Having come close to the Olympic Gold multiple times this century, Australia will be hoping to go all the way this time around. With the likes of Ezi Magbegor, Rebecca Allen, and Alanna Smith among others representing the Opals from the WNBA in Paris, they will be expected to go deep in the tournament. Moreover, Australian legend Lauren Jackson will be competing in her 5th Olympics. Nonetheless, star center Cayla George will have the major responsibility of winning games for the Opals.

In her career so far, Cayla George has played for various teams and has led them to multiple championship victories. Her offensive and defensive rebounding and scoring prowess tops it all, given her towering body frame. This season, she is gearing up to make her presence felt for the third time at the Olympics. Listed at 6’4 and weighing 192 lbs, let’s learn a bit more about her on-court charisma.

Cayla George’s life along with her on-court stats and achievements

Born in Mount Barker, Australia, Cayla George has been associated with the game from a very young age via a detour. She originally began playing netball, but she eventually switched to basketball because it is a contact sport. She started playing basketball for the Australian Institute of Sport team in 2005-06 up until the end of the 2007-08 season.

Her basketball career began when she competed in the U16 National Junior Championships and represented South Australia. She won a silver medal at the 2005 U18 South Australia Metro. In 2006, she competed in the U18 National Junior Championships for South Australia and was voted Player of the Year at the u21 level.

Two years later, in 2008, she signed with the WNBL team, the Adelaide Lightning, and averaged 16 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Besides, she earned the R.E. Staunton Award for Female MVP honors in the U20 National Championships.

At that time, the 18-year-old George went to play for the Eastern Mavericks of the Central Australian Basketball League. In her first year, she averaged 22.4 points and 18.9 rebounds per game and led the team to their first championship. Hence, she was named the league’s Player of the Year that season. After that, George played for two different teams in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).

In 2009, she joined the Ballarat Lady Miners of the SEABL, followed by the Sandringham Sabres in 2010. However, it was in 2011 that she caught the attention of national selectors by winning the Player of the Round honor twice when she played for the Cairns Dolphins in the Queensland Basketball League.

Meanwhile, she was setting the floor on fire with the Adelaide Lightning. She registered a 24-point game against her former team, the Australian Institute of Sport, and made 75% of field goals. As a result, the lightning took over their opponents in a 100-77 win.

In 2010, she returned to the Logan Thunder. However, her first year back wasn’t great as she struggled to adjust. George returned in full form the following season (2011), orchestrating a comeback victory over the West Coast Waves. In 2012, she went overseas to play for LFB’s French Women’s Basketball club called the Pays d’Aix Basket 13. The next year, she represented another basketball club in France called Nantes Reze Basket. However, in 2014, she returned to WNBL with the Townsville Fire and stayed with the team till 2016.

In between those two years, Cayla George came around playing in the WNBA and won a championship as well. So, let’s dig into it.

George’s career in the WNBA

In 2015, Cayla George signed with the Phoenix Mercury. In her rookie season, she registered 5 10+ point games and recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Moreover, she extended her range of expertise and dropped a career-high 3 assists in two games along with a career-high 3 blocks in another two.

In 2017, George came back. However, this time it was the Mercury that reached out to acquire her. Coming off the bench, she set a WNBA record by grabbing 14 defensive rebounds, the most ever by a Mercury player. This ability led her to the 9th rank in the WNBA’s defensive rebounding percentage. Moreover, she recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in a game against Chicago.

After being traded to the Connecticut Sun in February 2018, she was released in May 2018. George then signed with the Dallas Wings, where she finished the season with a season-high 12 points against Los Angeles and 6 rebounds against Connecticut.

In 2023, she signed with the Las Vegas Aces as a free agent. As it turns out, this was her best season as the team won the championship title for the second consecutive time. She delivered her best performance of the season as her chance came by with a Kiah Stokes injury and she was added to the starting five dropping 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in just 30 minutes in the Finals Game 4 against the New York Liberty. Now, marching into her third Olympic affair in Paris, the seasoned Australian baller will hope for a Gold.

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