up to represent the D'Tigress and to participate in the 2019 pre Olympic Qualifying tournament in Mozambique where she made her debut in representing Nigeria, she averaged 4 rebounds during the tournament.[19] [20] She was also called up to participate in the 2020 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Belgrade.[21] [22] [23]
Her father, Daemi Kunaiyi-Akpannah, is a former member of the Nigerian House of Representatives for Rivers State.[24] [25]