In Wangaratta to the north-east of Melbourne, a young Rebecca Allen spent her time daydreaming of one day being an Olympian.
The Allen family had settled in country Victoria with dad John taking up a role as a teacher at the local secondary school. Amidst the quiet and calm rural surroundings, a sports-mad Bec Allen would forge her dreams of representing Australia.
“I was originally playing netball and ended up changing because one of my friends was doing basketball and I really wanted to play with her,” she says.
“It's not like I was thinking in the beginning, I want to be a professional basketball player. Although I will be honest, I did say to myself that I wanted to go to the Olympics,” says Allen.
“That's something I said to myself when I was young, but I thought I was going to be the next Cathy Freeman and I had it very, very wrong.”
Parents John and Helen have been central to Bec’s journey. They’ve been there every step of the way, offering a supportive environment for her as well as twin brother Chris.
“I think it's really nice with sport in general because you’ve got Friday night basketball, you've got the long car drives to go to your games for rep basketball, then you've got your big metro stuff where both mum and dad are coming to everything,"
"It's the bonding time that you really get in those moments,” says Allen
“That's how we connected in so many ways. So, I feel like my parents, the relationship that I have with them is really special and important to me. In every single phase of my journey, they've played a huge role in it. They've been my sounding board, they've been my biggest supporters,”
“They've played a huge role along the way. At sixteen playing for Victoria, to thirty-three in my last season in the WNBA.”
THE PRESENT
It’s October 2026 and we’re closing in on the final months of year.
The WNBA 2026 decider between Atlanta and Golden State is underway and two months prior to the Liberty’s playoff exit - Bec Allen had already announced that the reunion season with New York would be her last.
For almost two decades the Victorian had been mainstay at the highest level of women’s basketball, both pro and international.
She has been revered as long and lean defensive weapon with a dangerous shot on offense. And as the case goes for all long careers, there were soaring highs and devastating lows.
The process of retiring as an athlete is still relatively raw for Allen but you can already sense a level of lightness and peace as she reminisces on her time.
“It's sort of funny because I don't think I ever had that light bulb moment where I knew that basketball would be my career and future,” says Allen.
“I think I just enjoyed the process of trying to get better. I wasn't the person getting selected in the first teams all the time when I was younger. You know, I was selected in the thirds and the seconds and worked hard to eventually make the first team,”
“I found that part of the grind was what I enjoyed. I enjoyed doing the extra workouts. I enjoyed the process. I did a lot of my workouts with my dad as well. We would just go to go to the oval and do running sessions, all of that,”
THE PROCESS
How did an unassuming, hardworking kid from Wangaratta become the world-renowned talent known as ‘Spida’.
“I didn't actually know what was in front of me or where it would go. I think that part of the journey was really cool in a way. I didn’t have eyes solely set on a career in the USA. At every step I sort of was like, this is possible. I can do this,” she says
“I think when I left the AIS (in 2012), I had my first season as an 18-year-old in the WNBL for the Melbourne Boomers. I was like, okay, this is definitely what I want to be doing and I felt very capable to be in it as well,”
“When I got the opportunity to go to the WNBA, it was sort of the same. And I didn’t think it was unrealistic or too big of a scary jump and the belief naturally grew along the way,” she says.
“I mean, we all have imposter syndrome in some ways. That's something that I think everyone in every job is sort of experiencing in different moments. And I think as long as you embrace that and you just tell yourself, ‘Hey, I belong here’, you will find a way.”
Allen’s pathway to the WNBA arrived in 2014 with a touch of chance. But playing well also helped.
The Australian Opals had travelled to the USA for World Cup preparation games against a group of WNBA clubs.
New York weren’t on the schedule for that tour, but there was a keen onlooker in their Head Coach, Bill Laimbeer. Laimbeer recognised Allen’s potential playing against top-tier WNBA talent and made it his mission to sign her on the roster before the start of the 2015 season.
“I'll be honest, I had a really great trip in the games we played there,” recalls Allen.
“I think the part of it that made it funnier, I was naive to some of the players I was playing against because I hadn't really watched much WNBA prior. So, when they said, you know, go ahead and guard Maya Moore. I had to ask, ‘which number is she?’,” she laughs.
“I think being a little bit naive to who I was going against helped me in that moment because I wasn't overawed. Which is so laughable now. Like, how the hell did you not know who that was? Although I figured it out pretty quickly that she was really good,”
“That's why I often say when people have ever asked for advice, you never know who's watching. You just absolutely never know who's taking notice, so how you perform every day, matters,”
“Over the course of my career I kept that in mind. It got me my first gig in the WNBA and Bill Laimbeer was the guy who gave me that opportunity.”
THE BIG MOVE
The move from Australia to New York ahead of the 2015 WNBA Season would plunge Allen into a new frontier; culturally and competitively.
“I mean it was pretty scary and daunting at the start I can’t lie,” says Allen.
