SHENZHEN (China) - Expect Chloe Bibby to assume a more prominent role for an Australia side hoping to finally bring home their maiden championship in the highly anticipated FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025.
The 27-year-old is one of the few holdovers from the Opals squad that copped bronze in the 2023 edition in Sydney, as the program's brain trust opted to go with a more different yet still competitive unit this time.
Back then, the sweet-shooting forward only played spot minutes as she allowed herself to become a sponge and absorb as much experience as she could while competing alongside her more seasoned teammates.
But come the July 13-20 showpiece in this sprawling Chinese city, she'd definitely be one of those seen to be leaned on by the Aussies as they vie for the hardware that's yet to be included to their rich collection.
And there should be no question whatsoever how ready she is for that.
Since the 2023 Women's Asia Cup, Bibby has been carving tremendous success as a professional. She was superlative over the last two years in Europe, as she won not one but two Most Valuable Player awards.
She got the first in her lone go-around in Basket Liga Kobiet in Poland after leading AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski to the no. 2 seed during the 2023-24 regular season behind norms of 20.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.
The Victoria-native went on to win her next in Spain, emerging as the 2024-25 MVP of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. She played a crucial role in helping lead Spar Girona go as far as the Semi-Finals.
There, she posted 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game as the ball club ultimately finished at third place, enabling them to secure qualification to the next FIBA EuroLeague Women season.
Bibby also made a mark in the FIBA club competition circuit with those teams, although her run with the Polish side during the 2023-24 FIBA EuroCup Women proved to be her most outstanding, no doubt.
She came through with 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 steals as the AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski delivered a commendable showing in the tournament, making it to the Round of 16 big thanks to her.
So impressive were those tours of hers that the WNBA noticed. The upstart Golden State Valkyries came knocking on her door, as the new organization aims to build the best possible squad it could in their maiden season.
Bibby was part of their training camp roster although she didn't make the final cut. But last June 15, she got the call she's been waiting for as the Valkyries signed her up, thus making her entry to the W official.
As of this posting, the University of Maryland alum has played in three games and she's making the most out of the opportunity, as evidenced by her 8.7 points on 42.9-percent shooting from deep in 15.7 minutes of play.
That included a solid debut last June 19, where she delivered 12 points - half of which she made from three-point distance - and netted a plus-minus rating of +25 in their 88-77 victory over the Indiana Fever.
It's becoming a journey to remember for Bibby and soon, she'd be donning the green and gold again, with fans and pundits alike intrigued to see if the 2025 Women's Asia Cup could be her breakout campaign with the Opals.
If we take into account her past two years, all signs indicate much optimism that it could be.
FIBA