Kelly Wilson

Kelly Louise Wilson (born 1 January 1984[lower-alpha 1]) is an Australian professional basketball player.

This article is about the Australian basketball player. For other people named Kelly Wilson, see Kelly Wilson (disambiguation).

Kelly Wilson
Personal information
Born (1984-01-01) 1 January 1984[lower-alpha 1]
Melbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Listed height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Career information
Playing career2001–present
PositionGuard
Career history
2001–2002Nunawading Spectres
2002–2003Australian Institute of Sport
2003Sydney Comets
2003–2005Sydney Uni Flames
2004Sutherland Sharks
2005Bendigo Braves
2005–2008Townsville Fire
2006Townsville Flames
2008Mackay Meteorettes
2008–2016Bendigo Spirit
2009–2011Bendigo Braves
2012–2014Knox Raiders
2015–2019Bendigo Braves
2016–2018Townsville Fire
2018–2019Canberra Capitals
2019–2020Bendigo Spirit
2021–2023Bendigo Braves
2021–2022Canberra Capitals
2022–2023Bendigo Spirit
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  Australia
Basketball
FIBA Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Australia / New Zealand Team
Gold medal – first place2015 Australia / New Zealand Team
World University Games
Gold medal – first place2007 Bangkok Team

Early life

Wilson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and grew up in the Victorian country town of Leongatha.[5] She played her junior basketball for Leongatha Basketball Association.[4]

Career

WNBL

Wilson made her WNBL debut with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2002 and won the WNBL Rookie of the Year.[4] She played for the Sydney Uni Flames between 2003 and 2005, and the Townsville Fire between 2005 and 2008.[4] She played the next eight seasons for the Bendigo Spirit, winning championships in 2013 and 2014.[4] She returned to the Fire in 2016 and played two seasons, winning a third championship in 2018. For the 2018–19 season, she played for the Canberra Capitals and won her fourth championship. For the 2019–20 season, she returned to the Spirit.[6][7] In January 2020, Wilson broke the WNBL's all-time games played record, when she took to the court in her 395th game, beating the previous record-holder, Jessica Bibby.[8]

After sitting out the 2020 hub season due to the birth of her first child, Wilson returned to the Canberra Capitals for the 2021–22 season.[9] In January 2022, she played her 400th WNBL game.[10][11][12] She returned to the Bendigo Spirit for the 2022–23 WNBL season.[13]

State Leagues

Wilson debuted in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2001 for the Nunawading Spectres.[14] She played a second season for the Spectres in 2002.[15] She played in the Waratah League over the next two years, first with the Sydney Comets in 2003[16] and then with the Sutherland Sharks in 2004.[17][18] She returned to the SEABL in 2005 to play for the Bendigo Braves.[19]

In 2006, Wilson played for the Townsville Flames in the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) and was named the Sunstate Division U23 Youth Player of the Year.[20] She returned to QBL in 2008 with the Mackay Meteorettes and was named league MVP.[21][22]

Wilson returned to the SEABL in 2009 and won the league MVP with the Bendigo Braves. After being cut by the Braves following three seasons,[23] she joined the Knox Raiders in 2012, going on to win the SEABL championship and her second league MVP in 2013. After three seasons with Knox, she returned to Bendigo in 2015 and in 2018 won her second SEABL championship.[5] She played for the Braves in the inaugural NBL1 season in 2019, winning the league MVP.[24] She had a short stint with the Braves during the 2021 NBL1 South season.[3] She continued with the Braves in 2022 and 2023.[13] She was named NBL1 South All-Star Five in 2023[25] and led the Braves to the NBL1 South championship[26] and the NBL1 National championship.[27][28]

National team

Wilson made her international debut for Australia in 2003.[4] In 2007, she was part of the historic Emerging Opals team that claimed the gold medal at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.[4] She earned a national team call-up in 2013 to help Australia win the FIBA Oceania Championships.[4]

Personal life

Wilson's sister Andrea also plays in the WNBL.[5]

Notes
  1. Some sources list her as being born on 1 January 1984,[1][2][3] while others state she was born on 1 January 1985.[4][5]

References
  1. "Kelly Louise Wilson". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. "Players". wnbl.basketball. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. "Kelly Wilson". nbl1.com.au. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  4. "Kelly Wilson". australia.basketball. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  5. "KELLY WILSON ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING THE FIRST WNBL PLAYER TO REACH 400 WNBL GAMES". milestonesandmisses.com. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  6. Helmers, Caden (26 April 2019). "Canberra Capitals target Leilani Mitchell as Kelly Wilson departs". Canberra Times. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  7. Cocking, Tony (1 October 2019). "Kelly Wilson is ready to lift spirits in Bendigo". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. "Kelly Wilson Games Played Record". WNBL.basketball. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  9. "KELLY WILSON RETURNS TO UC CAPITALS". WNBL.basketball. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. Hustwaite, Megan (5 January 2022). "Kelly Wilson makes WNBL history". australia.basketball. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  11. Schubert, Shannon (7 January 2022). "Bendigo's Kelly Wilson makes WNBL history, with 400-game milestone". abc.net.au. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  12. "AFTER THREE GAME CANCELLATIONS, KELLY WILSON FINALLY REACHES 400TH MILESTONE". WNBL.basketball. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  13. "Kelly Wilson". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  14. "Kelly Wilson 2001". SEABL. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. "NUNAWADING SPECTRES 2002". seabl.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 August 2002. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  16. "2003 CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN". Waratah League. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  17. "2004 CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN". Waratah League. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  18. "Kelly Wilson". Waratah League. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  19. "Kelly Wilson 2005". SEABL. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  20. "QABL 2006 Award Winners". qabl.basketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  21. ""Off the Boards" Newsletter – September 2008". Basketball Queensland. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  22. "Flames win, QABL Women's Award Winners announced". Queensland Basketball League. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  23. King, Travis (6 February 2012). "Wilson cut from Lady Braves". bendigoadvertiser.com.au. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  24. "Gatlin And Wilson Crowned NBL1 MVPs". nbl1.com.au. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  25. "NBL1 South 2023 Awards Night Recap". NBL1.com.au. 12 August 2023. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  26. "NBL1 South Recap | Women's Grand Final 2023". NBL1.com.au. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  27. "NBL1 National Finals Recap | Women's Championship Game 2023". NBL1.com.au. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
  28. "How Kelly Wilson continues to dominate". NBL1.com.au. 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023.
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