After spending much of her professional career in “cutthroat” EuroCup, Lexi Pana embraced the change of scenery and found love once again through Philippine basketball by way of the WMPBL.
Lexi Pana welcomed a refreshing experience with Philippine basketball following years of playing professionally in Europe, coming home to her mother’s homeland after being born and raised in Hawaii.
Pana joined eventual Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) champions Pilipinas Aguilas earlier this year, fulfilling a long-time wish of her Filipino grandparents.
[READ: Hoops lead you home: How basketball helped Lexi Pana find her way to the Philippines]
But as she takes in everything after their title run in the inaugural WMPBL Invitiational tournament, Pana believes that her experience in Philippine basketball is unlike any other, from the way that the game is played to the people she shared it with.
“This is probably the closest team I've been on, not just like with a couple of girls, but with all of them and also we have a good coaching staff they made everything very comfortable here and like they made me really feel welcomed and appreciative,” Pana told One Sports Profiles.
“Sometimes like in Europe, it's a very cutthroat world. It's very business [like], so if I [do] one wrong thing they're on you and like everything's your fault. So here like, it took a lot of that pressure off of me and they really helped me find the love for the game.”
As evidenced by their off-court shenanigans, Pana has found a welcoming community not just within the Pilipinas Aguilas, but also in the Philippine women’s basketball community itself.
On the court, Pana had to undergo a lot of changes as well, especially as she had to move away from playing as a guard against the smaller Filipinos in the WMPBL.
Expected to continue playing in Europe, the 26-year-old believes that she’s now a better player.
“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 talked to me a lot and were like, Lexi calm down just shoot the ball play your game nothing's different,” said Pana.
“Yes, the guards are faster but it's still basketball. So they helped me a lot in that sense and I like my game grew a lot being here that's for sure,” she added.
While her future in club basketball in the Philippines remains up in the air, as the WMPBL is set to conflict with her season in Europe, Pana is hopeful to see more growth for Philippine basketball — especially since the community has so much to give.
“What I like [about women’s basketball in the Philippines] is that, you know, female sports are not really popular in any country so here, I feel like it's a bit more appreciated,” she said.
“It still has a long way, it's the first year and all that stuff but I feel like even in the college aspect of it like it's much more appreciated here,” she continued.
Since winning the WMPBL title, Pana has been playing in Gilas Pilipinas under the 3x3 program. They have been competing in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series.
Currently, she will be seeing action in Seoul, South Korea, for the 2025 Hanabank WKBL 3x3 triple jam.