BASKETBALL
FIBA
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
SEVEN cuts were made for the Australian Opals, with Traralgon’s Jade Melbourne holding her spot.
The duel WNBL and WNBA player will don the green and gold for the third time in her professional career at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers held in Istanbul, Turkey from March 11 to 17.
At the lead-in tournament, the Opals will do battle against some serious competition, including Argentina, Canada, Japan, Hungary, and host nation Turkey.
While still being branded as a qualifying event, all countries listed in Group A alongside Australia have already been permitted into the FIBA Women’s World Cup, but will use these games as high intensity preparation.
Melbourne, who is close to completing her sixth season in the WNBL with the University of Canberra Capitals, previously played for the Opals in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2021 as a 19-year-old, and most recently won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
After the qualifiers wrap up, the FIBA Women’s World Cup will be played in Germany from September 4 to 13.
This will overlap with the upcoming WNBA season, which will begin on May 8, only if the league and players’ association can complete a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement in time.
If a new deal isn’t met before the start of the season, a lock-out could ensue (essentially a players strike, halting the start of competition).
It will be Melbourne’s fourth season in the top basketball league in the world, and her third with the Washington Mystics.
Last year, the Traralgon star played the most games in her career and started 12 times after previously never doing so.
The 2026 season serves as the WNBA’s 30th anniversary, which includes the introduction of two new franchises in Toronto and Portland, expanding the league to 15 teams.
Despite this growth, a 44-game season will stay put, with a near three-week break for the FIBA Women’s World Cup at the start of September.
