THE announcement that the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) is now a professional league has brought excitement to the Filipina ballers’ community amid the pandemic.
The WNBL has emerged as the first-ever professional basketball league in the country after after one season of amateur competition when its application was approved by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
“In the midst of this negativity, the pandemic, this is such a big gift for all of us,” said former University of the Philippines cager Bea Daez during the So She Did It podcast. “It gives us a ray of positivity and excitement.”
Daez said players have stepped up preparations for resumption of play.
“Right now, all the female ballers are saying na kailangan na magpakundisyon uli. I see that in all the friends that I have on social media. Balik alindog uli, nagpapapayat, at nagpapalakas. It’s something really exciting,” said Daez, who played for the Lady Snipers during the inaugural season of the WNBL last year.
Daez is glad that the women’s pro league has become a reality after just being a conversation for the past several years.
“It’s a dream come true for all of us female ballers. Whenever we have basketball events, whenever there are interviews, there’s always one thing that we resonate with together and it’s always having that professional league so that there’s continuity in the game that we all love,” she added.
Danica Jose and Trina Guytinco are also glad with the upcoming platform that the WNBL is going to offer.
“It’s about time that we have a pro league most especially because there have been a lot of attempts to make women’s basketball big in the country… We need to have some sort of continuity so that a lot of people would see the story behind women’s basketball. I hope that this league will be very sustainable and it would really open a lot of doors for Filipina ballers,” she said.
“Finally!” Guytingco said. “Because there’s just so much talent in the Philippines. I believe that we have so much to offer and we have so much to prove. Finally, we have a chance to show the Philippines what Filipina ballers can do.”
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