Spanish former basketball player, three-time WNBA champion, FIBA Hall of Fame inductee, and longtime Spain national team leader.
Amaya Valdemoro began sport through athletics, which she practiced from age nine to thirteen before focusing on basketball. She made her senior Spanish league debut in 1992 at age fifteen and debuted for Spain's senior national team in 1993 at age seventeen. Her early club years included Dorna Godella, where she won a European League title, a Club World Championship, Spanish league titles, and the Copa de la Reina.
During the 1993 and 1994 youth international cycles, Valdemoro also represented Spain at junior levels, winning silver medals at the U16 European Championship and the U18 European Championship. These performances preceded her full integration into the senior national team.
After Dorna Godella, Valdemoro played for Salamanca Halcón Viajes from 1994 to 1996. She then joined Pool Getafe, where she won Spanish league and Copa de la Reina titles in consecutive seasons. In 1998, she was drafted by the Houston Comets in the third round of the WNBA Draft. With Houston, she became part of a championship team that included one of the league's defining early dynasties. She won WNBA titles in 1998, 1999, and 2000, becoming the first Spanish basketball player to win a WNBA championship.
While playing WNBA summers, Valdemoro continued competing in Spain. She returned to Salamanca from 1998 to 2001, earning league runner-up finishes and receiving LFP MVP recognition in 2001. During this period, she also gained international recognition with Spain, including the impact player award at the 1998 World Championship in Germany.
In 2001, Valdemoro moved to Ros Casares Valencia, where she entered one of the most productive periods of her club career. With Ros Casares, she won Spanish league titles, Copa de la Reina titles, and Spanish Supercups. In the 2003–04 season, the club won the league, cup, and supercup in the same campaign. Valdemoro was named MVP of the 2004 Copa de la Reina final and was selected as the league's best small forward.
She also played for Unimed/Americana in Brazil, helping the team qualify for the Club World Championship and producing strong scoring averages in the Brazilian league structure. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Spain finished sixth, and Valdemoro averaged 17 points per game while ranking among tournament leaders in steals.
From 2005 to 2008, Valdemoro played in Russia with VBM-SGAU Samara, CSKA Samara, and CSKA Moscow. During this period, she won Russian league titles, Russian Cups, and a Club World Championship. She was named to the ideal five in Russian league and world club competition contexts and was recognized as one of the top European players by FIBA Europe across multiple seasons. In 2007, she was named EuroBasket MVP after leading Spain to the silver medal.
Valdemoro returned to Ros Casares Valencia in 2008. The team won the Spanish league, Copa de la Reina, and Supercup in consecutive seasons. In 2010, she left Ros Casares for Rivas Ecópolis, returning closer to Madrid. With Rivas, she won the Copa de la Reina and reached the EuroLeague final. During this stage, she also captained Spain to a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and finished as the tournament's top scorer.
In October 2011, Valdemoro suffered fractures in both wrists after a fall during a EuroLeague game. She recovered and returned to competition. In 2012, she signed with Turkish club Tarsus Belediyesi, then returned to Spain in 2013 with Centros Único Real Canoe in Liga Femenina 2.
Amaya Valdemoro began sport through athletics, which she practiced from age nine to thirteen before focusing on basketball. She made her senior Spanish league debut in 1992 at age fifteen and debuted for Spain's senior national team in 1993 at age seventeen. Her early club years included Dorna Godella, where she won a European League title, a Club World Championship, Spanish league titles, and the Copa de la Reina.
During the 1993 and 1994 youth international cycles, Valdemoro also represented Spain at junior levels, winning silver medals at the U16 European Championship and the U18 European Championship. These performances preceded her full integration into the senior national team.
After Dorna Godella, Valdemoro played for Salamanca Halcón Viajes from 1994 to 1996. She then joined Pool Getafe, where she won Spanish league and Copa de la Reina titles in consecutive seasons. In 1998, she was drafted by the Houston Comets in the third round of the WNBA Draft. With Houston, she became part of a championship team that included one of the league's defining early dynasties. She won WNBA titles in 1998, 1999, and 2000, becoming the first Spanish basketball player to win a WNBA championship.
