Azurá Stevens is another underrated player that I believe has a chance to make some noise in the Unrivaled league. Stevens was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, but primarily raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. During her time in Raleigh, North Carolina she attended Cary High School which was where she excelled and broke onto the national scene. She stands at 6’6” and plays a unique forward-center combination with both perimeter and interior skills which is extremely rare at her size.
Stevens began her college basketball career at Duke University, where she played for two seasons. At Duke, she quickly established herself by averaging 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a freshman and earning All-ACC Freshman Team honors. In her sophomore season, Stevens improved on her freshman year numbers by increasing her average to 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, which gave her a spot on the All-ACC First Team. However, after her incredible sophomore year, she would seek a new environment by transferring to the University of Connecticut. She would have to sit out a year due to the NCAA transfer rules at the time, so she didn’t play her junior season until 2017-2018. In her junior season with UConn, she averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds which was still quite impressive because of how deep Uconn is with talent. After she showcased her talent at a premier program like UConn, it was time to elevate to the WNBA.
Stevens would be selected sixth overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2018 WNBA Draft. During her rookie season, she averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. After two seasons with the Wings, Stevens was traded to the Chicago Sky in 2020, where she would embellish a larger role within the rotation. Stevens became a key contributor to the team’s success, especially in 2021, where she played a pivotal part in their playoff run that helped secure the Sky’s first ever WNBA championship. Stevens balled out during the Sky’s championship run by providing vital scoring, rebounding, and defense off the bench.
Azurá Stevens is a non-traditional type of big because technically she’s a forward-center hybrid that possesses great touch around the rim, physicality, and elite mobility. She even has the ability to stretch the floor with a reliable mid-range shot and along with her defensive shot-blocking presence she can affect the Unrivaled league on both sides of the floor.
