WATCH select games of the 2022 WNBA season LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
The 26th year of the league tips off this weekend on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand, with the Atlanta Dream taking on Dallas Wings this Sunday at 10am (AEST).
The Dream feature two Australians who have realised their WNBA dream in Atlanta.
This time last year, Kristy Wallace was making her return to the court after a fourth knee surgery in three years. Now, after claiming the WNBL’s Sixth Woman of the Year award and impressing with the Opals, the 26-year-old guard is on the verge of an incredible WNBA debut.
Wallace impressed in pre-season, top scoring with 17 points in Atlanta’s first hit-out against the Washington Mystics last month.
She will have a familiar face on the coaching staff in Opals assistant coach and dual WNBL championship coach, Paul Goriss.
Goriss coached Wallace at Canberra in the Caps' 2019-20 championship season and they will now reunite in the world’s best women’s league.
Goriss has long dreamed of coaching in the WNBA and has earned his chance as an assistant coach under new head coach Tanisha Wright.
He joins an exclusive list of Australians to coach in the league, including Australian Opals coaches past and present; Sandy Brondello, Carrie Graf and Tom Maher.
Monique Billings, who was Townsville Fire’s import in 2021-22, also plays for the Dream.
Livewire forward Anneli Maley enjoyed a breakout WNBL season with Bendigo Spirit, winning the league MVP award and earning a training camp contract with reigning champions Chicago Sky.
She’s put her best foot forward in Chicago and will be hoping to lock in a spot on the final roster.
Opals coach Sandy Brondello has landed at New York after guiding the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA Finals in 2021.
Two of her national team members in Sami Whitcomb, who captained the Opals at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament in Serbia in February, and Tokyo Olympian Bec Allen are at the Liberty.
Liz Cambage was involved in one of the big off-season moves, leaving the Las Vegas Aces for the Los Angeles Sparks.
This week, when the 30-year-old centre fouled out of the Sparks' pre-season game against the Mercury, another Aussie came off the bench and quickly made an impact.
Perth-born guard Amy Atwell, pick 27 in last month’s WNBA draft, top scored with 19 points in just 15 minutes of court time.
Also at the Sparks is Britt Sykes who won the Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year award and was named in the All-WNBL First Team while playing for Canberra this season.
Seattle Storm has long been home to Australian basketball stars and the flag will fly strong again this season.
Ezi Magbegor, fresh off winning a WNBL championship with the Melbourne Boomers in April, returns for season three in the league and will play alongside her Opals teammate Steph Talbot.
The pair both earned selection in the All-WNBL first team.
Young gun Jade Melbourne, from Traralgon in regional Victoria, was drafted to the Storm last month but will remain in Australia this year before embarking on her WNBA journey in 2023.
After three years at the Mercury, Alanna Smith is set to make the most of a new chapter at Indiana Fever.
The Fever also feature two players familiar to Australian hoops audiences.
Tiffany Mitchell and Lindsay Allen were crucial in the Melbourne Boomers' WNBL title - Allen claiming the Rachael Sporn Medal for the Grand Final series' Most Valuable Player - and will play alongside each other in Indiana.
Grand Finalists Perth Lynx had two superstar imports part of their campaign and both are primed for big WNBA seasons.
Jackie Young, the first overall pick from the 2019 draft, will again suit up for the Aces while Marina Mabrey is back in action for the Dallas Wings. Both players featured in All-WNBL teams - Young in the first and Mabrey in the second.
