Marine Johannes Bio
Marine Johannès (born 21 January 1995) is a French professional basketball player widely recognized for her exceptional ballhandling, creativity, and passing vision. Nicknamed “Wizard” for her work with the ball, she competes as a shooting guard and point guard and has built a reputation as one of the most entertaining guards in European and international basketball. Johannès represents the New York Liberty in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and also plays at the club level in Turkey. She has represented France at multiple international competitions, including the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and won a silver medal with France at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Early Life and Background
Marine Johannès was born in Lisieux, Calvados, in northwestern France. She began playing basketball at the age of eight at the club in Pont-l’Évêque, the same youth program where future French National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Nicolas Batum developed. Her early play in this small Norman town shaped her creative instincts and comfort with the ball. At twelve years old, she was noticed by coach Samuel Vallée, who brought her into the basketball program at USO Mondeville.
Growing up in Calvados, Johannès trained through youth systems in France and developed her signature ballhandling skills before reaching senior competition. She went on to win the Under-17 French League with USO Mondeville in 2011 and 2012, added the Under-17 French Cup in 2012, and helped her youth side capture the Youth French League in 2013. Listed at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and 134 lb (61 kg), Johannès has long been regarded as a smaller guard who compensates with vision, shooting, and craft.
Path to Professional Basketball
Johannès made her professional debut with USO Mondeville in the Ligue Féminine de Basket (LFB), France’s top women’s league, during the 2011-12 season at just 16 years old. Her breakthrough came in the 2015-16 campaign, when she averaged 14.2 points and 4.4 assists in 34 minutes per game, establishing herself as one of the most promising guards in French women’s basketball.
Following that season, Johannès transferred to Bourges, where she gained her first experience in the EuroLeague Women competition. She collected multiple domestic trophies and individual honors with the club, sharpening her game against Europe’s top competition. By 2019, her rapid development at Bourges had made her one of the most coveted guards in the European market and paved the way for a move to a championship contender.
Marine Johannes Career
Early Career (2011-2016)
Johannès spent the first five seasons of her professional career at USO Mondeville in the LFB. She quickly became a central figure for the club, learning to handle the responsibilities of a lead guard at a young age. Her scoring and playmaking grew steadily across each campaign, culminating in her breakout 2015-16 season, when she averaged 14.2 points and 4.4 assists and earned a move to one of France’s top programs.
Her time at Mondeville established her as a top French prospect and provided the platform for her transition to elite-level European basketball. The club’s faith in giving her extensive minutes as a teenager paid off as she developed into a reliable scorer and creative distributor.
Bourges Breakthrough (2016-2019)
After joining Bourges, Johannès quickly adapted to the higher level of competition in both the LFB and EuroLeague. She helped Bourges win the French Cup in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and added a French League championship in 2018. Individually, she earned All-LFB First Team honors in 2017-18 and 2018-19, underlining her status among the top guards in French women’s basketball.
On the European stage, Bourges reached the EuroLeague quarter-finals in each of her three seasons with the club. During the 2018-19 season, she averaged 15.1 points and 4.7 assists in EuroLeague play and was named the Best Guard and Most Entertaining Player of the EuroLeague regular season, confirming her reputation as a creative offensive force.
ASVEL Era (2019-2024)
In 2019, Johannès signed a three-year contract with Lyon ASVEL, the French League champions owned by Tony Parker. Her first season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic while her team sat atop the standings, but she still earned a selection to the All-EuroLeague Second Team. During the 2020-21 season, she set a career high with 38 points against USK Praha in EuroLeague play and was again named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.
In the French League, Johannès was named to the All-LFB First Team for the third time in her career. ASVEL reached the LFB finals in 2021-22 but lost to her former club Bourges, and Johannès experienced her first season without an All-LFB First Team nomination, with her shooting percentage in league play dipping from 49.2 percent to 41.8 percent. In European play, she helped ASVEL reach the EuroCup Women final, where she was named Finals Most Valuable Player as the club won the EuroCup Women title in 2023.
New York Liberty Era (2019, 2022-2023, 2025-Present)
Johannès went undrafted in the 2017 WNBA draft before signing with the New York Liberty in 2019. She averaged 7.2 points in about 19 minutes per game as a rookie, including back-to-back career highs of 21 points against Connecticut and 22 points against Washington. In February 2020, she signed a multi-year deal with the Liberty, though she opted out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not play in 2021 due to overseas commitments with the EuroBasket and the Olympic Games.
She rejoined the Liberty for the 2022 season, setting a new career high with 23 points in a loss to the Seattle Storm on 20 June 2022. In March 2023, she re-signed with the Liberty and was part of the squad that won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup in 2023. Johannès did not play in the 2024 WNBA season to focus on the 2024 Paris Olympics, and on 21 March 2025, the Liberty announced they had re-signed her for the 2025 campaign.
Driving Style and Strengths
Johannès is widely regarded as one of the most creative guards in women’s basketball, with elite ballhandling, deep shooting range, and exceptional passing instincts. She thrives in transition and in pick-and-roll situations, using change of pace and misdirection to create scoring opportunities for teammates and herself.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her signature moments is her crossover followed by a three-pointer against United States legend Maya Moore during the 2016 Olympic semi-finals, where she scored 13 points. She also set a career high of 38 points in EuroLeague play against USK Praha and was part of France’s bronze medal-winning squad at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Marine Johannes Career Wins
Marine Johannès has collected major team and individual honors across French, European, and international competition. Her trophy case includes multiple French domestic titles with Bourges, a EuroCup Women championship and Finals MVP award with ASVEL, and the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with the New York Liberty. She has also earned individual recognition such as EuroLeague Best Guard and Most Entertaining Player honors.
WNBA Highlights
Johannès first joined the New York Liberty in 2019 and returned for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, helping the Liberty capture the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup in 2023. She set multiple career highs during her time in New York, including 23 points against the Seattle Storm on 20 June 2022, and was re-signed for the 2025 season on 21 March 2025.
European and International Wins
With Bourges, Johannès won the French Cup in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and the French League in 2018, while earning All-LFB First Team honors in 2017-18 and 2018-19. With ASVEL, she won the EuroCup Women in 2023 and was named EuroCup Women Finals MVP. At the international level, she helped France capture a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, alongside EuroBasket silver medals in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
Marine Johannes Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Marine Johannès grew up in Lisieux, in the Calvados region of Normandy, where she began playing basketball at the Pont-l’Évêque club at the age of eight. Her early development in the same youth program as Nicolas Batum played an important role in her formative years as a basketball player.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marks a new chapter for Marine Johannès across multiple competitions. The New York Liberty announced her re-signing on 21 March 2025, welcoming her back to the WNBA roster after she sat out 2024 to focus on the Paris Olympics. She joined the Liberty following a strong international summer with France, where she helped the national team claim a silver medal.
At the club level, Johannès signed with Çukurova Basketbol for the 2024-25 campaign in Turkey, continuing her career in one of Europe’s strongest women’s leagues. On 27 June 2025, she signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Women’s Basketball Super League (TKBL), adding another high-profile move to her career path.
Heading into the remainder of 2025, Johannès is expected to balance her Turkish Super League duties with her return to the Liberty. Her track record of scoring outbursts, creative playmaking, and big-game performances positions her as a key contributor for both club and country.