Mercury F Rebecca Allen out indefinitely with right hamstring injury suffered during pre-Olympic exhibition

Suffering a right hamstring injury prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Phoenix Mercury forward/guard Rebecca Allen will be out indefinitely and re-evaluated in the “coming weeks,” according to a press release from the team.

Before Allen and Australia went to the Olympics, Allen sustained the injury in the Opals’ final exhibition against Canada on July 23. She was ultimately ruled out for the entirety of the Olympics while Australia went on to win the bronze medal.

Already dealing with multiple injuries since being traded to the Mercury this year, she is out once again and this may be the most serious injury yet.

She has been in concussion protocol, suffered a lower back injury that kept her in and out of the lineup in July, a hip injury during preseason and another back injury at the beginning of the regular season.

For the Mercury, she has averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists across 18 games. Allen has shown her versatility on offense and defense while also being an important piece in how the team operates as a whole.

The team did not provide an estimated timeline of how long she will be out or a possible return date.

If this injury turns out to be season-ending, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts and his staff will have to reconfigure the lineup in hopes of filling her vacancy while maintaining a playoff spot. Kiki Herbert Harrigan and Sophie Cunningham have both started multiple games this season due to injuries around the team, so they could be called upon once again.

It will be interesting to see who steps up in Allen’s absence for the time being, but her being out indefinitely may also force the front office to make a trade or sign a free agent.

Either way, this is yet another blow for Phoenix and the 6-foot-2 wing.