Esmery Martínez (born 1 May 2000) is a Dominican professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at West Virginia and Arizona. She is also a member of the Dominican Republic women's national basketball team.
| No. 12 – New York Liberty | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1 May 2000 Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tennessee) |
| College |
|
| WNBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 17th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Liberty | |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | New York Liberty |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early life edit
Martínez attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she averaged 18.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game during her career. She helped the program finish as the runner-up at the 2018 Geico High School Nationals Tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.[1]
College career edit
Martínez began her college basketball career at West Virginia during the 2019–20 season. During her freshman year she played in all 29 games and averaged 5.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.[2] During the 2020–21 season, in her sophomore year, she started all 29 games for the Mountaineers and averaged a double-double, with 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. She finished the season with a team-high 335 rebounds, the fifth-most in program history. Following the season she was named first-team All-Big 12.[3] During the 2021–22 season, in her junior year, she started 28 games, and averaged 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds while playing 26.3 minutes per game.[4] Following the season she was named second-team All-Big 12.[5]
On 5 April 2022, Martínez entered the NCAA transfer portal.[6] On 24 April 2022, she signed with LSU. [7] On 4 May 2022, she transferred to Arizona for the 2022–23 season.[8] During her senior year she started all 32 games and averaged 10.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Her 274 rebounds were the eighth-most in a single season in Arizona program history. She finished second in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds with 97 and was named an All-Pac 12 honorable mention. Following the season she was named a top-ten finalist for the Katrina McClain Award.[9][5] She initially declared for the 2023 WNBA draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal, however, she later withdrew her name from the WNBA draft and announced she would return to Arizona for a fifth year.[10][11] During the 2023–24 season, as a graduate student, she played in 33 games, with 32 starts, and averaged 11.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Following the season she was named a Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention and to the All-Pac-12 team by the media.[5][12]
Professional career edit
On April 15, 2024, Martínez was drafted in the second round, 17th overall, by the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA draft.[13] She became the first Dominican-born player to be selected in the WNBA draft.[14]
National team career edit
Martínez made her international debut for the Dominican Republic at the 2018 FIBA Caribbean Women's Championship where she averaged 8.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.[1]
She made her senior national team debut for the Dominican Republic at the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup where she appeared in two games and averaged nine points, seven rebounds and two assists per game.[15]
Career statistics edit
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
College edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | West Virginia | 29 | 0 | 17.4 | 46.3 | 6.7 | 51.5 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 5.4 |
| 2020–21 | West Virginia | 29 | 29 | 31.4 | 49.0 | 25.0 | 75.4 | 11.6 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 13.6 |
| 2021–22 | West Virginia | 29 | 28 | 26.3 | 43.4 | 40.0 | 73.3 | 8.8 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 11.3 |
| 2022–23 | Arizona | 32 | 32 | 25.8 | 50.6 | 33.3 | 71.2 | 8.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 10.5 |
| 2023–24 | Arizona | 33 | 32 | 27.5 | 43.5 | 26.1 | 78.1 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 11.1 |
| Career | 152 | 121 | 25.8 | 46.4 | 29.6 | 72.5 | 8.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 10.4 | |
| Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[16] | |||||||||||||
References edit
- ^ a b "Esmery Martínez". wvusports.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ Montgomery, Charles (3 February 2021). "Esmery Martinez developing into formidable post player". thedaonline.com. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "WVU women's basketball's Gondrezick, Martinez named to All-Big 12 1st team". Times West Virginian. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Riley, Koki (20 April 2022). "LSU women's basketball, Kim Mulkey add two West Virginia transfers". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Esmery Martínez". arizonawildcats.com. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Carey, Greg (5 April 2022). "WVU forward Esmery Martinez becomes third starter to enter NCAA Transfer Portal". wvmetronews.com. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Transfer Esmery Martinez signs with LSU women's basketball team". The Advocate. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Wildcats land Esmery Martinez, a former West Virginia star who signed with LSU two weeks ago". Arizona Daily Star. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Brown, PJ (15 October 2023). "Arizona 5-year forward Esmery Martinez on Katrina McClain award watch list for 3rd time". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Brown, PJ (28 March 2023). "4 Arizona Wildcats declare for WNBA draft, including Esmery Martinez, who keeps all options open". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Brown, PJ (15 May 2023). "Forward Esmery Martinez to return to Arizona, giving Wildcats valuable veteran presence". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Brown, PJ (5 February 2024). "UA women's basketball notebook: Esmery Martinez thrives under pressure; Helena Pueyo making noise". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "New York Liberty selects Dominican Esmery Martinez in the WNBA draft". Dominican Today. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Brown, PJ (16 April 2024). "Arizona Wildcats Esmery Martinez, Helena Pueyo both 2nd-round picks in Monday's WNBA Draft". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Esmery Martínez". FIBA. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Esmery Martínez College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2024.