Rena Wakama, born on April 11, 1992, in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a Nigerian professional basketball coach and former player. She currently serves as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA and is the head coach of the Nigeria Senior Women’s Basketball Team, known as D’Tigress.
Wakama’s basketball journey began at Western Carolina University, where she played for the Catamounts and earned a bachelor’s degree in recreational therapy. She furthered her education with a master’s degree in business administration from Manhattan College.
In her professional playing career, Wakama represented Nigeria’s D’Tigress, participating in the 2015 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament in Cameroon, where the team secured a third-place finish. She also played for First Bank Basketball Club in Nigeria during the FIBA Africa Women’s Clubs Champions Cup.
Transitioning to coaching, Wakama held positions at Manhattan College and Stony Brook University before joining Tulane University as an assistant coach in April 2024. In July 2023, she made history by becoming the first female head coach of D’Tigress and led the team to their fourth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket championship, making her the first female coach to achieve this feat since the tournament’s inception in 1966.
Wakama continued to break barriers by coaching the Nigerian national team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In March 2025, she was appointed as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.
Beyond her coaching roles, Wakama is active on social media, sharing insights and experiences related to her basketball journey.
