On April 19, 2002, North Carolina Central center Amba Kongolo became the first women's basketball student-athlete in school and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) history to be selected in the WNBA Draft when the Phoenix Mercury selected her with the 56th pick.
 
Kongolo became the first Lady Eagle to be crowned CIAA Player of the Year, earning the award in 2001 and 2002 after leading the conference in scoring and blocked shots both seasons. As a senior, she averaged 21.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest, charging NCCU to the NCAA Championship "Sweet 16" for the first time in school history.

Among the school's all-time career leaders, Kongolo completed her career ranked third in scoring with 1,536 points, fourth in rebounds with 833 caroms, and second in blocked shots with 225 rejections. She was inducted into the NCCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014 (HOF bio).

A native of Kinshasa, Congo, Kongolo represented her country (then known as Zaire) by playing basketball in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She is from the same African tribe as NBA standout Dikembe Mutombo.