CHENGDU (China) - We're so close to the tipoff of the Women's Basketball League Asia (WBL Asia) and there's excitement buzzing in the air for the games ahead.
There's plenty of reasons why the fans are looking forward to this competition. We've listed out 6 here to get everyone caught up.
1 - Trendsetter
Nothing beats being the first-ever to accomplish something and that's what everyone will have done here at the historic inaugural Women's Basketball League Asia. This is the first time ever that the best women's basketball clubs in Asia will face each other in a FIBA club competition setting.
From the first WBL Asia game to whoever will score the first ever WBL Asia points all until the team that will win the first-ever WBL Asia trophy, a lot of history will be made in Chengdu and that is certainly something to be excited about.
2 - Chengdu, Center of Attention
Fans should also be excited that the first WBL Asia will also be played in a city as vibrant as Chengdu. The capital of the Sichuan province has been growing as a sports destination and to be able to pit some of the best in women's basketball against each other will only add to that profile.
3 - Only for the Elite
The playing field will feature four teams in this inaugural edition of the competition, but rest assured that these teams are among the best. Whether it's multiple-champion level clubs or elite historical clubs in the region, the prestige of the teams is at a high level.
From China's Sichuan Yuanda Meile to Chinese Taipei's Cathay Life Tigers to Japan's Fujitsu Red Wave to Indonesia's Surabaya Fever, this is going to be a competition to remember.
Check out all of the teams' profiles here:
4 - Stars Aligned
Of course, the clubs that have made their way to Chengdu have done so riding the strength of their players - and the list of names to be featured here is a star-studded one.
The Red Wave will be featuring a few Tokyo Olympic silver medalists, though the spotlight will be fixed on their star guard Rui Machida who is one of the few human beings in the world to be able to say that they own an Olympic Games record.
You also have players who played in the Final of the Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney lined up for Sichuan Yuanda, highlighted by none other than the Women's Asia Cup 2023 MVP Xu Han.
That's only scratching the surface of the stars that will be aligned in Chengdu as there will also be Meng Li and Saki Hayashi, among others.
5 - Budding Rivalry
This might be the first WBL Asia, but there's a good chance that we'll already have a budding rivalry ignited from the games in Chengdu. In particular, we're looking at the marquee matchup between Sichuan Yuada Melie and Fujitsu Red Wave. As mentioned above, both teams are champions from two of the best women's basketball national teams in the world and they feature some of the best players in the world as well - guaranteed either by silverware or records held.
Put these pieces of the puzzle together and you are bound to have a highly competitive game between the two teams on September 28 in what could be the game that determines the first ever champions of WBL Asia.
6 - Building up
You know what's also exciting? This is yet another FIBA women's basketball competition hosted in China, not long after the U18 Women's Asia Cup this past June in Shenzhen. More importantly, women's basketball will be returning to China next year in Shenzhen for the prestigious FIBA Women's Asia Cup - the flagship women's basketball competition in the region.
Consider this an epic build up.
FIBA