FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 Playmakers Program attracts Australian top basketball players

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, which will be hosted in Sydney this September, has today revealed Australian basketball stars, Ezi Magbegor and Shyla Heal as the first members the event’s Playmaker Program – a program designed to create awareness for the global event in Australia.   

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 Playmakers Program will see a slew of influential Australians unite to build momentum for basketball, women’s sport and the tournament, where the world’s best basketball players will compete for the World title in Australia.

Magbegor (22) and Heal (20) are two exceptional Australian basketball players who continue to attract attention to the women’s game from both Australian and international fans.

The pair, who celebrated their dream of a home world title with the official Women’s World Cup trophy on Sydney’s harbour, will join their Australian Opals teammates in a training camp this week in effort to be selected for the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournaments this month.

The Opals will play in Serbia between 10th and 13th February, in one of four Qualifying Tournaments held across the globe, as nations battle it out for a final ticket to the World Cup in Sydney.

At 6’4”, with incredible agility and speed, Magbegor is an exciting young talent for the Australian Opals. Since commencing her professional career in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) in 2017, she was quickly recognised and awarded the Betty Watson Youth Player of the Year. Now in her fourth season with the Melbourne Boomers, Magbegor has continued to evolve into one of the league’s leading forwards. On the international stage, Magbegor was picked up by the Seattle Storm in the 2019 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft and by 2020 became a WNBA Champion.

On the appointment, Ezi Magbegor, Australian Opals forward, advises "It is a huge honour to be part of the Playmakers Program for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup here in Sydney, Australia later this year.

"Any way that I am able to help grow the game is special. So to have an event that will be played in front of a home crowd is really exciting.”

Heal is another basketball star on the rise. Already a five season veteran of the WNBL at just 20, her stellar 2020/21 campaign saw her in the league's top five for scoring as she led her team to the WNBL Grand Final. She was named to the All WNBL Second Team and earned the Betty Watson Youth Player of the Year award, before being selected with the 8th pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft and a reserve for the Opals Tokyo 2020 campaign. Having represented Australia for several years already at the Under 19 and Under 17 World Cups, including being named to the Tournament All Star 5, Heal’s resilience and determination has impressed the basketball community, and she has once again returned to the WNBL where her stellar form is continuing with the Sydney Uni Flames.

Heal, Australian Opals guard adds “It is an honour to team up with the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022. It's going to be such a special event, a festival for not just the very best basketball in the world, but a celebration of the very best in women's sport more broadly. I will be doing everything I can to raise awareness and excitement for the tournament, and as a player I will be doing my very best to hopefully be selected for the team. It would be a dream come true and a once in a lifetime experience to represent Australia at a World Cup on home soil.”

As part of the Playmakers Program, Magbegor and Heal, will work in stride with global event ambassador and Australian basketball legend, Lauren Jackson to promote FIBA’s flagship women’s event heading to Australia for the first time since 1994.  

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will be held from Thursday 22nd September to Saturday 1st October 2022 at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia. The international event is supported by the NSW Government through tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and the Office of Sport.

The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 is FIBA’s flagship women’s competition and one of the most prestigious competitions in international basketball. The world's best players from 12 of basketball’s powerhouse nations across Africa, Americas, Asia & Oceania and Europe will descend on Sydney Olympic Park for 38 games to be played across the 10 days.

Image: FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup Ezi Magbegor and Shyla Heal