Rebecca Allen's Last Dance alongside 'rare' superstar

• ‍Lady Liberty: New York shows love for Bec Allen's career‍
• Penny & Sandy: Why WNBA legend is in 'awe' of Opals icon‍
• Every WNBA player and what they will earn in 2026

Australian basketball star Rebecca Allen said: "Take every opportunity as it comes; work hard for everything so you can achieve what you hope to achieve."

It's the 33-year-old's Last Dance as the eighth-seed New York Liberty face the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs, starting at 4am (AEST) on Monday, September 28.

Allen uttered those words 12 years ago as part of a Melbourne Boomers pre-season video.

More than a decade later, after 289 WNBA games and three FIBA Women's World Cup medals for the Australian Opals, the 1.88m shooting guard announced her retirement in early August.

Allen has been a core part of the Liberty rotation in 2026; she’s played 29 games for the team that she started with back in 2015. She’s been on fire in the back half of the season. The Victorian has shot a blistering 49.2% from three since August 1.

“Honestly, I’ve just tried to stay true to the process of it all,” Allen said earlier this week.

“For me, nothing really has changed from the start. It’s more so that I’m just trying to keep my head cool and calm. You get more comfortable within the offence, too, so you become a bit more patient out on the court.

“That’s been a big thing for me. But it is nice to hear that percentage. It’s definitely helpful.”

The Liberty face the best team in the league – Australian Opals’ Chloe Bibby’s Minnesota Lynx – in a three-game series starting in Minnesota. But the Liberty have Breanna Stewart, who led Team USA to gold at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin.

“I don’t want to butter her up too much, but for me, honestly, playing with people like Stewie is a gift,” Allen said.

“I think she’s a different kind of superstar. The way that she speaks to her team is unlike any other.

“She makes the game so much easier. Stars who not only create for themselves but for everyone else, and are selfless, are rare. For me, it’s something that I really enjoy.”

Allen is one of eight Australians in the field, and they are spread further through this bracket than at any point in recent memory: seven of the eight playoff teams carry one. Only the Indiana Fever (c’mon Indiana!) do not.

1 Minnesota Lynx v 8 New York Liberty

Three Australians, more than any other series. Allen played 29 of New York's 44 games, starting 12, and shot 40.6% from three, the best mark of any Australian in the field. Alongside her is Anneli Maley, who managed 11 games and 7.5 minutes a night across two teams this season, and who stood beside Allen at the Liberty's farewell ceremony.

On the other bench is Chloe Bibby, who also played for two teams in 2026 and finished with nine games, 4.9 points and 35.7% from deep. Minnesota lost eleven games all year.

2 Golden State Valkyries v 7 Dallas Wings

Alanna Smith is the most accomplished Australian left in the draw and the one whose season asks the most questions. She played 32 of Dallas's 44 games, started 18, and averaged 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes. That is a long way from the player who has anchored Opal's frontcourt, and the Wings will need the other version of her against a Golden State side that won 32 games in its second season.

The Valkyries carry Miela Sowah, seven appearances and 3.4 minutes a game, so her involvement is likely to be situational.

3 Las Vegas Aces v 6 Indiana Fever

Stephanie Talbot has had a quietly excellent season. She started 43 of Las Vegas' 44 games, which no other Australian in this field can say, and shot 48.3% from the floor for 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17.3 minutes. She is not the scorer here, and she is not meant to be; she is the one the Aces start.

Indiana is the only playoff team without an Australian, and at 28-16, they are the best-credentialed sixth seed in the bracket.

4 Atlanta Dream v 5 Washington Mystics

The best Australian matchup of the round, and a generational one.

Georgia Amoore started all 44 games at point guard for Washington, a year after losing a season to an ACL injury in training camp. She averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 assists in 23 minutes, shot 35.2% from three and 85.1% from the line, and no Australian in this field played more minutes or had the ball in her hands more often.

Opposite her, Isobel Borlase also played all 44 games for Atlanta, almost entirely off the bench, for 4.8 points in 13 minutes at 89.5% from the free-throw line. The 22-year-old was Australia's breakout act in Berlin last month, and she is the reason this series is the one to set an alarm for.

The Australians who did not make it

Ezi Magbegor and Jade Melbourne are out with the Seattle Storm, who finished 8-36 and last in the league. Sami Whitcomb's Phoenix Mercury went 16-28 and Nyadiew Puoch's Portland Fire 17-27 in their first season.

No Australian head coach is in the field either. Sandy Brondello, who coached the Opals in Berlin, took over the expansion Toronto Tempo, and they finished 11-33.