Former WNBA president Donna Orender’s described the UPSHOT League as “an opportunity league” as it was preparing to kick off in May. That is exactly what it did for the latest Indiana Fever signing, Michelle Onyiah. The vision was to create a league that gave players another platform to compete, one that serves as a feeder system that the WNBA could subsequently draw from to strengthen its in-season roster depth. Just as Orender envisioned, the Indiana Fever has now made the very first draw.
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As WNBA analyst Annie Costabile shared on X, the Indiana Fever have signed 6-foot-3 forward Michelle Onyiah to a developmental contract. In doing so, she became the first-ever player from the Upshot League to sign a WNBA contract. It is a historic moment for both the player and the league.
22-year-old Onyiah went undrafted in 2025 after five seasons of college basketball with the California Golden Bears. Her college career was marked by elite shot-blocking and shooting efficiency. She finished fifth all-time in career blocks at Cal with 143 and sixth in career field-goal percentage at 54.0 percent. After going undrafted, she took her talents overseas to Belgium, where she played for Basket Namur Capitale and averaged 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
That journey eventually led her to the Upshot League‘s Charlotte Crown after being waived by the New York Liberty from a training-camp contract in April. And since the Upshot season kicked off, she has made a compelling case for herself. Across 21 games, she is averaging 9.6 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting. Alongside that, she averaged 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks her third in the Upshot League. She has also tied for the league lead with 1.1 blocks per game.
She will now bring all of that production and frontcourt presence to an Indiana Fever team that is navigating injuries to key frontcourt players, most notably All-Star Aliyah Boston, who is managing a nagging right lower leg/knee injury.
Under developmental contract terms, Onyiah can be activated for up to 12 games this season. After she plays all 12 games, the Indiana Fever can either sign her to a standard WNBA contract or allow her to return to the Upshot League. Per Front Office Sports, players signed to a developmental contract are to be paid $6000 per game they play.
However, Onyiah’s signing would not have been possible if the Indiana Fever had not lost 6-foot-4 rookie forward Justine Pissot four weeks earlier. She was also on a developmental contract until the Las Vegas Aces poached her. With the Fever not willing to match the Aces’ offer, Pissot ultimately left the franchise.
Pissot, however, did not feature in any games during her time with the Indiana Fever. Hopefully, that will not be the case for Michelle Onyiah.