Bourne for this: Inside the evolution of Issie Bourne

Issie Bourne is officially Berlin bound as the "bolter" of the Opals' World Cup team. But should her selection really be a surprise?

Photo credit: FIBA

It might not quite be ESPN’s Brian Windhorst covering a high schooler named LeBron James in Cleveland back in 2003, but The Pick and Roll has proudly been there since day one of Issie Bourne’s professional career.

We hosted her first professional interview in 2023, ahead of her debut with the Adelaide Lightning. Unlike her days at Nebraska, there was no press pack inside a bustling and brightly lit media room. Instead, it was inside an echoing tunnel, deep in the bowels of Adelaide 36ers Arena.

That piece first revealed the WNBL’s best kept secret. Once the secret was out, we then deep dived into how she completed one of the best rookie seasons in recent history. As her star kept rising, we were there when she first became an Opal.

So really, Bourne’s selection into Australia’s upcoming World Cup team really wasn’t all that surprising - at least not to us. The signs have been obvious all along. Less obvious? Exactly how Bourne has elevated herself into one of the nation’s best bigs. Here’s how she’s gone from a rising rookie to the real deal.