Anastasiia Kosu
Kosu with UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 7 – Minnesota Lynx | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 April 2005 Kursk, Russia | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 86 kg (190 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2025: 2nd round, 15th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Minnesota Lynx | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Dynamo Kursk | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | UMMC Ekaterinburg | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Minnesota Lynx | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Anastasiia Olairi Kosu (born 21 April 2005) is a Russian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously played for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League (RPL).
Professional career
Kosu began her career with Dynamo Kursk, where she played for two seasons, before the EuroLeague Women suspended the club in February 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] She made her EuroLeague debut on 4 December 2020, in a game against Perfumerías Avenida. She became one of the youngest players to ever appear in a EuroLeague game at 15 years, 7 months and 14 days old.[2]
She then joined UMMC Ekaterinburg of the RPL. During the 2023–24 season, she was named Eurobasket.com's Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Domestic Player of the Year, and named to the All-Russian PBL First Team.[3] On 14 August 2024, she re-signed with Ekaterinburg.[4] She helped lead UMMC to three consecutive Russian Championships from 2023 to 2025.[5]
On 14 April 2025, she was drafted in the second round, 15th overall, by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 WNBA draft.[6] She made her WNBA preseason debut for the Lynx on 6 May 2025, during a game against the Chicago Sky, and scored four points and four rebounds. [7] She made her regular season debut for the Lynx on 16 May 2025, during a game against the Dallas Wings.[8]
National team career
At 14 years old, Kosu represented Russia at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship where she averaged 18.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in seven games. During the championship game against Lithuania, she scored 27 points and 14 rebounds to help Russia win a gold medal. She was subsequently named to the All-Tournament team and tournament MVP.[9]
She represented Russia at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup, where she led her team in scoring, and averaged a double-double of 15.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. On 8 August 2021, in a game against Hungary, she scored 20 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the seventh player to record a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double at the FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup.[10]
Personal life
Kosu's father was a former professional basketball player in Spain, who died when she was six years old.[11][12]
Career statistics
| 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 |
WNBA
Regular season
Stats current through game on July 25, 2025
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Minnesota | 13 | 0 | 2.8 | .500 | 0.0 | .636 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 13 | 0 | 2.8 | .500 | 0.0 | .636 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
References
- ^ "15-year-old Kosu climbing Dynamo Kursk ladder towards EuroLeague Women stardom". FIBA. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ Cruse, Hunter (16 February 2025). "Meet Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, the most underrated prospect in 2025 WNBA Draft". thenexthoops.com. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "Eurobasket.com All-Russian PBL Awards 2024". Eurobasket.com. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "UMMC Yekaterinburg keeps Kosu for another season". Eurobasket.com. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "UMMC – 18-time Russian champions!". basket.ugmk.com. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ "Lynx select 19-year-old wing Anastasiia Kosu in second round of WNBA draft". Bring Me The News. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Hansen, Mitchell (6 May 2025). "Sky 74, Lynx 69: Let the (Preseason) Games Begin". canishoopus.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ "Paige Bueckers' WNBA debut spoiled as Napheesa Collier scores 34 in Lynx's 99-84 win over Wings". ESPN.com. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Anastasiia Kosu picks up MVP award after leading Russia to title, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "20-20 vision: Kosu becomes latest member of exclusive U19 club". FIBA. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ Cruse, Hunter (16 February 2025). "Meet Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, the most underrated prospect in 2025 WNBA Draft". thenexthoops.com. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "«I'm just getting into the flow». Olairi Kosu in an interview with Sport-Express". basket.ugmk.com. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "Anastasiia Kosu WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.