Belinda Snell
A triple Olympian, Belinda Snell was one of the Australia’s biggest and most successful stars. A model of consistency, the small forward from country Victoria achieved all that was on offer in a career that spanned over two decades and stretched across the globe.
Part of the iconic AIS team of teenagers that won the 1998-99 WNBL championship, Snell would go on to play a total of 15 seasons in the league and claim another two titles with Sydney including captaining the Flames to the 2016-17 title.
Upon retirement, she finished in the league’s top ten all-time lists for scoring (4770 points) and assists (1109). Snell remains the record holder for most points in a WNBL game for her 54-point masterclass against Perth in 2005. Her 12 triples in that game still stands today as a league record.
Snell’s success was also profound overseas where she won a WNBA championship, alongside fellow Australian Basketball Hall of Fame member Penny Taylor, with Phoenix Mercury in 2007.
She played extensively throughout Europe in Italy, France, Russia, Spain and Poland winning five championships including a 2011 Euro League title with Spanish outfit Salamanca.
With a medal to show from each Olympic campaign (silver in Athens and Beijing and bronze in London), Snell produced an iconic Australian basketball moment with her famous half-court buzzer beater against France in 2012.
She claimed gold medals on three occasions with the Opals – the historic 2006 FIBA World Cup and home Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2018.
In recent years, Snell has taken her talents to the coaching ranks as an assistant (Southside Flyers, WNBL) and head coach (Frankston, NBL1).
