Back from the brink: How Bec Allen has come back stronger than ever

After the most testing 18 months of her career, the Opals star has proved she's up for just about any challenge.

Image credit: FIBA

It was 2022.

Rebecca Allen, standing 6’2, and possessing one of the world’s most lethal jumpshots, rose from beside the scorer’s table and checked into the Opals’ must-win clash with China. As she moved onto the court, she knew something was wrong.

“I remember running onto the court and I felt this slushing, almost like a bouncing inside my ribcage… and that was my lung moving.”

At the time, Allen didn’t fully understand what was happening. Days earlier, she’d lunged for a loose ball and been sandwiched by two Serbian players. To the naked eye, the incident might not have seemed so serious, but a second look showed a far different story, as replay angles looped the brutal impact of her ribcage being crushed over and over again. It was enough to make anyone wince.

Barely able to stand up under her own volition, Allen was taken away in a wheelchair. She’d initially been told there was no structural damage, and it couldn’t get any worse. After missing two games, she briefly returned in a win over Belgium in the quarter-finals. She was now desperately trying to fight through the pain to help Australia progress past China into a gold medal match. One of the world’s premier knockdown shooters, and a long, rangy, defensive menace, Allen’s presence was crucial to Australia’s success. Naturally, she didn’t want to let her teammates, coaches, family, or country down. But with each movement, the pain became more and more unbearable. She’d eventually sub out of the game, and tournament, for the final time, only able to watch as her team endured a heartbreaking two-point loss, and a chance to play for the championship. Almost a full week later, she’d be diagnosed with two cracked ribs and a collapsed lung.

The 18 months that followed that horrific injury have included countless hours of painstaking rehab, serious doubts about returning to basketball, a blockbuster, bombshell trade, and a brave decision to leave Spain to protect her mental health. But we’ll get to all that.