Carla Leite Bio
Carla Leite (born 16 April 2004) is a French professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. A guard standing 175 cm, she was selected ninth overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2024 WNBA draft before being taken by the Valkyries in the 2024 WNBA expansion draft. Leite is regarded as one of the top young guards in European women’s basketball and has built a résumé that includes league awards in France and a EuroCup Women title.
Born and raised in the Île-de-France region, Leite developed through French youth programs and the Tony Parker Academy before launching her professional career at age 18 with Tarbes in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. She has since competed in France, Spain, and the WNBA, and has represented France in age-group international competitions.
Early Life and Background
Carla Leite was born on 16 April 2004 in Poissy, Yvelines, France. She grew up in the Poissy area and played several sports as a child, including association football and tennis, before turning her focus to basketball.
She first tried out basketball at age nine and later said she began to take the sport seriously at age 13. Leite started with the club ES Lorguaise and later moved to Draguignan UC, where she began with the U11 team and was quickly promoted to the U13 squad. At 13, she moved an hour away from home to join Pôle d’Antibes, where she spent several formative seasons refining her game.
Leite began attending the Tony Parker Academy in 2019 while playing for the junior team of Lyon ASVEL. Across three seasons with Lyon, she grew into one of the most talked-about teenage guards in France, drawing wider attention after scoring 27 points in the 2022 U18 French Cup finals in a narrow loss to USO Mondeville.
Path to Professional Basketball
Leite’s path to the professional ranks accelerated in 2021, when she first represented France at the U17 3×3 European Cup. She was later selected for the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship but had to withdraw because of an injury. She returned to international play at the 2023 FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship, where she averaged 18.4 points and 4.3 assists, helped France win the title over Latvia, and was named both an all-star and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Her strong youth showings, combined with her rapid progression in the French club system, led to her first professional contract with Tarbes in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. The deal came shortly after her performance in the French Cup and marked the start of her senior career at the top level of French women’s basketball.
Carla Leite Career
Early Career at Tarbes (2022–2024)
Leite signed her first professional contract with Tarbes of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball at age 18, immediately after her performance in the French Cup. In her 2022–23 rookie season, she averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 assists per game and was named the league’s best young player, an early sign of her scoring and playmaking ability at the senior level.
In her second season with Tarbes, Leite elevated her production to 15.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the league all-star team. Her two seasons in Tarbes established her as one of the most promising young guards in French basketball and laid the groundwork for a move to a title contender.
Villeneuve d’Ascq and EuroCup Women Title (2024–2025)
In June 2024, Leite signed with Villeneuve d’Ascq, one of the top clubs in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. The move gave her a larger role on a team built to compete for European honors, and she quickly delivered on that stage.
Leite led Villeneuve d’Ascq to the 2024–25 EuroCup Women championship and was named Finals MVP after averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game across the title series. The EuroCup triumph was the defining achievement of her early career and confirmed her status as a go-to scorer at the European level.
Casademont Zaragoza Move (2025–Present)
In 2025, Leite signed a two-year contract with Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto in Spain. The move represented a step into a new domestic league while she continued her parallel commitments in the WNBA, giving her a full schedule of top-level competition across two countries.
WNBA Career with the Wings and Valkyries (2024–Present)
Leite was selected in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings. She chose to remain overseas for the 2024 WNBA season rather than report immediately, a common path for European players adjusting to the league’s calendar.
On 6 December 2024, Leite was selected as the Golden State Valkyries’ pick from the Wings’ roster in the 2024 WNBA expansion draft. She signed a rookie scale contract with the Valkyries on 21 February 2025, and on 16 May 2025, she made her debut in the franchise’s first-ever WNBA game, a 67–84 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, scoring 2 points in 11 minutes off the bench. On 21 May, she contributed 10 points in the Valkyries’ first-ever win, a 76–74 victory over the Washington Mystics, and on 23 May she set a then career high with 19 points in an 82–73 win over the Sparks. She made her first WNBA start on 14 June, scoring 14 points in a 76–70 win over the Seattle Storm.
Driving Style and Strengths
On the court, Leite combines confident perimeter scoring with strong playmaking for a young guard. She is comfortable initiating offense in pick-and-roll situations, creating her own shot off the dribble, and reading defenses to set up teammates, as reflected in her assist averages in both the LFB and the EuroCup Women Finals.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her headline milestones, Leite captured the 2024–25 EuroCup Women title with Villeneuve d’Ascq and was named EuroCup Women Finals MVP. She also debuted in the WNBA with the expansion Golden State Valkyries, scoring the team’s first win and posting a 19-point performance against the Sparks in her opening month.
Carla Leite Career Wins
Leite has collected several verified wins and awards across her young career, most notably a EuroCup Women championship and a Finals MVP award. She has also earned individual recognition in the French top flight and has been a steady contributor in playoff and cup competition for her clubs.
EuroCup Women Highlights
Leite led Villeneuve d’Ascq to the 2024–25 EuroCup Women title, the biggest team trophy of her career to date. Across the finals she averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game and was named Finals MVP, capping the run with one of the strongest individual performances in the competition that year.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the EuroCup, Leite has posted strong individual seasons in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball, including a best young player award in 2022–23 and an all-star selection in her second season with Tarbes. She also helped France win the 2023 FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship, where she was named tournament MVP and an all-star.
Carla Leite Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly available details about Carla Leite’s parents and broader family are limited, and no verified information about a sporting lineage has been confirmed in reliable sources. As a result, this section is intentionally brief and limited to what is documented.
Personal Life
Carla Leite focuses on her professional basketball career, balancing commitments with the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA and with Casademont Zaragoza in Spain. No verified information about a spouse or children is publicly available.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked Carla Leite’s first full WNBA campaign, as she joined the expansion Golden State Valkyries on a rookie scale contract. She made her league debut in the franchise’s inaugural game and quickly delivered key contributions, including 10 points in the team’s first-ever win over the Washington Mystics and a 19-point showing against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Her role expanded as the season progressed, and she earned her first WNBA start on 14 June in a victory over the Seattle Storm. The Valkyries’ debut year provided Leite with a steady opportunity to develop her game at the highest level of women’s basketball while she continued to play a leading role for Casademont Zaragoza in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.