Chanelle Molina is geared up to fight against all odds as she aims to become the first Filipino player to be drafted at the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The WNBA features a roster of the best women basketball players globally, and predictably, it takes rigorous effort to go through the competitive process and become a part of a roster.
Chanelle Molina's basketball journey has not been easy from the beginning. In high school, Molina hit one of her first roadblocks as she missed a tying layup championship game. In college, she played for the Washington State University as the first-ever five-star recruit by ESPN and finished off as the 11th best guard in the 2016 class. Molina grappled with finding balance in managing her time as a student-athlete, meeting everyone's expectations, all while committing to other responsibilities.
Later, she recouped and had her breakthrough at the Washington State Cougars (WSU) — making history as she scored 33 points in a victory against the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), one of the biggest wins for WSU where she became a two-time Pac-12 Team honorable mention, and the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Freshmen of the Week in January 2017. A week after the victories, Molina tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), went for a seven-month rehabilitation process, and missed the remaining games of the season.
Molina’s peaks and troughs continue.
In 2020, she was held off of her dream to join the WNBA as she failed to be drafted. Nevertheless, she continued to play for the Norrkoping Dolphins in Sweden, and a year after the heartbreak, Molina’s talent remained aglow. Her dedication and hard work, and eagerness to improve her skills and play at a higher level paid off as she was offered a contract with the Indiana Fever training camp in February 2021 and became a part of the 20-woman lineup, competing for the team's roster spot this season. Unfortunately, after a couple of months of extensive training at the Indiana Fever, the training camp waived Molina. It was later revealed that she suffered an ankle injury — preventing her from continuing training for the season.
Molina’s power to bounce back from any adversity will soon radiate again. To be drafted at the WNBA has always been her goal, and in an Instagram post, she expressed that she “accepted and fell in love with the process” to get to that level. Another hurdle seems to be just another challenge she’s equipped to take on.
MORE ABOUT CHANELLE MOLINA
Chanelle Molina is a 22-year old full-blooded Filipino born and raised in Hawaii. She is the eldest of three siblings. She took her first shot at basketball at eight years old and officially joined a local club team at 10. Since then, her love for the sport and dream to represent the Philippines globally seemed indisputable.
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