By Ewen McRae
Kobe King-Hawea carries the name of a basketball legend – and is hoping to forge her own path to stardom.
King-Hawea – named by her basketball-obsessed father after LA Lakers icon Kobe Bryant – is a step closer to realising her hoops dreams after competing for the Australian Gems in the under-18 Asian Women’s Championship in India recently.
King-Hawea, who played for Altona Gators in 2018, said representing her country was something she was very proud of.
“It was my first international competition and just a really good experience for me,” she said. “I was so honoured and grateful to pull on that Australian top.
“To wear the green and gold and get out there to represent my country and my family was an amazing experience.”
The Gems finished third in the tournament, losing to Japan in the semi-finals but comfortably accounting for South Korea in the play-off for bronze. In the process, they booked their place in the under 19 World Cup next year in Thailand.
King-Hawea might have been in her first national side, but she was one of the older players in the squad. She said her role off the bench was to provide leadership and stability.
“As one of the older girls, I had to be a bit of a team leader,” she said.
“I knew going in that as a new girl to the team, I wasn’t going to get big minutes, so I just had to make the most of my time out there – not just on the court, but on the bench. I had to get around the girls and make sure everyone was good and upbeat.
“It’s a different style of basketball in Asia that I hadn’t been exposed to before – just so quick and fast and dynamic … it was good fun to play against.”
It is little surprise that King-Hawea has found her feet on the basketball court, after growing up surrounded by the sport, watching old Lakers tapes and playing in the backyard with her family.
From family games to the possibility of playing in the US college system and the WNBA, King-Hawea could soon see her name up in lights like her namesake.
“My dad’s a bit of a basketball freak and Kobe Bryant was my idol growing up,“ King-Hawea said.
“He’s one of the best of the best, so it’s pretty cool to be named after the one and only Kobe. Basketball was always big in the family growing up – we were just surrounded by it, so getting the chance to play it at this level now is a dream.
“At some point I’d love to get over to the states to play college ball – that’s the big goal at the moment. I’m waiting to hear back from some colleges and coaches over there now so we’ll see where that takes me.”
