Liberty's Rebecca Allen Out Two Months After World Cup Injury
Valencia Basket Club confirmed on Monday that Rebecca Allen, fresh off her seventh season with the New York Liberty, will be out for the next two months as she recovers from two broken ribs. She suffered the injury during the recent FIBA Women's World Cup while representing her home nation and tournament host Australia.
Allen, 29, is by far the Liberty's longest-tenured member, first joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Injuries have, unfortunately, been nothing new for Allen, who missed several games in concussion protocol earlier this season. She appeared in 25 games for the Liberty this season, starting a career-best 19. Well-regarded for her defensive abilities and armed with a massive wingspan, Allen averaged 7.0 points and a block as the Liberty returned to the WNBA playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Despite her early exit from the World Cup, Allen left her mark for Australia's Opals, serving as the leading scorer in each of their first two contests, including the game she had to leave early. She returned on a limited basis during the medal round, notably pulling down four rebounds over 14 minutes in the semifinal round against China.
The Opals, coached by Liberty boss Sandy Brondello and also featuring the services of New York teammate Sami Whitcomb, earned bronze medals as the third-place finishers behind the United States (featuring Liberty teammates Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney) and the aforementioned Chinese (with another New Yorker in Han Xu).
The tough break has done nothing to deter Allen's lively personality, offering a localized thanks by declaring "gracias" on her Instagram story when Valencia wished her a speedy recovery. Allen also partook in Australia's medal celebration, happily sharing her newfound hardware with her family.
[[UPDATE: 10/11/22, 7:20 p.m. ET]]: Basketball Australia has released a statement in the wake of Valencia's announcement, revealing that Allen also sustained a partially collapsed lung in the incident. She will remain in Melbourne to receive treatment.
"I’ve had my fair share of injuries during my career. I know my body and I will do the work to recover and return to the court as soon as I can," Allen said in the statement. "I am also really grateful for all the good wishes and kindness I received from everyone and will forever be super proud of my amazing teammates and the Bronze medal we achieved in Sydney."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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