Pauline Astier
.jpg) Astier in 2025 | |
| No. 18 – New York Liberty | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 15 February 2002 Tarbes, France |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2025 | Tango Bourges Basket |
| 2025–2026 | USK Praha |
| 2026–present | New York Liberty |
| Career highlights | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Pauline Astier (born 15 February 2002) is a French professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously played for Tango Bourges Basket and USK Praha.
Early life
[edit]Astier was born on 15 February 2002 in Tarbes, France.[1] Her parents, Nathalie Fourcade and Frédéric Astier, were both professional basketball players in France.[2] She has a twin sister, and they both played basketball from a young age.[2] Growing up, she was first a member of the club Tarbes Gespe Bigorre.[2] Astier later played for Séméac Olympique Basket and UA Laloubère.[2] In 2017, she became a member of the youth team for Tango Bourges Basket.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Astier debuted for Tango Bourges's senior team in 2019 in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB) and EuroLeague Women.[2] During the 2021–22 season, she helped Tango Bourges to championships of both the LFB and the EuroCup Women, with a victory by a score of 74–38 in the latter, and she was honored as the LFB's best young player.[4][5] Her mother had played for a European championship team 26 years prior.[6] The following season, Astier averaged 6.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game, earning the EuroLeague's best young player award while her team reached the quarterfinals of the EuroLeague tournament.[6] She won the French Cup with Tango Bourges in 2024 and then left the team in 2025.[5] She spent the 2025–26 season with USK Praha, averaging 10.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.[7] She helped them to the EuroLeague title and an appearance in the 2025 FIBA Europe SuperCup Women, where they defeated ESB Villeneuve-d'Ascq and Astier was named MVP after recording 17 points and 15 assists.[7]
After the 2025–26 season with USK Praha, Astier signed with the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in April 2026.[8] She impressed in training camp and made the opening-day roster.[9][10]
International career
[edit]Astier received her first call-up to the France national team in July 2022.[11] By April 2025, she had made 13 appearances for the national team.[5]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Pauline Astier WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dourlen, Maxence (13 May 2026). "Elles ont grandi en Occitanie, elles font désormais vibrer l'Amérique du basket" [They Grew Up in Occitanie; Now They’re Electrifying American Basketball]. Actu.fr (in French).
- ↑ "Basket : la Bigourdane Pauline Astier, meilleure jeune" [Basketball: Bigorre Native Pauline Astier Named Best Young Player]. PresseLib.com (in French). May 2022.
- ↑ "basket-ball : la Tarbaise Pauline Astier élue meilleure jeune LFB" [Basketball: Tarbes Native Pauline Astier Named LFB's Best Young Player]. La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées (in French). 3 May 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Pauline Astier quitte Bourges" [Pauline Astier Leaves Bourges]. L'Équipe (in French). 29 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Basket-ball : la Tarbaise Pauline Astier élue meilleure jeune de l'EuroLeague" [Basketball: Tarbes Native Pauline Astier Named EuroLeague's Best Young Player]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 15 April 2023.
- 1 2 "New York Liberty Sign Pauline Astier". New York Liberty. April 18, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ Torenli, John (May 6, 2026). "Pauline Astier ready to be 'special' with Sabrina Ionescu out". Brooklyn Eagle.
- ↑ Frimpong, Fiifi (May 2, 2026). "'Elite' passer Pauline Astier impressing Liberty in her first days of training camp". New York Daily News – via Yahoo Sports.
- ↑ "WNBA 2026 opening-day rosters". ESPN. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ Aurégan, Ludovic (12 July 2022). "Pauline Astier conviée à préparer le Mondial 2022 avec les 22 joueuses sélectionnées" [Pauline Astier invited to prepare for the 2022 World Championship with the 22 selected players.]. Le Berry Républicain (in French).