BENGALURU (India) – For almost two decades, Maki Takada has been one of the most recognizable figures in Japanese women's basketball.
Now, at 37, the Denso Iris center arrives at the FIBA Women's Basketball League Asia 2026 with a new achievement to add to an already remarkable résumé - and a new challenge ahead.
Takada has spent her entire professional career with Denso, joining the club in 2008. During that time, she has seen the team establish itself among the leading programs in Japan, come agonizingly close to the W League title and repeatedly produce players for the national team.
But the one prize that had eluded both Takada and Denso is the W League championship.
That finally changed in April. Denso defeated Toyota Antelopes, 70-51, in Game 4 of the 2025-26 W League Finals to win the series, 3-1, and claim the first league title in the club's history. Denso had previously finished runners-up four times.
And Takada wasn't simply along for the ride. She averaged 20.75 points over the four games of the Finals and was named Playoff Most Valuable Player, providing the kind of big-game production that has characterized her career.
It was a fitting reward for a player who has been at the heart of Denso's rise for so long.
Now comes something entirely new. As the reigning W League champions, Denso will make their WBL Asia debut in Bengaluru. For Takada, the setting may be different, but her role will be familiar.
At 1.85 M (6'0"), she provides size and experience at the center position, while her ability to stretch the floor makes her difficult to defend.
That combination was on display at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025, where she averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. She saved one of her best performances for the Final against Australia, scoring 14 points on a 5-of-7 clip from the field.
And there is considerably more to Takada's game than the numbers.
She has represented Japan at three Olympic Games, winning silver at Tokyo 2020, and has been a fixture of the national team since making her senior debut in 2009. She was also a key part of Japan's remarkable 'five-peat' at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup, which began in 2013 in Bangkok and continued through 2021 in Amman.
Two of those triumphs — in 2017 and 2019 — happened at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, the very venue where Takada and Denso will begin their WBL Asia 2026 campaign.
Her international career has also stretched across three different decades. The 2025 Women's Asia Cup, was her seventh appearance at the tournament, a reflection of the extraordinary longevity she has brought to the Japanese game.
That experience could prove particularly valuable for Denso in Bengaluru.
The team will be stepping into unfamiliar territory, but Takada has spent years playing in high-pressure international environments. She knows what it takes to adjust, to find solutions against different opponents and, perhaps most importantly, to remain composed when games are decided in their final moments.
There is also a pleasing symmetry to this next chapter.Takada spent years chasing the W League championship with Denso. She finally got it in her 18th season with the club. Now, having reached the top at home, she can help Denso discover how far it can go beyond Japan.
The trophy that eluded Takada for so long is finally in the cabinet.
The next target is an Asian one.
FIBA