The WNBL Breakout Player of the Year is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) award given since the 1988 WNBL season. The award is named the Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year Award.Australian Basketball Hall of Fame. Betty Watson OAM. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
Between 1988 and 1994, the award was known as the WNBL Youth Player of the Year. It was then known as the WNBL Rookie of the Year between 1995 and 2019. The award returned to Youth Player of the Year for the 2019–20 season, with new criteria seeing Australian players 23 years old or under eligible. In 2022–23, the award was again redefined, to acknowledge any breakout player with an improved overall performance each season.
Winners Denotes player inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame Denotes player who is still active Player (X)Denotes the number of times the player had won at that timeTeam (X)Denotes the number of times a player from this team had won at that time Season Player Position Nationality Team 1988 Lucille Hamilton Australian Institute of Sport 1989 Renae Fegent Australian Institute of Sport (2) 1990 Trisha Fallon Australian Institute of Sport (3) 1991 Michelle Brogan Noarlunga Tigers 1992 Allison Cook Melbourne Tigers 1993 Allison Cook (2) Melbourne Tigers (2) 1994 Maryanne Difrancesco Melbourne Tigers (3) 1995 Chika Emeagi Australian Institute of Sport (4) 1996 Jessica Bibby Guard Dandenong Rangers 1997 Lauren Jackson Forward/center Australian Institute of Sport (5) 1998 Andrea Cartledge Melbourne Tigers (4) 1998–99 Caitlin Ryan Guard Dandenong Rangers (2) 1999–00 Shelley Hammonds Center Australian Institute of Sport (6) 2000–01 Laura Summerton Forward Australian Institute of Sport (7) 2001–02 Alison Downie Forward Dandenong Rangers (3) Kamala Lamshed Adelaide Lightning 2002–03 Kelly Wilson Guard Australian Institute of Sport (8) 2003–04 Kathleen MacLeod Guard Australian Institute of Sport (9) 2004–05 Renae Camino Guard Australian Institute of Sport (10) 2005–06 Abby Bishop Forward/center Australian Institute of Sport (11) 2006–07 Cayla Francis Forward/center Australian Institute of Sport (12) 2007–08 Nicole Hunt Guard Australian Institute of Sport (13) 2008–09 Sarah Graham Guard Logan Thunder 2009–10 Tayla Roberts Forward/center Australian Institute of Sport (14) 2010–11 Gretel Tippett Forward/center Logan Thunder (2) 2011–12 Carley Mijović Forward Australian Institute of Sport (15) 2012–13 Stephanie Talbot Guard Adelaide Lightning (2) 2013–14 Alex Wilson Guard Townsville Fire 2014–15 Lauren Scherf Forward Dandenong Rangers (4) 2015–16 Alex Ciabattoni Forward Adelaide Lightning (3) 2016–17 Monique Conti Guard Melbourne Boomers 2017–18 Ezi Magbegor Forward Canberra Capitals 2018–19 Jazmin Shelley Guard Melbourne Boomers (2) 2019–20 Ezi Magbegor (2) Forward Melbourne Boomers (3) 2020 Shyla Heal Guard Townsville Fire (2) 2021–22 Ezi Magbegor (3) Forward Melbourne Boomers (4) 2022–23 Isobel Borlase Guard Adelaide Lightning (4) 2023–24 Alex Sharp Guard Canberra Capitals (2) 2024–25 Abbey Ellis Guard Townsville Fire (3) 2025–26 Dallas Loughridge Guard Adelaide Lightning (5)
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