Truong Thao Vy was drafted by the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Association on Tuesday, making herself the first Vietnamese player in the league.
The basketball star, also known as Kaylynne Troung, was selected 21st overall by the Washington Mystics for the 2024 season.
According to VN Express, Vy and her twin sister, Troung Thao My, grew up playing basketball. Born to Vietnamese parents in Houston, Texas their father taught them the sport at the age of five. They would go on to play together in high school and college.
While on the Jersey Village High School team, Vy was awarded as one to the best U.S. high school defenders by ESPN.
In 2019, both of the twins went off to play for Gonzaga University in 2019, being nicknamed the “Troung Twins.”
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While in college, Vy began to make a name for herself in the basketball world.
Throughout her five seasons with the Bulldogs, she averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game. And, Vietnam News reports that the basketball player scored a total of 282 three-pointer and started 78 games helping her win the 2023 West Conference (WCC) player of the year.
After an impressive career with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), Vy will join the most prestigious women’s basketball club as the first Vietnamese American.
Vy has now joined the list of trailblazing Vietnamese basketball players, alongside Jaylin Williams, the first Vietnamese NBA player drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022.
The Washington Mystics’ will have their first regular season game against the New York Liberty on May 14th at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
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