400 not out - Capitals veteran Kelly Wilson hits never before seen WNBL milestone

On Wednesday she'll take the court for her 400^th WNBL match, becoming the first player in the league's history to do so.

Almost 20 years on from making her debut, the 37-year-old will celebrate the milestone as one of the game's greatest players, but also as a proud mother to Teddy and wife of Michael who is still patiently waiting for the day Wilson decides to call it a day.

"He likes to remind me often of that little conversation that we had," Wilson laughs.

"I just have a passion for the game and I think the fact that my entire career I've had a pretty good work life balance.

"The other thing is there's no way I'd be playing now if I didn't enjoy what I was doing. If I didn't enjoy the people that I was surrounding myself with, I think that goes a long way to enjoying your basketball."

Wilson could've easily pressed the retirement button before giving birth to Teddy last February.

Two seasons ago she broke the WNBL games record held by Capitals legend Jess Bibby, who retired having played 394 times. She then missed a season to have Teddy, but in typical Wilson fashion her body quickly recovered and the basketball fire in her belly was still aflame.

"Kelly was more in shape two months post having a caesarean than I probably have ever been my entire life, I'm not surprised in the slightest that Kelly is doing what Kelly does," teammate Kelsey Griffin says.

"It's what she's done her whole career, she's played on a broken ankle, broken fingers, broken ribs, concussed. You look at what she's played through to put her team on her back because she knows how important she is."

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Wilson admits coming back wasn't as simple as Griffin suggests, but says once she decided one returning to the court, there was only going to be one outcome.

"When I reflect and look back and think this time last year I was watching the girls in the hub season, and I was in no way, shape or form to be running around playing on a basketball court," Wilson says.

"To where I am now I'm just super grateful to be able to get back in shape and be out there running around.

"One thing I have been able to do is adapt and that's why I'm still out here playing now. I mean hopefully that's what I've been able to do, otherwise I'm kidding myself.

"I am way too competitive for my own good. That's probably the first thing, is having this competitiveness that is sometimes good and sometimes bad."

That competitiveness was hardened early on in her debut 2002/03 season, when Wilson claimed the WNBL rookie of the year award while with the AIS.

She was quickly picked up by the Sydney Uni Flames and stints with Townsville and Bendigo followed before she first landed at the Capitals helping the side to the 2018/19 championship - Wilson's fourth having also enjoyed two titles with Bendigo, and another with Tonwnsville.

"It's insane, every game that Kelly plays - she's breaking her own record," Griffin says.

"That's like what Steph Curry does with his three pointers. He's cemented himself as the greatest shooter, we could arguably say the same about Kelly that she's become one of the best.

"She's been able to put herself in a position to be not only working for 19 years, but playing at an elite level and being such an important part for so many teams.

"There's been a lot of players who maybe have had more accolades, more individual recognition, made a lot more money but they haven't played 19 years, they haven't put in 400 games.

"The amount of kids that have seen her play [and been] inspired by her are probably actually now playing in the league with her.

"It's really hard to put into words what she means for Australian basketball. What she's done for this country in basketball, no one else has done which cements her as one of the greats in my mind."

For how long does Wilson plan to keep it up?

"I go day to day at the minute, tomorrow's the game and then I think about trying to get organised to go to Traralgon - my thoughts don't go beyond a week at a time."

WNBL ROUND 6

WEDNESDAY: UC Capitals v Sydney Flames, 6pm at NCCC