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Yuko Oga
Toyota Antelopes
Position	Assistant coach
League	Women's Japan Basketball League, FIBA 3X3
Personal information
Born	October 17, 1982 (age 42); Yamagata, Yamagata
Nationality	Japanese
Listed height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight	139 lb (63 kg)
Career information
High school	Nagoya College High (Shōwa-ku, Nagoya)
Playing career	2001–2018
Position	Point guard
Coaching career	2018–present
Career history
As player:
2001-08	JOMO Sunflowers
2008	Phoenix Mercury
2008-12	JX-Eneos Sunflowers
2013-14	Shanxi Flame
2015-18	Toyota Antelopes
As coach:
2018-19	Toyota Antelopes (Development)
2019-present	Toyota Antelopes (asst)
2018-present	Japan women's national 3x3 team (Support)
Career highlights and awards
	2x Japanese High School Champion; 2x National Sports Festival Champion; 2x Winter Cup Champion; 9x WJBL Champion; WJBL Regular Season MVP; 6x WJBL Best Five; 3x WJBL All-Star; 7x Empress Cup Champion; 8x Empress Cup Best Five; 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women Scoring Leader; Women's Chinese Basketball Association Champion;
	Stats at Basketball Reference
Women's basketball
Representing Japan
Asian Games
FIBA Women's Asia Cup
Basketball coaching
Representing Japan
FIBA 3x3 Under-23 World Cup
FIBA 3x3 Women's Series

Yuko Oga (大神雄子, Ōga Yūko, born October 17, 1982 in Yamagata city)^[6] is a Japanese basketball coach and former professional basketball player. A point guard, Oga played for the JX Sunflowers in the Women's Japan Basketball League and the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.^[7] In 2023, she was inducted into the FIBA basketball Hall of Fame.^[8] Her nickname is Shin.

Professional career

She started playing basketball influenced by her father who was a basketball coach at Yamagata University. She was educated at, and played for, Nagoya College High School (currently Ōka Gakuen High School). While there, she helped the school win 7 national titles. After graduating in 2001, she joined the Japan Energy basketball club (later renamed the JOMO Sunflowers, and then the JX-Eneos Sunflowers ). In the same year, she received her first call-up for the national team.

Oga played for Japan Energy throughout several name changes, Japan Energy from 2001–04, JOMO Sunflowers from 2004–10, JX-Eneos Sunflowers from 2010-13.^[9]

For the 2013-14 season, Oga made a move to China, to play for the Shanxi Flame, which won the championship that season.^[10]^[11]

For the 2015 season she returned to Japan, signing with the Toyota Antelopes, where she played until her retirement in 2018.^[9]^[12]

In 2007, she became the first Japanese female player to sign a professional contract in the domestic leagues. In 2008, she signed a training camp contract with Phoenix Mercury. The club announced on May 16, 2008, that she had made the opening day roster. She is the second Japanese player to play in the WNBA after Mikiko Hagiwara who also played for the Mercury from 1997 to 1998. She recorded 4 points and 1 assist in her WNBA debut on May 17, 2008, in the season opener, a 94–99 loss against the Los Angeles Sparks.

International career

Between 2001 and 2013, Oga represented Japan at seven FIBA Women's Asia Cup tournaments,^[8] winning Gold at the 2013 tournament in Bangkok, Silver at the 2001 tournament, also in Bangkok, and Bronze at the 2007, 2009, and 2011 tournaments, in Incheon, Chennai, and Omura respectively.^[8]

In 2004, she represented Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and became the youngest Japanese female basketball player at the Olympics ever.^[8]

Oga represented Japan at the 2010 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. While Japan only finished tenth, Oga was the high scorer for the tournament, averaging 19 points a game.^[8]

Coaching career

Oga moved to coaching in 2018 after retiring from professional play.^[8] She has been coaching for the Toyota Antelopes in the Japanese W-League, and has coached the Japanese 3x3 basketball team.