Lexi Pana has seen basketball around the world, as her college and professional career took her through various stops in the US and Europe — from Washington, to Romania, to Luxembourg, to Germany, and to Lithuania.
But there was nothing that could beat the fulfillment that her latest destination would give — that is, coming home and tracing her roots back in the Philippines — decades after spending much of her time away from this hoops-crazy group of islands in the Pacific.
On the heels of winning the inaugural Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational, One Sports Profiles took a look back on Lexi’s journey through basketball and how a ball and a hoop eventually led her to the streets of Manila.
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Lexi was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii to a Filipino mom and a Hawaiian dad, and it was her father, Ben Pana, who first introduced her to the sport along with her older sister, Aliyah.
“My dad was a basketball player and he played all the way up until high school and he's won some championships and left a big legacy there. So that's kind of where my basketball background came from. But I have a sister who's two years older and she started playing basketball first,” Lexi told One Sports Profiles.
“She started around seven [years old] and for like the first year, I would go to her practices, you know, play on the side and also to her games and just like watch and eventually I just told my dad that I also wanted to play basketball.”
Moving from a curious spectator to starting her own basketball journey, Lexi was quick to fall in love as her father helped her and her siblings learn and grow in the game through various tournaments across the islands.
Even during their youth, Lexi said that their father was someone who challenged his kids — especially Lexi — because he saw their potential.
“[My dad] would put us in different tournaments around the islands and sometimes off islands... If they also had a boys tournament going on in the same camp, he would put us in both of the brackets. So we would play double the games,” Lexi recalled.
“If there were no boys teams there then he would also put us in my sister's age group so we would play double games no matter what… My little siblings, my two brothers, they played basketball too, so it's just like a big basketball family.”
Through time, basketball became bigger than just a family hobby, as Lexi showed tremendous promise which earned her an NCAA Division 1 stint with the Central Washington University.
Lexi played for for the Wildcats from 2016 to 2020.
Her collegiate career with CWU then earned her the pathway to the EuroCup, where she’s been a mainstay among different leagues across the region.
Most recently before heading to the Philippines, she played with Lithuanian side Kibirkstis-MRU.
But while basketball has allowed her to globe-trotter, Lexi had bigger and more meaningful things she wanted to chase.
Among her biggest supports was her late Filipino grandfather, and there was a lot of home from Lexi’s mother side for her to make it to the Philippines and play basketball here.
After years of expanding her horizons through the game of basketball, it was time to look inward and rediscover her roots.
“My grandpa, he would always joke around. [He said] ‘I will make you a league, I’ll be your coach, I’ll be your agent, all in one’, and he said I’m going to make sure no matter what you’re going back to the Philippines,” Lexi said.
“And when you’re younger, you don’t really appreciate or understand how important that is for your grandparents... When he passed away my senior year of college, [that was] when I started focusing more on what I want to do after college and that’s when I took it more seriously,” she added.
As fate would have it, Lexi would take five more years before finally coming home.
With Manny Pacquiao’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League finally expanding to have a women’s counterpart, the WMPBL became the perfect avenue for Lexi as the Philippines’ first-ever women’s professional league.
It took quite a bit, the wait was undoubtedly worth it for Lexi as she was able to expand her game further, now incorporating the Philippine brand of basketball to her arsenal.
Playing for the Pilipinas Aguilas, Lexi had to shift her position to a big, with her 5-foot-9 frame affording her more size advantage compared to the US and in Europe.
“At the beginning, I was kind of stressed because I didn’t really know how it would affect me as a player. But as the time went on and the coaches, you know, they talked to me a lot and like was like Lexi calm down just shoot the ball play your game nothing's different. Yes, the guards are faster but it's still basketball,” said Lexi.
“So they helped me a lot in that sense, and my game grew a lot being here that's for sure.”
Despite Lexi’s early struggles, she was able to conquer all.
At the end of the WMPBL’s initial Invitational tournament before transitioning to full pro status, Lexi finished as Finals MVP after leading the Aguilas past the UST Growling Tigresses in a three-game title series. She was also part of the Mythical Team.
More than the experience on the court, though, Lexi was able to find solace in the community of women’s basketball players in the country.
Understanding that Filipina basketball players are still on their upward rise, the 26-year-old was happy to be a part of the growing movement.
“This is probably the closest team I've been on, not just like with a couple of girls, but with all of them. Also, we have a good coaching staff they made everything very comfortable here and they made me really feel welcomed and appreciative,” Lexi said, speaking of the Aguilas.
“Sometimes like in Europe, it's a very cut-throat world. It's very business [like], so if [do] one wrong thing they're on you and like everything's your fault. So here, it took a lot of that pressure off of me and they really helped me find the love for the game,” she continued.
Looking ahead, Lexi is eager to find more ways to continue being in touch with her Filipino side — especially when it comes to basketball.
Though uncertain about her eligibility for the national team, Lexi expressed interest in sharing her experience with Gilas Pilipinas in whatever way she can.
Since winning the WMPBL, she has actually been able to compete in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series as part of the Philippine team.
With more opportunities set for Lexi, she’s looking forward to make her presence felt in Philippine women’s hoops even more.
“Growing up, like I said, that’s all my grandparents ever wanted. So I’d totally be open to it,” she said, speaking of possibly playing for the national team.
“I don't really know the rules about being naturalized and all that stuff so if I'm available to do it, I will do it for sure.”
