PARIS — Former Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball star Amy Atwell has been tapped to replace Rebecca Allen on the Australian women’s basketball team at the Paris 2024 Olympics.


What You Need To Know

  • Former Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball star Amy Atwell has been tapped to replace Rebecca Allen on the Australian women’s basketball team at the Paris 2024 Olympics

  • Allen had suffered a high-grade hamstring injury in the Opals’ final warmup for the Paris Games

  • This will be Atwell's first Olympics appearance

  • The Opals currently rank third in the world and top Group B with Canada, France and Nigeria; Australia takes to the court against Nigeria on July 29

Tests revealed that Allen had suffered a high-grade hamstring injury in the Opals’ final warmup for the Paris Games.

The Opals announced the injury Thursday after their practice at Pierre-Mauroy Stadium. The Phoenix Mercury player had been set to play in her second Olympics. She has been replaced by Amy Atwell, who will be making her Olympic debut.

“I have been looking forward to these Games for a long time and am absolutely devastated but I will now focus my energies on recovery and supporting my Opals sisters,” Allen, who was poised to play in her second Olympics, said in a story on Olympics.com.

“Amy Atwell has been part of this Olympic squad all year and with us in Spain for our practice matches. She will now come into the team and all the staff and players have every confidence in Amy,” Australian women’s basketball team head coach Sandy Brondello told the site.

Atwell, a native of Perth, Australia, is just the second Rainbow Wahine basketball player to be drafted to the WNBA. The 2021-2022 Big West Player of the Year was the selected by the LA Sparks as the 27th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 WNBA draft. Her tenure with the Sparks was short-lived; she was waived after playing five games with the team. She has since gone on to play for the Perth Lynx in the WNBL.

The 6-foot forward’s time at UH was filled with records. Atwell was named to the Big West Conference First-Team (2021-2022), All Big-West Academic Team, and she is the 13th member of the 1,000 point and 500 rebound club. She was also selected as Big West Conference player of the week four times. She is ranked No. 13 in scoring average with 10.1 points per game, No. 1 in career starts (126), No. 1 in three-pointers (205) and No. 2 in free throw percentage (.806).

The Opals currently rank third in the world and top Group B with Canada, France and Nigeria.

They are seeking their first medal since taking bronze in 2012 at the London Games. Australia takes to the court against Nigeria on July 29.