Mercury forward Rebecca Allen underwent successful back surgery, ruled out for WNBA playoffs

Suffering a right hamstring injury before the 2024 Paris Olympics and missing every game since, Phoenix Mercury forward Rebecca Allen will be out for the WNBA playoffs after undergoing successful back surgery.

The Mercury, who are about to take on the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the postseason, will not have the Australian on the trip but have announced that she is expected to make a full recovery.

Allen sustained the hamstring injury in a pre-Olympic exhibition vs. Canada on July 23 and has been out indefinitely. In her first season in Phoenix, 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.

The nine-year WNBA veteran averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 games (all starts). Allen showed her versatility on offense and defense while also gelling the team together which led to the team’s early success when she was healthy.

Arriving in the Valley after being involved in a sign-and-trade from the Connecticut Sun, she is one of four Mercury players signed for the 2025 season. Allen, Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud are slated to be back as well as Sophie Cunningham who recently agreed to a one-year contract extension.

The Mercury begins its chase for the 2024 WNBA title when they go up against the Lynx on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT in Minneapolis.

The first round series is structured as a best-of-three, with Game 2 on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. PT and Game 3 on Friday. Game 3 will be in Phoenix if necessary and the start time hasn’t been determined yet.