John Cain Arena blockbuster 'great for women's basketball'

Saturday's WNBL season opener at John Cain Arena will long live in the memories of basketball fans all around the country.

And although she's played in countless big games around the world, Southside Melbourne Flyers co-captain Cayla George, whose side lost 80-71 on the day, thought the moment was great for women's basketball.

"[The whole event] was so exciting, with so much buzz around it in the lead-up," George said on Sunday's Wide World of Sports program.

"I'm still kind of annoyed that we lost last night, but look, there were so many great takeaways.

"It was an amazing turnout by the fans and overall, just great for women's basketball."

The Round 1 fixture was also a historical one for three-time Olympian George, who joined the Flyers from Sydney in the off-season, as she moved into third all-time on the WNBL scorers list with 5,205 points, overtaking Shelley Gorman (5,204).

The WNBA champion, who is also the WNBL's all-time rebound leader, now only sits behind Suzy Batkovic (5,843) and Rachael Sporn (5,823).

The Flyers next head to Sydney to play George's former team, the Flames. The Indigenous Round fixture tips off at 7pm AEDT on Friday, live on ESPN and 9Now.