While playing WNBA summers, Valdemoro continued competing in Spain. She returned to Salamanca from 1998 to 2001, earning league runner-up finishes and receiving LFP MVP recognition in 2001. During this period, she also gained international recognition with Spain, including the impact player award at the 1998 World Championship in Germany.
In 2001, Valdemoro moved to Ros Casares Valencia, where she entered one of the most productive periods of her club career. With Ros Casares, she won Spanish league titles, Copa de la Reina titles, and Spanish Supercups. In the 2003–04 season, the club won the league, cup, and supercup in the same campaign. Valdemoro was named MVP of the 2004 Copa de la Reina final and was selected as the league's best small forward.
She also played for Unimed/Americana in Brazil, helping the team qualify for the Club World Championship and producing strong scoring averages in the Brazilian league structure. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Spain finished sixth, and Valdemoro averaged 17 points per game while ranking among tournament leaders in steals.
From 2005 to 2008, Valdemoro played in Russia with VBM-SGAU Samara, CSKA Samara, and CSKA Moscow. During this period, she won Russian league titles, Russian Cups, and a Club World Championship. She was named to the ideal five in Russian league and world club competition contexts and was recognized as one of the top European players by FIBA Europe across multiple seasons. In 2007, she was named EuroBasket MVP after leading Spain to the silver medal.
Valdemoro returned to Ros Casares Valencia in 2008. The team won the Spanish league, Copa de la Reina, and Supercup in consecutive seasons. In 2010, she left Ros Casares for Rivas Ecópolis, returning closer to Madrid. With Rivas, she won the Copa de la Reina and reached the EuroLeague final. During this stage, she also captained Spain to a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and finished as the tournament's top scorer.
In October 2011, Valdemoro suffered fractures in both wrists after a fall during a EuroLeague game. She recovered and returned to competition. In 2012, she signed with Turkish club Tarsus Belediyesi, then returned to Spain in 2013 with Centros Único Real Canoe in Liga Femenina 2.
Valdemoro's final major playing achievement came with the Spanish national team at EuroBasket 2013. Spain defeated France 70–69 in the final and won the gold medal. The tournament served as the closing title of her playing career before retirement later that year.
After retiring, Valdemoro moved into media work as a basketball commentator. She has also authored books, including her 2015 autobiography Nací luchando, co-written with journalist Julián Redondo, and children's fiction titles in the Los Trugos series.
Valdemoro debuted for Spain's senior national team in 1993 and went on to earn 258 international caps, one of the highest totals in Spanish basketball history. Over two decades with the national team, she competed in two Olympic Games (2004 and 2008), four FIBA World Championships, and eight EuroBasket tournaments.
She helped Spain win five EuroBasket medals: gold in 2013, silver in 2007, and bronze medals in 2003, 2005, and 2009. She also won bronze at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Individually, she was named MVP of EuroBasket 2007, led EuroBasket 2005 in scoring, was selected to the 2002 FIBA World Championship All-Star Five, and finished as the top scorer at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Her international career concluded with Spain's victory at EuroBasket 2013, where the team defeated France in the final to win the European title. The championship was the final major achievement of her 20-year career with the Spanish national team.
Amaya Valdemoro is retired from professional basketball and is known publicly as a former Spanish national team forward and basketball commentator. As a player, she worked mainly as a wing, combining scoring, perimeter shooting, transition play, rebounding, defensive activity, and experience in high-pressure international games. Her profile was defined by long-term national team service, club success across several countries, and production in European, WNBA, and FIBA competitions.
Amaya Valdemoro was born in Alcobendas, Madrid, on August 18, 1976. After retiring in 2013, she remained involved in basketball through television commentary with Canal+ and Movistar+. Her hometown of Alcobendas named a pavilion at the José Caballero sports complex after her in 2008.
Valdemoro has also written books. In 2015, she published her autobiography Nací luchando, co-written with journalist Julián Redondo. She also authored children's fiction, including Los Trugos. El enigma del Trece and La trampa del mapache. Los Trugos 2.
In public interviews, Valdemoro has discussed the difficulty of transitioning out of elite competition, mental health, frustration management, and the pressures of high-performance sport. She has also spoken about gender inequality in sport and the different public value assigned to medals won by women and men.
