From Australian Opals to Rockingham Flames to Commonwealth Games: Amy Atwell has played everywhere in July

Amy Atwell has won an Olympic bronze medal, captained the Perth Lynx to the grand final played in the WNBA across the last two years.

But the last basketball game she played before departing to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games was for the Rockingham Flames during a win over Joondalup Wolves in NBL1 West.

Atwell just returned from Melbourne where she’d played for the Australian Opals against China. But the 28-year-old has always been a huge believer in playing whenever she gets the chance, and wanted to get one more game under her belt before departing for Glasgow.

It’s a perfect example of the West Aussie gun’s dedication to the sport, and to performing in Glasgow.

“NBL1 is obviously a semi-professional league but it is still a high level. there’s a lot of talent. The more opportunities you get to play, work on your game and get better, you have to take them. I reckon there were only 50 or maybe 100 people there for tip-off, but it’s great,” Atwell told The West Australian.

“I really wanted to keep playing basketball over winter. My last 18 months have been pretty injury interrupted. So I wanted to play at some level so i could get back to the level I wanted to be at. I’d definitely prefer to play basketball than be sitting still.

“I love basketball and I love sport. I never want to be the type of person who lets sport get to my head of acts too cool for anyone or anything. I’m just a bubbly person who loves being around people and talking to people. My parents raised me to be humble and I like to keep my life down to earth and casual.”

Basketball has taken Atwell all around the world. She attended Penrhos College before playing college basketball for the University of Hawaii, was then drafted to the WNBA by Los Angeles Sparks before later playing for Phoenix Mercury.

The granddaughter of WA Football Hall of Famer Mal Atwell, Amy has also won an Olympic bronze medal, a silver medal for Australia at the 3x3 World Cup in Poland, led Bendigo Braves to a NBL1 National Championship, starred for Perth Lynx in WNBL grand finals and recently signed to play for Canberra Capitals next season.

But it’s her love of playing for Australia which has always stood out.

She hadn’t even considered the prospect of playing 3x3 at the Commonwealth Games until a phone call from coach Damon Lowery earlier this year but Atwell seized the chance to compete on the international stage.

“If you’d told me six months ago I was going to play at the Commonwealth Games in 3x3, I’d have laughed at you. It’s crazy. But it’s awesome,” she said.

“Any chance you get to wear the green and gold, you just have to grab it. The opportunity doesn’t come around a lot because you don’t know when it will happen again.

“I’m very blessed with the opportunities I have experienced and am super grateful for it all. I wouldn’t have thought I’d have ticked all of these boxes in a couple of years.

“You can’t get scared of the moment. It’s a big event, but I’ve been to the Olympics. In our pool game against France, we played in front of 27,000 French fans. The stage doesn’t get better than that. So you have to take confidence from being on a stage like that. You don’t get to be in those types of environments very often in your life, so you have to go out and have fun.’

Atwell’s scoring power has always made her Australia’s biggest weapons. She famously shot a WNBL finals record nine three-pointers during the opening game of the 2024 grand final series

Atwell was also the tournament’s leading scorer at this year’s 3x3 World Cup and holds the record for the most three-pointers in a season at the University of Hawaii.

A star in the traditional form of the game, Atwell said stepping onto the 3x3 stage allowed her to play with freedom and make the most of her biggest strengths.

“It is basketball at its purest form,” she said.

“It’s all about can you win one-on-one and can you guard one-on-one? It’s so quick that you don’t have time to think. You have to play on instinct. I’m loving it.”