Women's National Basketball League (Philippines)
The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is a professional women's basketball league in the Philippines.
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| Inaugural season | 2019 |
| President | Celso "Soy" Mercado |
| Commissioner | John Edward Aquino |
| Country | Philippines |
| Continent | FIBA Asia (Asia) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Philippine Army (1st title) |
| Most titles | Philippine Army PAF Lady Air Defenders Parañaque Lady Aces (1 title each) |
| TV partner(s) | Solar Sports |
It is organized by the National Basketball League (NBL) which also maintains a men's league.
History
The National Basketball League (NBL) which maintains a men's league decided to organize a women's league as well to support the program of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the Philippines' national governing body for basketball.[1][2]
The WNBL inaugural season began on April 7, 2019, and featured seven teams: Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force, Taguig Lady Generals, Pampanga Delta Amazons, Cleon and Clyde Lady Snipers, Laguna Lady Pistons & Paranaque Lady Aces.[3] Air Force won the inaugural title.[4] The WNBL planned to hold its second season in 2020 but such move was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
On August 26, 2020, the Games and Amusements Board accepted the NBL and WNBL's application to become professional leagues.[6][4] The first WNBL draft was held on February 13, 2021.
The first professional season of the WNBL began on July 18, 2021.
Also in 2021, WNBL launched their own 3x3 Tournament.
Teams
Current teams
| Team | Locality | Team governor | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippine Air Force - PSI Lady Air Defenders | n/a | MGen. Augustine Maliit | Alvin Zuniga |
| Philippine Army Lady Battalions | n/a | Col. John Oliver Gabun | SSgt. Gerry Gadong |
| Philippine Navy Lady Sailors – Go For Gold | n/a | Jeremy Go | Emelia Vega |
| Quezon Lady Spartan | Quezon | Angeline Helen Tan | Christine Isip |
| Taguig Lady Generals | Taguig, Metro Manila | Bing Victoria | Marc Robin Lucena |
Former teams
- Cleon and Clyde Lady Snipers
- Glutagence Glow Boosters
- Laguna Lady Pistons
- Pacific Water Queens
- Pampanga Delta Amazons
- Parañaque Lady Aces
List of champions
| Season | Champion | Series | Runner-Up | Season MVP | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | PAF Lady Air Defenders | 2–0 | Taguig Lady Generals | Janine Pontejos | Taguig Lady Generals |
| 2021 | Parañaque Lady Aces | 2–0 | Taguig Lady Generals | Allana Lim | Parañaque Lady Aces |
| 2022 | Philippine Army Lady Battalions[7] | 2–0 | Philippine Air Force – PSI Lady Air Defenders | Cindy Resultay | Philippine Air Force - PSI Lady Air Defenders |
| 2023 |
References
- ^ Women's basketball breaks through glass ceiling through WNBL, ABS-CBN Sports, April 5, 2019
- ^ NBL women’s league fires off this weekend, Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Business World Online, April 5, 2019
- ^ "Parañaque ousts Laguna in inaugural WNBL opener". Rappler. April 7, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Li, Matthew (July 27, 2020). "Sources: WNBL looks to go pro". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ Naredo, Camille (September 2, 2020). "WNBL: Turning pro is 'dream come true' for Filipina players". Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ First women’s pro league in Philippines gets GAB nod, Joey Villar, The Philippine Star, August 26, 2020
- ^ "Pontejos scores 33 as Army downs PSI for WNBL title". The Philippine Star. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.