Amaya Valdemoro's legacy is based on her role in Spanish women's basketball across club, national team, and international professional competition. She was the first Spanish basketball player to win a WNBA championship and remains the only Spanish player in the provided material to win three consecutive WNBA titles.
With Spain, Valdemoro was a central player across multiple generations. She played 258 senior international games, competed in two Olympic Games, four World Championships, and eight EuroBasket tournaments, and ended her national team career with EuroBasket gold in 2013.
Her club career included success in Spain, Russia, and the WNBA, with league, cup, supercup, EuroLeague, and Club World Championship titles. Her later honors, including induction into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame, the FIBA Hall of Fame, and the scheduled 2026 WNBA Hall of Fame induction, formally recognize her place in the history of Spanish and international women's basketball.
Valdemoro won major club titles with several teams. With Dorna Godella, she won the 1992–93 EuroLeague, the 1992 Club World Championship, Spanish league titles in 1992–93 and 1993–94, and the 1993–94 Copa de la Reina. With Pool Getafe, she won Spanish league and Copa de la Reina titles in both 1996–97 and 1997–98.
With the Houston Comets, she won three consecutive WNBA championships in 1998, 1999, and 2000. With Ros Casares Valencia, she won Spanish league titles in 2001–02, 2003–04, 2008–09, and 2009–10; Copa de la Reina titles in 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2008–09, and 2009–10; and Spanish Supercups in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2010. With VBM-SGAU Samara and CSKA Samara, she won a Club World Championship in 2005 and Russian Premier League titles in 2005–06 and 2006–07. With CSKA Moscow, she won the 2007–08 Russian Premier League. With Rivas Ecópolis, she won the 2010–11 Copa de la Reina.
With Spain, Valdemoro won EuroBasket gold in 2013, silver in 2007, and bronze medals in 2003, 2005, and 2009. She also won bronze at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. At youth level, she won silver at the 1993 U16 European Championship and silver at the 1994 U18 European Championship.
Her individual honors include EuroBasket 2007 MVP, EuroBasket 2005 top scorer, 2010 World Championship top scorer, 2004 Copa de la Reina MVP, 2004 playoff MVP and best small forward of the Spanish league, and selection to the ideal five at the 2002 World Championship. She was selected three times for the EuroLeague All-Star Game in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and was MVP in 2008. FIBA ranked her among Europe's top five players for six consecutive years: second in 2005, fourth in 2006, second in 2007, third in 2008, fifth in 2009, and third in 2010.
Valdemoro received the Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo bronze medal in 2002, silver medal in 2008, and gold medal in 2014. She entered the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2023. According to the provided material, she is scheduled to enter the WNBA Hall of Fame in 2026, becoming the first Spanish woman to do so.
Amaya Valdemoro Madariaga is a Spanish former professional basketball player born on August 18, 1976, in Alcobendas, Madrid. A 1.82-meter wing, she played primarily as a small forward and shooting guard during a career that included competition in Spain, the United States, Brazil, Russia, and Turkey. Valdemoro retired in 2013 and later worked as a basketball commentator for Canal+ and Movistar+.
Valdemoro is one of the most decorated players in Spanish women's basketball history. She played 258 games for Spain's senior national team, a national record at the time until it was later surpassed by Laia Palau. With Spain, she won five EuroBasket medals, including gold in 2013, silver in 2007, and bronze medals in 2003, 2005, and 2009. She also won bronze at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and competed in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
At club level, Valdemoro won major titles with Dorna Godella, Pool Getafe, Ros Casares Valencia, Russian clubs, Rivas Ecópolis, and the Houston Comets. She became the first Spanish basketball player to win a WNBA championship and won three consecutive WNBA titles with Houston from 1998 to 2000.
Her individual distinctions include EuroBasket 2007 MVP, EuroBasket 2005 top scorer, 2010 World Championship top scorer, multiple FIBA Europe Player of the Year rankings, and several Spanish league awards. She entered the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2026, she is scheduled to enter the WNBA Hall of Fame, becoming the first Spanish woman to receive that honor.
