Isobel Borlase

Australian basketball player (born 2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Isobel Borlase (born 12 September 2004) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is also contracted with the Bendigo Spirit of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She debuted for the Adelaide Lightning of the WNBL in 2022, and in 2023 won the WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year and WNBL Breakout Player of the Year. In 2024, she was named to the All-WNBL First Team and was drafted 20th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA draft. In 2026, she was named the WNBL Most Valuable Player.

PositionGuard
LeagueWNBA
Born (2004-09-12) 12 September 2004 (age 21)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Quick facts Atlanta Dream, Position ...
Isobel Borlase
Borlase in 2026
Atlanta Dream
PositionGuard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2004-09-12) 12 September 2004 (age 21)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Career information
High school
WNBA draft2024: 2nd round, 20th overall pick
Drafted byAtlanta Dream
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022BA Centre of Excellence
2022–2025Adelaide Lightning
2023–2024Forestville Eagles
2025Melbourne Tigers
2025–presentBendigo Spirit
2026–presentAtlanta Dream
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2024 ParisTeam
Asia Cup
Gold medal – first place2025 China
Under-19 World Cup
Silver medal – second place2021 HungaryNational team
Under-18 Asian Championship
Gold medal – first place2022 IndiaNational team
Close

Borlase helped the Australian Gems win silver at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup and gold at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship.

Early life and career

Borlase was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in the suburb of Sandringham.[1] She grew up in Adelaide, South Australia,[2] where she attended Loreto College[3] and Mercedes College.[4] She played junior basketball for the Forestville Eagles[5][6] and led South Australia Metro to victory at the 2021 Australian Under-18 Championships.[7] She also played netball[8] and did surf lifesaving.[9]

Borlase joined the BA Centre of Excellence in 2021,[10] where she played in four games in the Waratah League.[11] While in Canberra, she attended Lake Ginninderra College.[4]

Professional career

In January 2022, Borlase joined the Adelaide Lightning of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the rest of the 2021–22 season.[12] She appeared in one game.[13]

With the Centre of Excellence in the NBL1 during the 2022 season, Borlase averaged 13.57 points, 5.29 rebounds, 2.64 assists and 2.0 steals in 14 games.[14]

In September 2022, Borlase re-signed the Adelaide Lightning for the 2022–23 WNBL season.[2] In the season opener, she had 25 points and nine rebounds in a loss to the Southside Flyers.[15] She finished the season averaging 13.5 points per game.[16] She was subsequently named WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year and WNBL Breakout Player of the Year.[17][18]

Borlase joined the Forestville Eagles of the NBL1 Central for the 2023 season,[19] but appeared in only two games.[20] A back injury limited her during the 2023 off-season.[21]

In May 2023, Borlase re-signed the Adelaide Lightning for the 2023–24 WNBL season.[17] She entered WNBA draft pick discussions in her second full season, and with team captain Stephanie Talbot sidelined, she began shouldering more responsibility.[22] On 7 January 2024, she scored a career-high 31 points in an 84–68 loss to the Perth Lynx.[23] She was named to the All-WNBL First Team[24][25] after averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.[26]

Borlase (right) shooting a free throw with the Adelaide Lightning in January 2025

On 15 April 2024, Borlase was selected by the Atlanta Dream with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.[27] Choosing to remain in Adelaide for another 12 months,[28] Borlase joined the Forestville Eagles for the 2024 NBL1 Central season.[29] In six games for the Eagles, she averaged 15.33 points, 5.33 rebounds, 3.17 assists and 2.33 steals per game.[30]

Borlase returned to the Adelaide Lightning for the 2024–25 WNBL season.[31] She averaged 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.[32]

Borlase joined the Melbourne Tigers of the NBL1 South for the 2025 season.[33]

On 5 June 2025, Borlase signed with the Bendigo Spirit for the 2025–26 WNBL season.[34][35][36] On 21 January 2026, she scored a career-high 42 points in a 98–88 win over the Southside Melbourne Flyers,[37] becoming the first player to score 42 points in a WNBL game since Penny Taylor in 2002, and just the 11th player in league history to reach the mark.[38] She led the league in scoring with 22.9 points per game,[39][40] the highest average in five years,[41] alongside 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with a 90.7 free throw percentage and a 45.6 field goal accuracy.[42] She was subsequently named the WNBL Most Valuable Player,[42][43] becoming the youngest WNBL MVP winner since Liz Cambage (19 years old) in 2011[41] and the fifth to win the league's MVP as a 21-year-old or younger, joining Cambage, Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor and Allison Cook.[44] Borlase also earned All-WNBL First Team for the second time in three years.[45] In the semi-finals, the Spirit lost 2–0 to the Perth Lynx despite Borlase's 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in game one,[46] and 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in game two.[47]

On 12 April 2026, Borlase signed a rookie scale contract with the Atlanta Dream for the 2026 WNBA season.[48]

She is set to re-join the Spirit for the 2026–27 WNBL season.[49]

National team career

Borlase debuted for Australia at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Hungary with the Gems.[50] She helped the Gems win the silver medal.[51]

In 2022, Borlase helped the Gems win the gold medal at the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship in India.[51] She was named to the All-Star Five after averaging 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game.[52]

Borlase played for the Gems at the 2023 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Spain.[50]

In July 2024, Borlase was named in the Australian Opals' final squad for the Paris Olympics.[53] She helped the Opals win the bronze medal.[54]

In April 2025, Borlase was named in the Opals squad for a trans-Tasman series against New Zealand in May.[55] She was subsequently selected for the Opals' final squad for the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup in China.[56]

Personal life

Borlase is the daughter of Darryl Borlase and Jenny Borlase. Her father played Australian rules football for the Port Adelaide Football Club while her mother played for the Australian netball team.[22][57] Her older sister, Ella, has represented Australia in surfboat rowing[22] while her older brother, James, is also a footballer who made his AFL debut in 2023 with the Adelaide Crows.[58]

References

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