Laeticia Amihere was born to Anthony and Georgette Amihere. She grew up with two brothers: Kofi, her late older brother, and Benson Amihere.
Laeticia started playing basketball because of her brothers. Kofi was the one who started playing basketball first, followed by Benson.
The Amihere brothers used to play in the family’s driveway, their sister used to be the water girl.
Laeticia would follow her brothers and ask to play with them, and in no time, basketball became an integral part of her life.
Amihere, born on July 10, 2001, is a Canadian professional basketball player who is a small forward and power forward for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
The Atlanta Dream drafted the player in the 1st round with the 8th overall pick in the WNBA draft.
She played college basketball for the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) South Carolina Gamecocks.
Besides, she has also represented US national team and won several accolades. She won a gold medal at the 2015 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship and a bronze at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Moreover, Amihere was also named to Canada’s 2020 Olympic team in July 2021. Also, on April 3, 2022, she was successful in becoming an NCAA national champion.
Laeticia Amihere, Brother
Laeticia was born as one of the three children of Georgette and Anthony Amihere. She has two brothers, Kofi and Benson Amihere.
Unfortunately, the eldest sibling, Kofi, died suddenly at the age of 30 on August 15, 2022.
“A piece of me is gone, my big brother. I love you.” Laeticia Tweeted
Her other brother, Benson Amihere, is a physiotherapy resident at Revibe.
Benson studied at the Ecole Catholice Secondaire Sainte Famille before enrolling at the University of Waterloo to pursue a Kinesiology and Exercise Science degree.
After that, Laeticia’s brother earned his graduate degree in Physical Therapy from Western University in 2021.
Talking about his experiences, Amihere’s brother volunteered as a research assistant, student athletic trainer, and social media coordinator at the University of Waterloo.
After a brief time working as a sales representative at Appco Group, he started working in his own field, i.e., physiotherapy and wellness.
Benson joined Quality Care Wellness Clinic, where he served as a kinesiologist and a chiropractor assistant.
Additionally, he was also a physical training co-op student at Ontario Polytechnic College.
After one year, he transferred to the Waterloo Regional Cardiac Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc., where he served as a rehabilitation assistant.
Benson began working as a student physical therapist on the inpatient stroke rehab floor at Bluewater Health Co-op from November 2020 to December 2020.
After that, he served as a therapist in the ICU of Windsor Regional Hospital and also as a student physical therapist at SOS Physiotherapy and Lifemark Health Group.
First Ghanaian Descent To Be Drafted In The WNBA
The Atlanta Dream selected Laeticia Amihere in the Women’s National Basketball Association draft on April 10, 2023.
Amihere was selected with the eighth overall choice in the draft, making her the first Ghanaian descent player to be picked in the WNBA.
“It’s kind of the moment that defines your career. All the hard work you put in pays off, and then you’re kind of reaping your harvest,” Amihere said.
Her parents, Georgette and Anthony, along with her brother Benson, attended the draft ceremony with the player.
She kissed two pictures of her late aunt Olga Lambert and her late older brother Kofi before her parents and brother hugged her after her name was announced.
Her aunt Olga passed away due to breast cancer last year in October.
“Oh, man, we went through so much this year,” she told reporter Holly Rowe at the draft night.