4
Oct
Aussies in the WNBA
Famous five chase guaranteed Aussie WNBA ring
Miela Sowah vs Steph Talbot and Isobel Borlase vs Rebecca Allen and Anneli Maley. Photos: Getty Images
Every WNBA semi-finalist has an Australian, from Bec Allen's last dance to Talbot's injured leg
- Sabrina bewitches Lynx to extend Allen's WNBA career
- WNBL champion keeps Miela Sowah's title hopes alive
- Talbot OUT but Las Vegas Aces into WNBA semi-finals
Every team left in the WNBA playoffs has an Australian on its roster, so an Australian will be a WNBA champion in 2026. Five remain across two best-of-five semi-finals that both start on Monday, October 5 (AEDT). Here is what to watch in Dream v Liberty and Valkyries v Aces.
- Eighth seed New York swept top seed Minnesota and now meets Borlase's Atlanta
- Las Vegas beat Golden State in all three regular-season meetings
- Stephanie Talbot is listed as out with a leg injury for the Aces
Atlanta Dream v New York Liberty
This is the series nobody had on their bracket. The eighth-seeded Liberty (26-18) swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, winning 91-75 in Minneapolis and 87-71 in Brooklyn. Breanna Stewart had 34 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, and Jonquel Jones 21 and 13 in Game 2.
The fourth-seeded Dream (30-14) were just as clinical against Washington, winning 92-77 and 93-75 to send Australian Georgia Amoore home. Rhyne Howard scored 26 in the opener, then Allisha Gray had 22 and Jordin Canada 19 points and 11 assists in Game 2.
Atlanta has the edge in form. The Dream won two of the three regular-season meetings, both in New York in the final week of the season, including the night the Liberty farewelled Rebecca Allen.
Allen, 33, retires when New York's season ends, so every game here could be her last. She shot 40.6 per cent from three in the regular season but has not scored in two playoff games. Anneli Maley, who played 11 games across two teams this season, has had one two-minute playoff appearance.
On the other bench, Isobel Borlase, 22, is part of a deep Dream rotation. She averaged 4.8 points in 13 minutes across 44 games and made 89.5 per cent of her free throws, and had five points and three assists in the series-clinching win in Washington.
Game 1 is in Atlanta at 5am AEDT on Monday, October 5. Game 2 follows there at 10:30am on Thursday, October 8, before the series moves to Brooklyn.
Golden State Valkyries v Las Vegas Aces
The second-seeded Valkyries (32-12) won the first playoff series in their two-year history. They beat injured Alanna Smith's Dallas 104-80, lost Game 2 108-100 in overtime when Arike Ogunbowale scored 45, then came from 16 points down to win the decider 77-73.
Gabby Williams scored 36 in that Game 2 loss and 19 in the decider. Veronica Burton, the 2025 WNBL champion with Bendigo, had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to drag Golden State back into Game 3.
The third-seeded Aces (31-13) beat Indiana 2-1 behind A'ja Wilson, who scored 38 points in Game 1 and 36 in Game 3. Jackie Young had 31 in the Game 2 loss and Chelsea Gray 23 in the decider.
Las Vegas won all three regular-season meetings, by 10, five and 19 points. Golden State have home court, with the first two games at Chase Center.
The Aces' Australian is the series' biggest question. Stephanie Talbot, 32, started all but one game this season, and averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the first two games against Indiana. She then missed Game 3 with a leg injury and is listed as out. Jewell Loyd took her place in the starting five.
Miela Sowah, the Townsville Fire guard, played seven regular-season games for the Valkyries, averaging 3.4 minutes, and did not get on the floor against Dallas.
Game 1 is in San Francisco at 7am AEDT on Monday, October 5, and Game 2 at 12:30pm on Thursday, October 8. The series then moves to Las Vegas.
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