Maite Cazorla

Maite Cazorla's Biography

María Teresa Cazorla Medina, more popularly known in the sporting circles as Maite Cazorla, was born on 18 June 1997. This Spanish native is a professional basketball player currently showcasing her talents for the ZVVZ USK Praha of the Czech Women’s Basketball League and the Spanish women’s national basketball team. Her entrance into the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was via the 2019 draft where she was the twenty-third overall pick.

Cazorla’s introduction to the sport came from her family, comprised of professional basketball players. It was only natural then that her foray into basketball started when she was just 14. Joining her school team Teresianas, she began to develop her skills before shifting to the youth system of CB Islas Canarias.

At the age of 14, a significant change happened. Cazorla moved to Barcelona, bidding farewell to her home at the Canary Islands for her basketball prospects. This move propelled her into the youth teams of Segle XXI in 2011 and was the beginning of her growth in the sport.

Over time, Cazorla’s prowess on the court began to draw attention. She started playing in the Spanish second-tier league and rose through the ranks of the Spanish national youth teams. Her performance in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women was a turning point. It was then that the Oregon Ducks scouts noticed her talent.

The following year, Cazorla enrolled in the University of Oregon where she would spend four years. Balancing academia with athletics, she managed to leave an imprint in the University’s basketball history. Her freshman year saw her being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. She continued her upward trajectory by securing a spot on the All-Pac-12 team during her Junior and Senior years. In her last year at Oregon, 2019, she was part of the illustrious team that reached the Final Four. Over her four-year student career, Cazorla played in no less than 146 games for the Ducks. Her efforts culminating in her being the eighth player from Oregon to be selected in the WNBA Draft.

Cazorla’s debut in the WNBA was to be on 31 May 2019, in a game against the Seattle Storm. Regardless of the outcome of her maiden game, her entry into the WNBA leaderboard was a victory in and of itself.

June 2019 saw Cazorla return to her native soil when she signed for CB Avenida, a powerhouse team in the Spanish top-tier league. Within her first year, she claimed her first title, the Spanish Queen’s Cup, and participated in the 2019-20 EuroCup Women.

Her contributions to the 2019–20 EuroCup Women were not trivial. Playing 10 games, she averaged 19.2 minutes per game (MPG) and 4.4 points per game (PPG). Her spate of successes was not limited to her home country. She had been playing with Spain’s youth teams since she was 14, winning seven medals from 2012 to 2017. Her sporting resume boasts a European U16 title in 2013, a runner-up place at the U17 FIBA World Championships in 2014, and a third-place finish at the U19 FIBA World Championships in 2015.

In 2019, at the age of 22, she had her first game with the senior team. Since then, she had 19 caps by 2021 and had participated in prestigious events – the 2020 Olympics and the 2021 EuroBasket.