Tupaea signs with Panthers for NBL1 East

By Noel Rowsell

In the latest breaking news regarding the Penrith Panthers entry to the nBL1 East Basketball competition in 2023, former Penrith junior representative and Women’s national Basketball League (WnBL) veteran Tahlia Tupaea has signed up for the 2023 nBL1 season.

Tahlia made her WnBL debut at just 15 years and 133 days, the second-youngest debutante in WnBL history. She played eight seasons for the Sydney Uni Flames (2012-2020, then played for the Canberra Capitals during the 2020 WnBL hub season in Queensland, the 2021-22 WnBL season and then re-signed with the Capitals in 2022, before being granted personal leave for the remainder of the WnBL season.

In April 2017, Tahlia was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx, with the 36th and final pick of the 2017 WNBA draft.

Tahlia was most recently voted the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa (nZ Women’s semi-professional League), where she averaged 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Tahlia is one of the WnBL’s sharpshooters, averaging 44% from beyond the arc throughout the 21/22 WnBL season.

“There’s no point guard like her in Australia, with her size, her strength, her skill-set, her shot and how she reads and sees the game, so I’d like to see her take a bit more of a leadership role on and off the court this year,” said her WnBL head coach Kristen Veal.

“I think it’s her time to step into a little bit more responsibility, a little bit more leadership and I think she’s ready for that and she wants it, which is the sign of an elite mindset and a talented basketball player.”

Tupaea represented Australia at the 2013 FIBA Oceania U16 Championships, the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships, the 2014 FIBA Oceania U18 Championships, the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships and the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships.

Tahlia also played in other Australian leagues below the WnBL, including for the Panthers (WBL) in 2013 and 2015, the Centre of Excellence in 2016 (SEABL), then the Sydney Uni Sparks (SEABL) in 2017 and 2018, before joining the USC Rip City in the QBL in 2019.

In 2021, Tahlia returned to the Waratah League to play for the Bankstown Bruins, winning league MVP.

In 2022, Tahlia joined the Northern Kāhu for the inaugural season of new Zealand’s Tauhi Basketball Aotearoa, where she also won the League MVP.