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Women's National Basketball League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Women's National Basketball League | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1981 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia New Zealand |
| Most recent champion(s) | Canberra Capitals |
| Official website | WNBL |
The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the premier women's basketball league in Australia.
The league was established in 1986, following 5 years of the sport's development through the Women’s Basketball League and the Women’s Basketball Conference. WNBL games are televised on the ABC and ABC2.
There are currently 10 teams in the WNBL with all Australian states and territories represented, with the exceptions of Tasmania and the Northern Territory:
- Adelaide Lightning
- Australian Institute of Sport
- Bulleen Melbourne Boomers
- Canberra Capitals
- Dandenong Rangers
- Perth Lynx
- Sydney Uni Flames
- Townsville Fire
- Bendigo Spirit
- Christchurch Sirens
The 2007/2008 season saw the addition of two new teams: the Bendigo Spirit, and the Christchurch Sirens, which is the first franchise from outside of Australia.
The 2008/09 season will see the addition of a team from Logan, Queensland. They will be the first team from South-East Queensland in over 10 years.
The league has been successful in developing players, the national team (the Opals), and has led to many Australian women receiving contracts to play basketball in European leagues and the WNBA. Michele Timms was the first Australian woman and the first international player drafted in the WNBA. Among the other notable players to make the transition from the WNBL to the WNBA are Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor-Gil, and Tully Bevilaqua; those who have gone the other direction include American star Alana Beard. In fact, as the seasons do not overlap, players can participate in both leagues in the same year.
| Position | Team |
| 1st | Sydney Uni Flames (16-5) |
| 2nd | Canberra Capitals (15-6) |
| 3rd | Adelaide Lightning (15-6) |
| 4th | Dandenong Rangers (12-9) |
| 5th | Bulleen Melbourne Boomers (12-9) |
| 6th | Townsville Fire (10-11) |
| 7th | Perth Lynx (3-18) |
| 8th | AIS (1-20) |
- 2007 (17 February): Canberra Capitals 73 def Sydney Uni Flames 59.
- 2006 (18 February): Canberra Capitals 68 def Dandenong Rangers 55 - Lauren Jackson (Capitals) was game high scorer with 24pt
Complete list of WNBL Grand Final winners
| Season | WNBL Champion |
| 1981 | St Kilda Saints |
| 1982 | St Kilda Saints |
| 1983 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1984 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1985 | Coburg Cougars |
| 1986 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1987 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1988 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1999 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1990 | North Adelaide |
| 1991 | Hobart Islanders |
| 1992 | Perth Breakers |
| 1993 | Sydney Flames |
| 1994 | Adelaide Lightning |
| 1995 | Adelaide Lightning |
| 1996 | Adelaide Lightning |
| 1997 | Sydney Flames |
| 1998 | Adelaide Lightning |
| 1998-99 | Australian Institute of Sport |
| 1999-2000 | Canberra Capitals |
| 2000-01 | Sydney Panthers |
| 2001-02 | Canberra Capitals |
| 2002-03 | Canberra Capitals |
| 2003-04 | Dandenong Rangers |
| 2004-05 | Dandenong Rangers |
| 2005-06 | Canberra Capitals |
| 2006-07 | Canberra Capitals |