| Women's National Basketball Leagueawards and honours |
|---|
| Championship |
| Individual awards |
| Honours |
The Women's National Basketball League Grand Final Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) award given to the best player of the Grand Final. Since 2014, the award has been known as the Rachael Sporn Medal, named after Adelaide's most recognised and successful WNBL player, Rachael Sporn, also a twice winner of the award. [1] Lauren Jackson has won the award four times, while Kelsey Griffin has won the award three times.
| Denotes player inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Denotes player who is still active | |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player had been named MVP at that time |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team had won at that time |
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauren Jackson | Canberra Capitals | 4 | 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010 |
| 2 | Kelsey Griffin | Bendigo Spirit (2) / Canberra Capitals (1) | 3 | 2013, 2014, 2019 |
| 3 | Shelley Gorman | Nunawading Spectres | 2 | 1986, 1988 |
| Rachael Sporn | Adelaide Lightning | 1994, 1995 | ||
| Kristen Veal | Australian Institute of Sport (1) / Canberra Capitals (1) | 1999, 2000 | ||
| Annie Burgess | Sydney Flames / Panthers | 1993, 2001 | ||
| Leilani Mitchell | Sydney Uni Flames (1) / Southside Flyers (1) | 2017, 2020 |
The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League (NBL). Several WNBL teams have NBL counterparts. The Adelaide Lightning, Melbourne Boomers, Perth Lynx, Southside Flyers and Sydney Uni Flames are the current WNBL teams sharing a market with an NBL team. The current league champions are the Melbourne Boomers, who won their second title in 2022.
Suzy Batkovic is an Australian professional basketball player and politician. Suzy played her junior basketball with the Port Hunter Basketball Club in Newcastle. She has played basketball for several European clubs including the French Valenciennes, the Spanish side Ros Casares, the Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Italian side Cras Basket. In the United States, she has played for the Seattle Storm after having been selected as a first round draft pick in 2003. She has played professional basketball domestically for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1996–1999, the Sydney Uni Flames from 1999–2001, and 2009–2010, the Townsville Fire in 2001–2002, the Canberra Capitals in 2010–2011, and the Adelaide Lightning in 2011–2013; she returned to the Fire for the 2013–14 season. She has been a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, being named to the team for the first time in 1999. She won a silver medal with the team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The National Basketball League Grand Final Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the league's inaugural season to the best performing player of the Grand Final series. The winner receives the Larry Sengstock Medal, which is named in honour of Larry Sengstock, the winner of the league's first Grand Final MVP award.
The University of Canberra Capitals are an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The team is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. In 2014 the University of Canberra Union took control of the Capitals from Basketball ACT. The University of Canberra is the current naming rights sponsor for the Capitals.
The Adelaide Lightning is an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The club was formed in 1993 and they play in the 8,000-seat Titanium Security Arena.
Erin Victoria Phillips is an Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, a radio host, and a former professional basketball player. She played nine seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for five different teams and is a two-time WNBA champion. She also represented Australia on the women's national basketball team, winning a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women and serving as a co-vice captain at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Additionally, Phillips has played five seasons in the AFLW with the Adelaide Football Club, in which she is a three-time premiership player and two-time league best and fairest.
The Melbourne Boomers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Boomers compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play the majority of their home games at Melbourne Sports Centre – Parkville and the State Basketball Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Deakin Melbourne Boomers. Entering the WNBL in 1984, the club is both the oldest WNBL club and the longest-running elite-level women's sports team in Australia.
Rachael Pamela Sporn is an Australian former basketball player and three time Olympian. Sporn was Development Executive for the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation but has since left the organisation.
The Women's National Basketball League Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) award given since the league's second season. MVP voting takes place throughout the regular season and is determined by a players' accumulated score from game-by-game voting. In every game, each head coach and the referees from each respective game complete a voting card, with three points being awarded for a first place vote, two for second, one for third, a player can take a maximum of nine votes from any one game. It is the most prestigious award for individual players in the WNBL.
Rachael McCully is one of Australia's most accomplished female basketballers. During a decorated WNBL career, McCully played for the Adelaide Lightning, Dandenong Rangers and Townsville Fire, earning the WNBL's Robyn Maher Defensive Player of Year award in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. She played her 324th and final WNBL game in the 2014/15 WNBL Grand Final as she led the Townsville Fire to their inaugural championship. McCully was also a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, being named in the team for the first time in 2010 and narrowly missing out on selection for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.
Tess Madgen is an Australian professional basketball player. She currently plays for the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL. She is also a member of the Australian Opals.
Kristen Veal is an Australian basketball player. She won three Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) championships as a member of the Canberra Capitals, and has also played for the Sydney Uni Flames and the Logan Thunder. She was drafted in the first round of the WNBA draft, and was the youngest player to ever play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has represented Australia as a member of the Australia women's national basketball team.
Cayla George is an Australian professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was a member of the Australian Women's basketball team (Opals) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Opals were eliminated after losing to the USA in the quarterfinals.
Joanne Kay Hill is a former Australian women's basketball player.
Lucille Maree Hamilton is a former Australian women's basketball player. Her married name is Lucille Bailie.
The WNBL Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) award given since the 1990 WNBL season to the best defensive player throughout the regular season. Since 2000, the award has been known as the Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year. Emily McInerny has won the award nine times, while Tully Bevilaqua has won it on four occasions.
Tianna Marie Hawkins is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at the University of Maryland and attended Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Renae Lisa Camino is an Australian women's basketball player, who has represented the country at both junior and senior levels. In 2014, Camino married her long-time partner Tom Garlepp.
Lindsay Allen is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played basketball at the University of Notre Dame. Allen was drafted in the second round of the 2017 WNBA Draft by the Liberty.
