Greatest Imports in WNBL History
With the season now just 48 days away, rosters are close to being finalised and we will have our newest batch of imports joining the WNBL.
The likes of Jacy Sheldon in Townsville, Japreece Dean in Adelaide, Celeste Taylor in Sydney and Haley Jones in Geelong all set to have an impact on the 24/25 season.
This got us thinking, who has been the best import the WNBL has ever seen?
First we will start with the honorable mentions; Tianna Hawkins, Mercedes Russell, Debbie Black, Sophie Cunningham, Marina Mabrey, Olivia Epuopa, Aari McDonald.
Number Six; Jackie Young
Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time WNBA Champion and 3-time WNBA All Star, Young’s season in Perth was one to remember. After a slow start due to Covid, Young exploded averaging over 25 points a game over the last six games before leading the Lynx to the Grand Final. Despite going down in the Grand Final to the next player on our list, Young won the Perth Lynx MVP and finished second in league MVP.
Number Five; Lindsay Allen
Allen spent three seasons with the Melbourne Boomers from 2018-2022 and immediately made her mark. In her first season with the Boomers Allen would win the Michele Timms MVP, was named in the WNBL All Star Five and finished third in the league MVP voting. In her second season Allen continued to shine leading the Boomers in points and assists while finishing in the Top 10 for league MVP despite missing four games. The third season for Allen lead to ultimate glory winning the title with the Boomers and going home with the Racheal Sporn Finals MVP honours and named in the All-WNBL second-team.
Number Four; Jordin Canada
Canada came to the league last season with plenty of hype around the WNBA Champion and she delivered in spades. The guard showed right from the start she meant business winning WNBL player of the round for her first two games, In 18 games for the Boomers Canada averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 3.1 steals and 34.3 minutes per game. Canada became just the second import to win the Suzy Batkovic Medal for being the league’s Most Valuable Player and took home Golden Hands honours.
Number Three; Kia Nurse
Speaking of imports winning the Suzy Batkovic Medal, Kia Nurse became the first in 2020. In just two years, she became a two-time champion, an MVP and she led the league in average points per game and three pointers made this season. In her MVP season the Canadian scored double figures in every game and produced a WNBL career-best 33 points against the Southside Flyers in Round 14 and quickly became a fan favourite in Canberra.
Number Two; Sami Whitcomb
A naturalised Australian, Sami Whitcomb came over to the WNBL in 2015 and was a star right from the start. Earning WNBL All-Star Five honours and finishing third in MVP voting. In her first three seasons Whitcomb was named in the All-Star Five and set a record for threes made in a season in 2017. Whitcomb was named in two more WNBL-All Star five teams and led the Lynx to a Grand Final berth in 2016 and 2022
Number One; Kelsey Griffin
Another naturalised Australia, Griffin has one of the best resumes in WNBL history. A four-time WNBL Champion, three-time Rachael Sporn Grand Final MVP and Suzy Batkovic Medalist in 2019 as well as Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. Wherever Griffin has gone success has followed and that is why she is the number one import to ever play WNBL.