Nastja Claessens

Career

Claessens is the daughter of Belgian coach Frederic Claessens and Irina Medvedeva, a former Belgian Cat from Turkmenistan. She holds both Belgian and Russian nationality. As a child, she did ballet and played basketball, firmly choosing the latter at age 11. At 14, she debuted with the senior team of Ion Basket Waregem, and by 15 she played her first Belgian Women's Basketball League season in 2020/21.

In May 2023, she became only the second Belgian women's player ever to earn both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season. That year she moved to Castors Braine, but the 2023/24 season was disappointing due to a persistent left wrist injury sustained in November 2023 during preparation with the Belgian Cats for a European Championship preliminary round. She underwent surgery in spring 2024 and played just eight games for Braine that season.

On 15 April 2024, the Washington Mystics drafted her 30th overall, but she chose to remain overseas for 2024. Claessens progressed through Belgium's youth national teams and was called up to the senior squad in 2022 for a European Championship preliminary round match. On 22 November, she debuted against North Macedonia, scoring three three-pointers and two free throws, grabbing two rebounds, dishing two assists, and recording a steal in under eight minutes.

On 25 July 2024, after Julie Allemand's injury, Claessens was added to Belgium's Olympic roster for the 2024 Summer Games.