Carla Leite

Carla Leite (born 16 April 2004) is a French professional basketball player for Tarbes of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB). She was selected by the Dallas Wings in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft.

Early life
Leite was born on 16 April 2004. She grew up in Poissy, Yvelines, and played several sports growing up, including association football and tennis. She first tried out basketball at age nine and said she "started to get serious" beginning at age 13. She started with the club ES Lorguaise and later moved to Draguignan UC, where she started with the U11 team but quickly moved up to the U13. She moved an hour away from home at age 13 to join the club Pôle d'Antibes, and spent several seasons there.

Leite began attending Tony Parker Academy in 2019 while playing for the junior team of Lyon ASVEL. She played three years for Lyon and began receiving attention after scoring 27 points in the finals of the 2022 U18 French Cup, in a close loss to USO Mondeville.

Professional career
Soon after her performance in the French Cup, Leite signed her first professional contract at age 18, with Tarbes in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB), the top women's league in France. In the 2022–23 season, she averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 assists per game and was named the league's best young player. In her second season with Tarbes, Leite averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds and was named to the league all-star team.

Leite was selected in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings. She chose to remain overseas for the 2024 season.

International career
Leite first played internationally at the 2021 U17 3×3 European Cup She was selected for the 2022 FIBA U18 Women's European Championship but had to withdraw due to injury. She later competed at the 2023 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship, where she averaged 18.4 points and 4.3 assists while helping France win the title over Latvia, with Leite being named an all-star and the most valuable player of the tournament.