WKBL Asia Quarter Player Draft to be held next month, applying for a total of 18 Japanese players, including 5 experienced players
May 27, 2025
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Eighteen people applied, up six from last year's 12, and five experienced players who played in the WKBL last season were also included. Saki Iijima, who led the team's championship game as a member of BNK Sum last season, applied for the second consecutive year, while Mitsuki Hirano (former Samsung Life Insurance), Natsuki Sunagawa (former Woori Bank), Moe Shida (former KB Stars) and Yuzuki Ishida (former Hana Bank) will also participate for the second consecutive year.
In addition, Miyuki Kawamura, who played in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup as a member of the Japanese national team since the 2013-2014 season, and Rina Nakazawa, who finished fifth in the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U-23 World Cup, and Rui Mima, who has experience in the Japanese youth team, will also challenge the WKBL stage anew.
The oldest player is Ayano Onizuka (Shooting Guard), who was born in 1991 and is 34 years old, and the youngest applicant is Minoka Yoshida (Shooting Guard, Forward), who was born in 2006 and is 19 years old.
Prior to the draft, a lottery ceremony will be held at the WKBL headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, from 10 a.m. on the 28th. The drawing ceremony will be held through non-face-to-face video media 'Zoom', and the drawing method will be divided into groups 1 and 2 based on last season's performance, with Hana Bank, the sixth-ranked team in the regular league, and Shinhan Bank, the fifth-ranked team, selecting the first place with a 50% probability, respectively, while the remaining four teams, the second group, will select the third-sixth place.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
