Vietnamese athlete makes history by participating in the US women's professional basketball tournament

(Dan Tri) - Thao Vy made fans proud when she became the first Vietnamese-American athlete to have her name called in the "WNBA Draft".

On the morning of April 16 (Hanoi time), Vietnamese sports fans were surprised by the news that Truong Thao Vy (Kaylynne Truong) was selected by the Washington Mystics club in the 21st round of the WNBA Draft 2024 (a total of 36 rounds). The WNBA Draft is known as an annual event organized by American professional women's basketball teams to recruit talented athletes from universities. When selected, Thao Vy officially became the first Vietnamese-American player in history to participate in the WNBA - the largest women's basketball tournament on the planet.

Thao Vy plays defender for Gonzaga University (Photo: Gonzaga Athletics).

WNBA 2024 will take place from May 14 to September 19. After completing the selection process, the teams will enter the training process and divide the squad. In the past two years, Thao Vy has focused on playing for Gonzaga University (USA) and left many impressions. According to information posted on the basketball team's page, Truong Thao Vy is 1.77m tall, playing the position of point guard. She is said to have a similar playing style to superstar Stephen Curry of the NBA Golden State Warriors. Although many congratulations were given to Thao Vy, fans did not forget to express regret that her twin sister, Truong Thao My (Kayleigh Truong), was not selected this time.

Since childhood, Thao Vy (left) and Thao My have expressed their passion for basketball (Photo: Basketball Community Fanpage).

Twins Truong Thao My (Kayleigh Truong) - Truong Thao Vy (Kaylynne Truong) were born in 2001 and grew up in Houston, Texas, USA. My is the older sister and Vy is the younger sister. Their parents are Vietnamese. Both have a passion for basketball since they were young, inspired by their father. With the life philosophy of "going everywhere together", the twins decided to study at Gonzaga University and join the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball team. They are considered "pillars" in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. Both played for Vietnam for the first time when participating in the ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup (ABL ICC 2022) and won the championship. In May 2022, the twins and the 3x3 women's basketball team won the first silver medal for Vietnamese basketball at the 31st SEA Games . In May 2023, they continued to impress when they and the Vietnamese 3x3 basketball team won the first gold medal in SEA Games history.

Dantri.com.vn