How motherhood fuels Cayla George's basketball ambitions

When Cayla George was asked if she’d hang up the sneaker after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, few could predict what came next. Instead of winding down, the Opals' legend went into overdrive, stacking up accolades that would make even the most decorated athletes envious. 

Since Tokyo, George has added a fourth WNBL Championship (Melbourne Boomers, 2022), a WNBA Championship (Las Vegas Aces, 2023), two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the 2022 Women’s World Cup, and was named the 2023 WNBL MVP.

To cap off the list, in July this year, George captained the Australian Opals to the team's first-ever gold medal in the 2025 Women’s Asia Cup - all while embracing the most important role yet: being a mum to her daughter, Pearl. 

“Since the bronze medal [in Paris], I definitely have an element of peace about my outlook of basketball. If I was to stop right now in this moment, I would be really thankful and at peace with my career,” George said on the Scoreboard podcast.

“In saying that, I’m still playing at a high level. I still want to do really big things, I’m not thinking about retirement. I know it's closer than what I was when I first started, but I'm certainly still right in the mix for whatever's coming up next WNBL season.”

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At 36, George remains one of Australia’s most dominant forces on the court, officially signing with the Southside Melbourne Flyers in early July ahead of WNBL26. 

The next phase of her career carries a deeper meaning, now being able to share the game she loves with Pearl. 

“Pearl's an incredible young girl who just takes everything in her stride and nothing really fazes her. She's been on planes, buses, over 300 trips on a flight team, buses, team environments and locker rooms. She has aunties all over the world,” George said. 

“Then I've got my daughter in the crowd watching me play for Australia… she’s in the crowd signing ‘love you, love you’, you can’t quite top that.”

George went on to explain where once her driving force was to make her father proud, George’s fire now burns for Pearl - to give her the life experiences only basketball can offer. 

“I realised the whole of my junior career, I was just trying to make dad proud. But now my motivation and what keeps me ticking would be Pearl,” she said.

“I love that she can be on the sidelines and watch me warm up… To show her what she's capable of and having her around amazing, strong, elite female sports people – hopefully inspiring her to work hard, whether it be in basketball or whatever it may be.”

Now, with her family moving back to Melbourne and reflecting on the whirlwind of success in recent years, George is confident her best basketball is still ahead. 

“I think I’m coming into my prime. The MVP award was my first season as a fresh mum with my newborn waking me up two or three times a week,” she said. 

“Women are so incredibly strong. You don't realise until you know you have to go through something like waking up and feeding your baby on game day eve sleep for three and a half hours and then drop a double-double the next day.”

The WNBL season starts on October 18th, with the Southside Melbourne Flyers hosting the UC Capitals. Make sure to follow WNBL on socials to find out what the biggest announcement with Round 1 will be. 

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