Profiling high performers in elite women’s basketball: Functional roles and normative benchmarks from 10 seasons of Spanish First Division data Courel Ibáñez, Javier Piñar López, María Isabel Contreras García, José Miguel Ibáñez, Sergio José Deportes de equipo Identificación de talentos Baloncesto femenino Team sports Talent identification Female basketball Esta investigación ha sido parcialmente financiada por la Unidad de Excelencia en Investigación de la Universidad de Granada, Campus de Melilla, UECUMel (UCE-PP2024-02) y la Beca de Apoyo a Grupos de Investigación (GR24133), cofinanciada al 85% por la Unión Europea a través del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), y por la Junta de Extremadura (Consejería de Educación, Ciencia y Formación Profesional), siendo el Ministerio de Hacienda de España como Autoridad de Gestión. Despite significant advances in basketball analytics, professional women’s leagues remain underrepresented in performance research. Understanding normative performance benchmarks in professional women’s basketball is essential for informed player development, scouting, and tactical planning; however, this area remains underexplored. This study analysed ten seasons (2012–2022) of performance data from 609 players, Spain’s top-tier women’s league (LF Endesa). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) confirmed the adequacy of 15 key indicators normalized per minute. A two-step clustering approach identified six functional player profiles (Primary Post, Secondary Post, Playmaker, 3&D Specialist, Role Player and Versatile). Players were further stratified into high, mid, and low performers within each role using z-score tertiles. Linear mixed models revealed that High performers consistently outscored Low performers in key metrics such as 2-point and 3-point field goals made, assists, and defensive rebounds (p < 0.01). Convergent validity was supported by the overrepresentation of High performers among First Team selections and players from top-ranked teams. Normative values for each role and performance tier are presented, providing a valuable reference for talent identification and role-based benchmarking in professional women’s basketball. Future research should integrate contextual variables and advanced tracking data to refine these classifications across broader competitive settings. 2026-01-27T12:32:17Z 2026-01-27T12:32:17Z 2025-08-25 journal article Publisher version: Courel-Ibáñez, J., Piñar López, MI, Contreras-García, JM, y J. Ibáñez, S. (2025). Profiling high performers in elite women’s basketball: Functional roles and normative benchmarks from 10 seasons of Spanish First Division data. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(22), 2764–2775. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2555559 0264-0414 1466-447X https://hdl.handle.net/10481/110354 10.1080/02640414.2025.2555559 eng embargoed access Taylor & Francis