Former Syracuse University standout Tiana Mangakahia died at the age of 30 on Thursday (September 11) following her second battle with breast cancer, her family confirmed in a post shared on her Instagram account.
"We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beautiful Tiana Mangakahia. She left us on 11/09/2025, surrounded by family, friends and lots of love," the caption states. "Tiana was a shining light who touched the lives of everyone she met with her kindness, strength, and warmth. She fought right till the very end, showing courage and grace beyond words.
"Though our hearts ache without her, her legacy and the love she gave will stay with us forever. We will continue to honour her in everything we do.
"We love you endlessly, Tiana, and will miss you always. 🩷 #Tough4T."
The family confirmed that details on Mangakahia's funeral "will be posted soon."
Mangakahia, a native of Australia, had previously announced that her cancer had "progressed" and that she was "experiencing significant physical decline" in a post shared eight days prior to her death.
Mangakahia averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds during her collegiate career at Syracuse, having played three seasons between 2017 and 2021, but missed the 2019-2020 due to an invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis. The Australian native broke the school's career assists record and joined the 1,000-point club during her second season.
Mangakahia signed with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and spent training camp with the team before returning to Australia to join the Northside Wizards in the NB1 North, having also played professionally for the Brisbane Spartans (2011, 2014), Australian Institute of Sport (2011-12), Townsville Fire (2013-14), Dynamo Moscow (2021-22), Sydney Flames (2022-23), Toulouse Métropole Basket (2023) and Southern Districts Spartans (2025). The guard was forced to retire in 2023 after her cancer returned and progressed into stage four breast cancer, but made a miraculous return for Southern Districts Spartans of the NBL1 league in June.
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