# 2021–22 WNBL season

The 2021–22 WNBL season was the 42nd season of the competition since its establishment in 1981. The Southside Flyers were the defending champions, however they failed to qualify for finals. The Melbourne Boomers won their second championship, defeating Perth in the Grand Final series, 2–1.
After the 2020 season was condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was confirmed in July 2021 that the upcoming season is set to be closer to the traditional season fixture played over several months across the summer. In October 2021, a new broadcast deal was signed with the ABC, Fox Sports and Kayo, with an 84-game season fixture announced shortly after.
Spalding will again provide equipment including the official game ball, alongside iAthletic supplying team apparel for the fifth consecutive season.

## Standings

| # | WNBL Championship ladder | WNBL Championship ladder | WNBL Championship ladder | WNBL Championship ladder | WNBL Championship ladder |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GP |
| 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 12 | 5 | 70.5 | 17 |
| 2 | Perth Lynx | 11 | 5 | 68.7 | 16 |
| 3 | Canberra Capitals | 11 | 6 | 64.7 | 17 |
| 4 | Adelaide Lightning | 10 | 7 | 58.8 | 17 |
| 5 | Bendigo Spirit | 7 | 9 | 43.7 | 16 |
| 6 | Townsville Fire | 7 | 10 | 41.1 | 17 |
| 7 | Southside Flyers | 5 | 12 | 29.4 | 17 |
| 8 | Sydney Uni Flames | 4 | 13 | 23.5 | 17 |

## Finals

| Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Adelaide Lightning | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Adelaide Lightning | 0 | 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Perth Lynx | 1 |
| 3 | Canberra Capitals | 0 | 2 | Perth Lynx | 1 |
| 2 | Perth Lynx | 1 | | | |

## Statistics
### Individual statistic leaders

| Category | Player | Statistic |
| Points per game | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 19.8 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 15.7 RPG |
| Assists per game | Stephanie Talbot (ADL) | 6.4 APG |
| Steals per game | Kalani Purcell (SYD) | 2.8 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Ezi Magbegor (MEL) | 1.6 BPG |

### Individual game highs

| Category | Player | Statistic |
| Points | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 38 |
| Rebounds | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 24 |
| Assists | Stephanie Talbot (ADL) | 12 |
| Steals | Kalani Purcell (SYD) | 7 |
| Blocks | Abby Bishop (STH) Ezi Magbegor (MEL) | 4 |

## Awards
### Player of the Week

| Round # | Player |
| Round 1 | Brittney Sykes (CBR) |
| Round 2 | Lauren Nicholson (TSV) |
| Round 3 | Ezi Magbegor (MEL) |
| Round 4 | Anneli Maley (BEN) |
| Round 5 | Alanna Smith (ADL) |
| Round 6 | |
| Round 7 | Marina Mabrey (PER) |
| Round 8 | Lauren Nicholson (TSV) (2) |
| Round 9 | Mikaela Ruef (CBR) |
| Round 10 | Anneli Maley (BEN) (2) |
| Round 11 | Alanna Smith (ADL) (2) |
| Round 12 | Anneli Maley (BEN) (3) |
| Round 13 | Keely Froling (SYD) |
| Round 14 | Jackie Young (PER) |
| Round 15 | Cayla George (MEL) |

### Postseason Awards

| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
| Most Valuable Player | Anneli Maley | Forward | Bendigo Spirit |
| Grand Final MVP | Lindsay Allen | Guard | Melbourne Boomers |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Brittney Sykes | Guard | Canberra Capitals |
| Sixth Woman of the Year | Kristy Wallace | Guard | Southside Flyers |
| Youth Player of the Year | Ezi Magbegor | Forward | Melbourne Boomers |
| Coach of the Year | Ryan Petrik | Coach | Perth Lynx |
| Leading Scorer Award | Anneli Maley | Forward | Bendigo Spirit |
| Leading Rebounder Award | Anneli Maley | Forward | Bendigo Spirit |
| Golden Hands Award | Brittney Sykes | Guard | Canberra Capitals |
| All-WNBL First Team | Jackie Young | Guard | Perth Lynx |
| All-WNBL First Team | Brittney Sykes | Guard | Canberra Capitals |
| All-WNBL First Team | Stephanie Talbot | Guard | Adelaide Lightning |
| All-WNBL First Team | Anneli Maley | Forward | Bendigo Spirit |
| All-WNBL First Team | Ezi Magbegor | Forward/Center | Melbourne Boomers |
| All-WNBL Second Team | Lindsay Allen | Guard | Melbourne Boomers |
| All-WNBL Second Team | Marina Mabrey | Guard | Perth Lynx |
| All-WNBL Second Team | Kelsey Griffin | Forward | Canberra Capitals |
| All-WNBL Second Team | Alanna Smith | Forward | Adelaide Lightning |
| All-WNBL Second Team | Cayla George | Forward/Center | Melbourne Boomers |

## Team captains and coaches

| Team | Captain | Coach |
| Adelaide Lightning | Stephanie Talbot | Chris Lucas |
| Bendigo Spirit | Madeleine Garrick / Tessa Lavey (co) | Tracy York |
| Canberra Capitals | Kelsey Griffin | Paul Goriss |
| Melbourne Boomers | Cayla George | Guy Molloy |
| Perth Lynx | Darcee Garbin | Ryan Petrik |
| Southside Flyers | Jenna O'Hea | Cheryl Chambers |
| Sydney Uni Flames | Keely Froling / Lauren Mansfield (co) | Shane Heal |
| Townsville Fire | Mia Murray / Lauren Nicholson (co) | Shannon Seebohm |