London Lions’ British guard Holly Winterburn has added to her burgeoning trophy cabinet with the Molten WBBL Player of the Month award for January, picking up her second Molten golden basketball in a matter of days. 

She ended the last month by also winning the MVP award as Lions successfully defended the WBBL Cup, beating her former team Leicester Riders as Winterburn hit 7-9 (77%) from the field on her way to 16 points, almost completing a double-double with nine assists and five rebounds in front of a sell-out crowd at Utilita Arena, Birmingham, and live on Sky Sports. 

As a starter and key part of London’s rotation policy with their stacked squad and heavy schedule, Winterburn has maximised her productivity during January in under 20 minutes per game, averaging 13 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in that time, shooting 56% from the field and 35% from three-point range. 

Overall for the season, she is fourth in the WBBL for assists (6.8 per game), fifth in steals (2.8) and tenth in field goal percentage (47.4%) – the latter two are currently on pace for career-highs in her seventh campaign in the country’s top flight. 

At just 22 years of age, the Great Britain international is already a serial winner with the WBBL Cup being an eighth title overall, following a clean sweep last season. It is also the second time she has been a finals MVP, adding to the 2022 WBBL Trophy award just under a year ago, while she is also a three-time Molten WBBL Young Player of the Year. 

Prior to picking up another piece of silverware in January, Lions won both of their WBBL Championship games and secured their progression in the WBBL Trophy. Of note, Winterburn had a near double-double of 19 points and nine assists in front of another big crowd, beating Newcastle Eagles at Vertu Motors Arena; and was close to the same again with 14 points, eight assists and five steals in victory over Essex Rebels. 

In February, Winterburn and the Lions look forward to a road trip to Cardiff Met Archers in the WBBL Trophy quarter-finals in defence of that competition, before hosting Caledonia Gladiators and Cardiff in the WBBL Championship.