Emily Bessoir

Emily Bessoir (born 19 November 2001) is a German basketball player who played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. She represents Germany in international play.

Early life Bessoir was born on 19 November 2001 in Munich, Germany. Her father was a three-time All-American player at Scranton, and both her parents played professionally. Bessoir stated that she modeled her game after Elena Delle Donne. In the 2019–20 season, she averaged 17.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals over 31 minutes per game.

College career Bessoir's father assisted her with her recruitment process. She was named to the 2020–21 Pac-12 All-Freshman team. She played all 37 games the following season. In a December game versus CSU Bakersfield, Bessoir scored 12 points as UCLA won 75–47. In February 2023, she scored 20 points and hit four 3-pointers in a 67–57 win over Oregon.

UCLA opened up their 2023 Pac-12 Tournament play against Arizona State, with Bessoir scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in an 81–70 overtime win. In UCLA's following game, she scored 18 points and 13 rebounds in a win over No. 21-ranked Arizona, registering her first career double-double. In UCLA's first game of the 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, she scored 14 points in a 67–45 win over 13-seed Sacramento State. She was named to the All-Tournament team. Going into the 2023–24 season, she was an honorable mention on the Preseason All-Pac 12 Team. Bessoir played in just one game during the season, scoring six points and registering four rebounds. However, during a qualifier match on 9 November, she re-injured the ACL that caused her to miss the entire 2021–22 season. As a result, she missed the rest of the season.

After the 2023–24 season, it was announced that Bessoir would not be returning to UCLA or entering the transfer portal, but instead would return to Germany in hopes of making the women's Olympic roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She graduated from UCLA in June. She was later on Germany's championship-winning roster at the 2018 FIBA U18 Women's European Championship. However, she suffered a torn ACL during a match.

Career statistics +Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Off the court After suffering her ACL injury during the 2023–24 UCLA season, Bessoir co-hosted an art show with Anstey, who was also injured. The art show, dubbed SHE IS: a canvas of strength, beauty and grace, featured a collection of poems and included 11 paintings, a reference to Bessoir's jersey number. The paintings were illustrated by Bessoir, with funds from the art show going toward Bessoir's NIL efforts.