“I think the way that we do things in Australia is also quite different from how things are done over here in the USA as well. And there's both good and bad in that sense,”
“Some of it was confronting because the concept of accountability is used a lot over here. It wasn’t just your coaches yelling at you, it was your teammates and everyone involved demanding a higher level,”
“It’s funny because I came into the WNBA thinking I'm a really great defender. Then I was playing against people that were more athletic and had elite areas to their game. And then I had Bill Lambeer calling me a defensive liability at the start,” she laughs.
“So I had to hone in and go. Okay, all right, I need to improve a lot if I want to get any court time. There were a lot of challenges because it was quite confronting in a sense, but I valued that environment and the directness allowed me to get better.”
As Bec Allen had done her whole career when challenged. She got to work and met the standard in New York.
She overcame a knee injury in 2015, and then her development in the Big Apple began to directly feed into her role and impact during a highly successful window for the Australian Opals.
THE MOMENTS
From her debut in 2014, Allen would feature in three World Cup medal campaigns, including a classic triumph over Spain in 2018 to win silver.
And finally, after a long wait; Bec Allen realised her lifelong goal of becoming an Olympian for Tokyo 2020.
“There are so many moments to remember. I mean the big ones I think are easy. Obviously when we were in Tenerife and we got that silver medal at the World Cup in 2018. Winning that semi-final against Spain on their home court to progress,”
“That was unreal, it was an amazing feeling. And of course, when I made my first Olympics team. I think there’s a lot of these moments that you could pinpoint,”
“But I think of all, the feeling of being a part of the Australian team. I think that's something that I always loved and cherished in a big way because you're so often away from home,” adds Allen.
“You're all playing in different countries with different languages and environments, so when I came back and re-joined the Opals, it was a feeling of home,”
“It was something that I remember clearly from every Opals camp. They would always come around at the exact moment when I needed a piece of home and a place of comfort and belonging,”
“I could easily say it was the medals and success that stands out, but for me it was that feeling of coming back home. It was a joy to be around the people and characters of the Opals and I loved being in that setting.”
When asked about role models, a few characters from the Opals environment came to mind, as well as an iconic WNBA vet that took an Aussie rookie under their wing.
“At every level I think I've had different people that I've looked up to and have had an impact on my career,” she says.
“Jenna O'Hea, would be one of the first. I loved how she played. She played with this level of poise and had an incredible IQ for the game. We were very different players, but I feel like you can learn something and just be a sponge with everyone around you. So, she was probably one of the first.”
“Penny Taylor was someone that I have loved watching, and you know, being a similar position, for me to play alongside her was a gift. I was so excited about that. I remember when she arrived at the first training," she says.
"It was one of those moments where I was like, this is cool. I feel like I've made it in some ways. I’m playing with the best of the best. I've always loved the Aussies and was lucky to have them as role models,”
“Going over to play in the W, I think the likes of Swin Cash, she was the first vet that I had which was a big influence. Being a rookie, she took me under her wing and she's iconic within the women's game, in general I've always sort of looked to players that are within a similar position for sure.”
THE FUTURE
The cycle of transferring wisdom from veteran to rookie has come full circle for Allen.
She retires as an accomplished player who left it all on the court. And when asked to impart advice for a young Australian Opal at the start of her career. She gave the following.
“So, I’ve got two things,” she says.
“First. It sounds like a cliche but it's very real, you have to be authentically you,” says Allen
“And I feel that's when you can really bring your best self to the table, it is a personality skill, your aura and vibe. If you can come in and just be yourself, it’s easier for the group to embrace you as well,”
“I think that’s the thing with the Opals. Aussies come into things with lighter energy generally. In how we show up, process things, our intelligence and how we see the game,”
“There's a mix of, you know, American style, European style and our own Aussie style, a little bit everything sort of intertwined and it’s great. That’s why I think that when you allow your personality to shine through it enhances your skillset and performance. It allows you to be you,”
“That’s one big thing that Sandy (Brondello) always said to the group. When you come into a tournament, be you," says Allen.
"That always really stuck with me, because there's a reason you’ve been selected, there's a reason you've been chosen. So do what you do best, bring that every single day.”
The second piece of advice...
“Like I said earlier. You never know who is watching, so it’s important to always put your best foot forward,” she adds.
“There are so many opportunities that come from playing on the big stages with the Opals from Olympics, World Cups to Asia Cups. Even the training camps,”
“It’s a great environment and you’re in the right place. That’s why it’s important to realise that opportunity and put your best self forward, you never know who will take notice and has recognised your potential.”
Allen will continue to look on with interest and pride as the next generation of Opals emerge. But with her time as a player concluding, what’s next for the 33-year-old.
“Yeah, I mean I’m going to be an agent,” she says.
“That’s been something I've been planning for the last few months. I just feel like it's the perfect segue for me, along with the basketball commentary stuff back home,”
“I love the game. I feel like I know the game, and I want to help. And I think in that the agent space has something missing. Often agents aren’t trying to look after or get the best thing for each individual player,” she adds.
“I'm looking at working into that space to help players grow - but also feel like they're supported too and not just another commodity. I’m keen to provide a different sort of pathway and be an agent in a different way,”
Just like Allen’s journey as a player. The next stage will be every bit different.
