Dubbed “the queen of Egypt” among her devoted fans, 3x3 basketball sensation Soraya Mohamed dreams of taking the national team to its first ever Olympic Games in 2028 and, in doing so, secure her place in history as one of Africa’s most-decorated basketball stars.
The recipient of multiple personal accolades, Soraya was named Africa’s most valuable player (MVP) in consecutive seasons during her rise through the junior ranks, before becoming Egypt’s youngest debutant for the 5x5 women’s national team at the age of 16. She was shooting three-pointers as young as eight, she says, an early indication of her potential for reaching the sport’s summit.
While her promotion to the seniors was “the turning point in my life”, Soraya continues, another milestone came in 2019 when she took 3x3 basketball by storm and was named MVP for a third time in her career at the FIBA Africa Cup Qualifiers. “I was named MVP again and was also the top points scorer in the championships,” she says. “I love to play fast basketball and to make the no-look pass, so I thrive in 3x3 basketball. The sport has given me a new platform to entertain and express myself on the court. The fans are very special.”
Her honorary title as Egypt’s “queen” is important to Soraya. While a nod to her popularity and success, she says it also “means so much when young players say that they want to be like me”, adding: “There is a pressure to keep performing at the highest level, until I retire from basketball, so it acts as a motivation for me to continue pushing myself and hope to inspire more young people to take up basketball in Egypt.”
As part of her identity, Soraya was among the first players to wear the hijab during FIBA competition. At the beginning, she recalls both feeling conscious of the fact, but also empowered to represent her Muslim faith. “It defines my personality,” she says. “I am doing something I love when I wear the hijab. I feel that I can represent myself proudly. When people take photos with me and share them on social media, I’m proud that I am representing my country, my religion, and people who might feel inspired to pursue their own dreams.”
This sentiment extends to the rise in participation in women’s sport, Soraya expands. Whereas men’s football is traditionally known to be Egypt’s most-watched sport, she highlights “many women are playing professional sport in Egypt” because of its access and representation online and, as a result, “we have discovered so many champions in women’s sport”.
“Whereas women’s sport hasn’t always been in the spotlight, basketball gives a new perspective of how women can succeed in sports like ours,” she continues. “At the beginning of my career, men’s football was the biggest sport in Egypt; social media has been the biggest tool for highlighting our sport, and particularly to women and young girls. When people see me in tournaments and get to know me, social media coverage helps promote the sport to so many more young people who see us play and hopefully feel inspired. This is the point.”
Entering a new era of Egyptian basketball, it was family – not social media – which enabled Soraya’s career to gather pace early on and continues to be a motivator. “My family is the one thing that keeps me going,” she says. “Every player has their ups and downs. I’ve had to skip so many social engagements to do what I do. My husband and son are the main highlights of my life. I just want my son to see his mother doing something that she loves and to be proud of me. My husband is my number one supporter. He is always sending me messages of support wherever I’m playing.”
Trading 5x5 basketball for the 3x3 game, Soraya’s ambition was at one time to help the women’s national team reach its first senior World Cup finals. Having thrown herself into the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series, Soraya fulfilled her dream after qualifying for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2023, which saw Egypt eliminated at the pool stage. Looking ahead, she has higher expectations for the women’s national team during its Olympics qualifying bid – reaffirming her ambitions to turn Egypt into a bona fide title challenger.
“My ambition was always to help Egypt reach a World Cup tournament,” Soraya continues. “Now that we have done that, it’s my dream to go to the Olympics and to leave a mark on basketball in my country. I was the first Egyptian player to receive a title in an African Championships. I now want to be among the first players to help Egypt reach the top three teams at the World Cup and to qualify for the Olympics.”