Gabriela Mărginean (born 12 February 1987 in Cluj-Napoca) is a Romanian professional women's basketball player who plays for the Turkey club İzmit Belediyespor.
| No. 44 – İzmit Belediyespor | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | Turkish Super League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1987-02-12) February 12, 1987 (age 35) Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Career information | |
| College | Drexel (2006–2010) |
| WNBA draft | 2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 26th overall |
| Selected by the Minnesota Lynx | |
| Playing career | 2010–present |
| Career history | |
| 2010 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2010–2011 | Panathinaikos |
| 2011–2012 | Arras Pays d'Artois |
| 2012–2013 | CSM Târgovişte |
| 2013–2014 | İstanbul Üniversitesi |
| 2014–2015 | AGÜ Spor |
| 2015–2017 | Perfumerías Avenida |
| 2017–2018 | AGÜ Spor |
| 2018–2019 | Adana Basketbol |
| 2019–2020 | Çukurova Basketbol |
| 2020–2021 | Landerneau Bretagne Basket |
| 2021–present | İzmit Belediyespor |
Mărginean was a two-sport athlete at Drexel University and led the NCAA in made free throws in her sophomore season. Her 2,581 career points while at Drexel makes her Philadelphia's highest scoring women's basketball player. This point total also med her the highest scoring athlete in the history of the CAA until 2013, when she surpassed by Elena Delle Donne.[1][2]
While playing for the Drexel Dragons women's basketball team Mărginean played in 125 games and averaged 20.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Marginean led Drexel to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009.[3]
| Season | GP | FG-FGA | Pct | 3FG-FGA | Pct | FT-FTA | Pct | Reb Avg | A | Blk | Stl | Pts Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 31 | 255-530 | .481 | 39-98 | .398 | 178-200 | .890 | 7.7 | 60 | 5 | 60 | 23.5 |
| 2009 | 33 | 252-529 | .476 | 22-63 | .349 | 243-271 | .897 | 7.3 | 29 | 2 | 52 | 23.3 |
| 2008 | 30 | 213-428 | .498 | 26-75 | .347 | 118-129 | .915 | 7.1 | 50 | 3 | 53 | 19.0 |
| 2007 | 31 | 184-434 | .424 | 2-13 | .154 | 145-169 | .858 | 8.2 | 33 | 4 | 38 | 16.6 |
| Totals | 125 | 904-1921 | .471 | 89-249 | .357 | FT-FTA | Pct | Reb Avg | A | Blk | Stl | 20.6 |
Mărginean was drafted to the Minnesota Lynx, the 26th pick of the 2010 WNBA Draft. In May the Lynx activated Rebekkah Brunson and Mărginean was waived from the roster.[9][10] She is the second Romanian who has played in the WNBA after Florina Pașcalău who was the player of Seattle Storm in 2008.
Later she played for Panathinaikos Athens. Her stats read 17.3 points, 7.6 boards, 2.2 steals and 1.5 assists per game. Eurobasket.com named her All-Greek League Bosman Player of the Year.[11]
Gabriela Mărginean joined Arras Pays d'Artois in the summer of 2010. She appeared 26 times in Ligue Féminine de Basketball averaging 12.3 points and 3.6 rebounds. She managed to win in the 2012 French Cup handing a 58–64 loss to Bourges to take the trophy. Mărginean was one of the best Arras players in the final. She scored 11 points and pulled down 6 rebounds for 35 minutes on the court. Thanks to this victory Arras also booked a spot for the EuroLeague Women 2012–13 season. In EuroCup, Marginean added 16.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg for 10 games.[12]
On July 7, 2012, it was reported that the Romanian champions CSM Târgovişte have signed Gabriela Mărginean.[13]
Mărginean is currently the best player on Romania women's national basketball team as she averaged 19.6 points per game in eight games in EuroBasket Women 2013 qualifiers.[13]