Maria Stepanova
Encyclopedia
Maria Alexandrovna Stepanova is a Russia
n professional and Olympic
basketball
player. In the United States
, she plays for the Phoenix Mercury
in the Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA).
At a height of 201 cm, she is the fourth-tallest player in the league (along with Katie Feenstra
, Zheng Haixia and Lindsay Taylor
). These players such as Margo Dydek
, at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), Heidi Gillingham at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), and Allyssa DeHaan
at 6 ft 9 inches (2.06m) are taller than her. She wears a size 15 (US) / 48 (EU) shoe. Though in the Russian national team, she has been overtaken by Ekaterina Lisina in being the tallest member.
Stepanova was born in the village of Shpakovskoye (now the town of Mikhaylovsk
, in Stavropol Krai
of the former Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
of the Soviet Union
, and grew up in Tosno
, Leningrad Oblast
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n professional and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she plays for the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
in the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA).
At a height of 201 cm, she is the fourth-tallest player in the league (along with Katie Feenstra
Katie Feenstra
Katharen Ruth Mattera is a female professional basketball player for the WNBA....
, Zheng Haixia and Lindsay Taylor
Lindsay Taylor
Lindsay Corine Taylor is an American professional basketball player and a former college player who has played in the Women's National Basketball Association , Turkish Women's Basketball League, Ligue Féminine de Basketball , the WKBL, Polish Women's League, and the Women's Chinese Basketball...
). These players such as Margo Dydek
Margo Dydek
Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...
, at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), Heidi Gillingham at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), and Allyssa DeHaan
Allyssa DeHaan
Allyssa DeHaan is an American former collegiate basketball player and currently collegiate volleyball player. She played for Michigan State University from 2006 to 2010....
at 6 ft 9 inches (2.06m) are taller than her. She wears a size 15 (US) / 48 (EU) shoe. Though in the Russian national team, she has been overtaken by Ekaterina Lisina in being the tallest member.
Stepanova was born in the village of Shpakovskoye (now the town of Mikhaylovsk
Mikhaylovsk, Stavropol Krai
Mikhaylovsk is a town and the administrative center of Shpakovsky District of Stavropol Krai, Russia, located along the Tashla River, northeast of Stavropol...
, in Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
of the former Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and grew up in Tosno
Tosno
Tosno is a town and the administrative center of Tosnensky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Tosna River, southeast of St. Petersburg. Population:...
, Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
.