Kristy Wallace on her high hopes for the Paris 2024 basketball tournament: “My dream is to play for the Opals”

“What stands out for us, I think particularly this cycle is the culture that we’ve built. To play for Australia means to be a good person, but also to be that tenacious teammate and good teammate as well. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to give everything we’ve got, because that’s what Aussies do. I hope fans get to see how much fun we have and how awesome it is to be a woman in sport, and to be a part of a team that really celebrates each other and wants each other to do well,” Wallace said.

She grew up watching players like Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor and Kristi Harrower lead the Opals, and she is trying to take as many lessons as she can from those players.

“They would go out there and they would just give everything. The defense was so in tune and they just really gave it everything. They had hustle, they were just hard women and they wanted to win. And you know how good the team was just by watching them and their behaviours, just like on the bench, as well. They were always in tight huddles. They were always encouraging each other. They were just a good team. So just to watch that as a kid and to pick that up was special,” she said.

How the Opals support each other in the WNBA

Playing for the Fever, Wallace has shown she has picked up so much from her Australian idols. She is that player who will do little things that don’t show up on a scoresheet, but have a huge effect on her team making a turnaround in June. She faces her Aussie teammates often, but finds that’s part of the fun.

“I love seeing an Aussie face and we always do our best to catch up, whatever city we’re in. We’ll just see each other and it’s just like being back home,” she said.