The Basics
Position: Guard
Current Team: Washington Mystics | #5
Draft: 2008 | Utah | 2nd round (25th overall)
Key Accolades: Most Improved Player (2010, 2019)
The Down Low
Honestly, I am a little unclear why Leilani is slumming it here in the WNBA, because she appears to have it all figured out in Australia. She is a three-time champion of Australia's Women's National Basketball League (2017, 2019, 2020), twice winning the Grand Final MVP (2017, 2020), and a three-time member of the All-Star Five (2014, 2016, 2017). I'm not well-versed in the WNBL, but that seems to be very very good. Off the court, she is married to fellow WNBL star and model Mikaela Dombkins with whom she has an adorable kid named Kash (I don't post other people's kids on this blog but at the Instagram link above you will find all the baby photos you need).
So we are very lucky to have Leilani with us in the WNBA. At 5'5 she is almost universally the smallest athlete on the court, but beware of her absolutely lethal shooting. And after winning Most Improved twice, she apparently only knows how to get better.
Highlight Reel
This thread by Matt Ellentuck does a great job of explaining how Leilani dominated the WNBL:
Know Your Meme
I've been told that some people on WNBA chat boards call Leilani "Fluffy Little Bunny" or FLB. I do not know why. Perhaps a nuanced reference to the complicated Australian history with rabbits and the infamous rabbit wall? I don't know, but I will continue to recommend not referring to her as a bunny to her face.
More About Leilani
- Why Leilani Mitchell Is the Washington Mystics’ Most Important Newcomer (Jenn Hatfield, HerHoopsStats)