Source: Radio New Zealand
Charlisse Leger-Walker (Te Whakatōhea) hopes her history-making NCAA championship run will inspire the next generation of rangatahi, and says she knows she won’t be the last from Aotearoa to reach the top.
“A lot of the reason why I play basketball and want to continue playing it at a high level is so that I can inspire other rangatahi back home,” she told RNZ.
“I just really hope that anybody who is watching, especially our young kids back home, that they can understand, this is so doable.
“Why not us? Why not us playing on the biggest stages in front of the whole world?”
SARAH STIER
The 24-year-old guard became the first wahine from Aotearoa to win an NCAA Division I women’s basketball title, helping UCLA Bruins to a 79-51 win over South Carolina Gamecocks in the final.
Leger-Walker was a key starter in the championship game, scoring 10 points, including two three-pointers, alongside four rebounds and two assists.
But as messages flood in from across Aotearoa, she said the scale of the moment is still hard to grasp.
“Honestly, it’s just been such a surreal 48 hours,” she said.
“So many celebrations and messages, and so many people reaching out… I think I’m still probably a little overwhelmed, but it’s been real cool.
” never thought that I would be in a position where I can say that I’m a national champion at a collegiate level… It’s such a massive stage, and to get there is so rare.”
Her achievement marks a breakthrough moment for New Zealand basketball, but Leger-Walker is quick to turn the focus back to those coming in behind her.
“We have so much talent in New Zealand,” she said.
“I’m not going to be the last. There’s going to be other people after me. But, I’m really grateful and proud that I can be the first.”
In 2018, Leger-Walker became the youngest player to play for the Tall Ferns, when she debuted as a 16-year-old at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Supplied / Charlisse Leger-Walker
Growing up, the Kirkiriroa (Hamilton) born athlete said there were few players in college she could look to who reflected her identity.
“When I was growing up… there was just nobody who looked like me or who was Māori or Pasifika in the leagues or over in college,” she said.
“So I just think it’s massive, because when you see people who look like you doing it, it’s a little bit more relatable.”
Now, Leger-Walker is part of that visibility. People across the motu have took to social media congratulating the athlete on her success, saying she has left them feeling inspired.
“I’ve had so many people reach out to me… people who don’t even necessarily know me… just saying that they’ve seen it, and they’ve been supporting my whole journey,” she said.
Her own journey to this point has been anything but straightforward.
After transferring from Washington State to UCLA, Leger-Walker missed the entire 2024-25 season with an ACL injury, a setback she said tested her both physically and mentally.
“Sitting out for months and months and months, it’s really hard,” she said.
“You have to push yourself both physically and mentally to get back to even just playing out there on the court.
“And then it takes a whole other level to build back that mental confidence and trusting your body again.”
The experience, she said, allowed her to grow in new ways.
“It really made me step back and look at how I can be the best team-mate that I could be… regardless of how I was feeling,” she said.
“You need those types of people on teams, and I’m glad that I got to see that perspective.”
That resilience was on full display in the championship game, where she returned to the biggest stage in college basketball and delivered for her team.
“I could not be prouder of the group of girls that I get to celebrate this with,” she said.
“Everybody has sacrificed so much to be here.”
Supplied / Charlisse Leger-Walker
Leger-Walker’s journey, she said, was grounded in whānau and whakapapa.
Her mother, Leanne Walker, is a former Tall Fern, and her sister Krystal has also represented New Zealand. A legacy she said has shaped her path.
“It was everything,” she said, speaking of having her whānau in the stands for the final.
“I haven’t had all of my family together watching me play a game in over two years… so for them to come and be at my final college game was surreal.
“They’re my constant rocks in life… they’re obviously the reason why I’m here.”
She has also embraced carrying her culture with her throughout her time in the United States.
“Being able to embrace that part of myself still and share that with people… and again, just representing New Zealand and everyone from back home, it’s been awesome,” she said.
Leger-Walker says she could not be any more proud of her team. Supplied / UCLA Women’s Basketball
As basketball continues to grow in Aotearoa, Leger-Walker believes moments like this can help shift what feels possible.
New Zealand teenager Oscar Goodman also won a basketball title with the Michigan Wolverines, defeating the Connecticut Huskies 69-63.
Leger-Walker said she congratulated the Taranaki native last night.
“Now that people are kind of understanding that that’s possible, the game is only going to continue to grow,” she said.
“But it’s just seeing [and] having that visibility and accessibility, it’s always the first thing.
“We have the talent to do it. I just think sometimes we either don’t have the confidence to go out and do it, or we just don’t have the accessibility or visibility.”
Leger-Walker said she has become somewhat of a “scout” for New Zealand athletes.
“From this side of the world, people ask me all the time, like, who do you know in New Zealand? I’m almost like a little recruiter for people… So I think the interest is there and it’s going to continue to grow.”
Through her family’s academy, Basketball Secrets, she is also working to build clearer pathways for young players, particularly those looking to head to the United States.
“There’s such a big gap in the knowledge of what it takes to get there, and not just get there, but thrive when you’re there,” she said.
“We just want to give back in that way.”
Leger-Walker (left) says there is so much talent in Aotearoa, and she hopes rangatahi take inspiration in her journey. Supplied / UCLA Women’s Basketball
Her message to aspiring athletes coming through the ranks is to back yourself, stay open, and don’t be whakamā (ashamed) about seeking guidance.
“Be coachable,” she said.
“Seek out as much information as you can… I think sometimes we’re a little whakamā about wanting to reach out… but do it, you have nothing to lose.”
Leger-Walkers next step is beginning her professional career, with the star set to enter the WNBA draft next week.
“I just really hope… that [rangatahi] can see that this is possible,” she said.
“Why not us?”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
