As Geelong United prepares to don rainbow jerseys for their inaugural Pride Round, star player Daniel Raber is using her platform to question why the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) lacks a league-wide initiative to celebrate its LGBTQIA+ community. The Israeli import, who will proudly represent herself and fiancé Ziv on Wednesday night against Bendigo, believes it’s time for Australia’s premier women’s basketball competition to step up and promote inclusion like many other sports have.
“I’m surprised to know WNBL doesn’t have Pride Round, if all the other sporting leagues are doing one and Geelong, I would think the league would do one,” Raber told ESPN. “I think it’s something the athletes would want.”
A League With a Legacy of Inclusion
The WNBL, the longest running elite women’s sports league in Australia, has long featured athletes, past and present, as well as fans who openly identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Yet, unlike the AFL Women’s, Super Netball, cricket and other sports, it has yet to establish a formal Pride Round to celebrate diversity.
In the absence of a coordinated effort from the league, individual clubs have taken the lead over the past decade. The UC Capitals made history in 2015 as the first professional Australian sports team to wear pride colors on their jerseys for an entire season. More recently, the Adelaide Lightning incorporated the rainbow into their iconic logo, driven by former player Marena Whittle’s advocacy and partnership with the Queer Sporting Alliance.
Individual Clubs Leading the Charge
While these club-led initiatives are commendable, Raber believes a unified approach from the WNBL would send an even stronger message of acceptance and inclusion. “It’s super cool Geelong is doing it, it’s something very important and very nice for the community,” she said. “By sharing my story, even if it helps one person, a young girl struggling with herself to know she is not alone, it’s OK, everyone is welcoming you.”
“Sport is a really amazing place for gay people to feel welcome and feel that it’s OK to be out, and to be yourself.”
– Daniel Raber
Raber’s own journey as an openly gay athlete has been overwhelmingly positive, from her time in boarding school with Israel’s top young talent to the unconditional support of her family and teammates. She hopes that by using her voice, she can help create an environment where all LGBTQIA+ athletes feel embraced.
Love On and Off the Court
For Raber, basketball and love have been intertwined since she met Ziv on Tinder four years ago amidst the pandemic lockdowns in Israel. The couple’s connection was instant, even if Ziv had to learn to love the sport as much as her partner.
“I can tell you that my career took a step forward when I got into a relationship with Ziv. All of my family and friends said, ‘You’re playing so much better!'”
– Daniel Raber
Raber credits her happiness off the court with Ziv for fueling her success on it, joking that the only downside is her fiancé’s preference for the shorter 3×3 format over a full 40-minute game. The couple’s basketball love story has followed them from Israel to Australia, with plans to wed in September and celebrate with the Perth community they’ve built.
Basketball as a Vehicle for Acceptance
Through her own experience, Raber has found basketball to be a welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ women, even if men’s sports still have progress to make in terms of openly gay athletes. She believes the WNBL has an opportunity to build on its legacy of inclusion by establishing a Pride Round to celebrate the diversity of its players and fans.
“I don’t understand. Who cares what you are, who you love and where you’re from – as long as you’re a good person and you didn’t do anything to me, I will accept you whoever you are.”
– Daniel Raber
As Raber takes the court in her rainbow jersey on Wednesday, she’ll be representing not only Geelong United but the broader LGBTQIA+ community in basketball. Her call for a WNBL Pride Round is an invitation for the league to fully embrace the diversity and acceptance that has long been a part of its fabric, and to show that love, both on and off the court, is always worth celebrating.
