Maria Stepanova

Maria Stepanova is an athlete I respect on raw scale and on smarts. Standing 202 cm, she was among the very tallest in the women's game, yet height alone never carries a player to the WNBA, where she suited up for the Phoenix Mercury. Crossing from Russia to compete at North America's top level signals serious skill and adaptability, and her Order of Merit for the Fatherland tells me how much she meant back home. What interests me most is the craft beneath the size: the footwork and timing that let a giant truly dominate rather than merely loom. I wish I had seen her command a court in person.

Name (English)

Maria Stepanova

Name (Japanese)

マリア・ステパノワ

Reading

まりあ・すてぱのわ

Born

February 23, 1979 (age 47)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Goat

Origin

Mikhaylovsk, Russia

Height

202 cm

Occupation

basketball player

Awards & achievements

• Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 1st class

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%91%E3%83%8E%E3%83%AF

Tags

• basketball player

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.