A couple weeks after losing draft pick and development player Justine Pissott to the Las Vegas Aces, the Indiana Fever filled their second development spot.
The Fever announced Friday that they have signed Ugonne “Michelle” Onyiah to their development roster, joining Bree Hall on the Fever’s development squad.
Onyiah, a 6-3 forward, played at the University of California-Berkeley from 2020-25. She was a key rotational player for all five of her years at Cal, and shot a conference-leading 60.3% from the field as a full-time starter in her final season in 2024-25. She was not picked in the 2025 WNBA Draft, then spent a year overseas playing in Belgium with Basket Namur Capitale, averaging 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
She got her first shot in the WNBA in New York this year, signing a rookie-scale contract with the Liberty ahead of 2026 training camp, but she was not able to make either of the Liberty’s preseason games because of overseas commitments and was ultimately waived ahead of the regular season on May 7.
Onyiah then signed with the Upshot League, a new women’s basketball league that started in 2026. She played on the Charlotte Crown, averaging 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
The forward will give the Fever some depth in the frontcourt, especially as starting center Aliyah Boston is dealing with a nagging right lower leg injury, starting forward Monique Billings is working through a left hip injury, and backup center Damiris Dantas is missing Indiana’s current three game road trip to rehab her left knee.
As a development player, Onyiah can participate in all team activities including practices and travel, but can only be activated for up to 12 games this season. Her salary, which is $750 per week and a $6,136 bonus whenever she is activated for a game, will not count against the Fever’s cap.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever fill second development spot with post player from newly created league
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
