The Murray Bridge Marvel: Wilson's incredible journey to 250 games

The incredible Ally Wilson added another milestone to her career resume over the weekend when she chalked up her 250th WNBL game.

The 31-year-old, who has overcome a range of injuries, including four knee surgeries during her 13 years in the league, brought up the milestone, which also secures her WNBL life membership, during Perth's Round 3 clash with Townsville on Tuesday night.

"First and foremost, I don't know where the time has gone," Wilson said.

"I feel like only yesterday I started playing in the WNBL as a 16-year-old.

"Time really has flown by, with there being plenty of highs and lows throughout my career, thankfully, more highs.

"I'm just really grateful to play in this league that has grown so much since I first started in it.

"It's been an amazing journey, and I'm so happy to be a part of this league.

"I'm just really grateful to play in this league that has grown so much since I first started in it.

"It's been an amazing journey, and I'm so happy to be a part of this league."

Wilson, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, started playing basketball in Murray Bridge, South Australia.

After progressing through the ranks and playing for numerous junior representative teams, including South Australia Country, Wilson made her WNBL debut as a 16-year-old with the Lightning against Dandenong during the 2010-11 WNBL season.

Following that one season with Adelaide, where she played three games, Wilson played two seasons with the Eastern Mavericks in the Central Australian Basketball League before signing with the Townsville Fire ahead of the 2013-14 season.

This was the first of two seasons Wilson played in Townsville, which saw her win the 2013-14 WNBL Rookie of the Year (averaging 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game) and the 2014-15 WNBL Championship.

Wilson then put pen to paper with the Sydney Uni Flames, where she would end up playing for five seasons, including winning the 2016-17 title.

Her stint in the harbour city was followed by stops in Adelaide (2020) and Bendigo (2021-24) before signing with the Perth Lynx ahead of the WNBL25 campaign.

The 2024-25 season proved to be one to remember for Wilson, producing career highs in points (15.7), steals (1.8) and plus-minus (4.9), highlighting her incredible impact on the court.

She was rewarded for this campaign, which saw her guide the Lynx to the semi-finals, by being named in the All-WNBL First Team.

As well as all this, Wilson has represented Australia on numerous occasions, including the 2012 FIBA Oceania Under 18 Championships, 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, 2017 World University Games (winning gold), 2022 Commonwealth Games (where she won bronze and became the first Indigenous Australian to compete for her country in basketball at a Commonwealth Games), 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup (winning bronze), 2024 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup (winning gold), 2024 Paris Olympic Games (being part of the first Gangurrus team) and 2025 FIBA Asia Cup (winning gold).

"I can still remember going to watch the Lightning play as a kid and thinking how much I wanted to be in this league.

"So to now say I've played 250 games is very surreal," said Wilson, who admitted she's flourished as a player since returning to her natural position of point guard.

"I've had some really good memories and teams during my career, and when milestones like this come up, it gives you a chance to reflect.

"One that stands out to me in the WNBL is that championship in Sydney. We had an amazing group with incredible coaches, who were all so close.

"When you look back, you always remember the people you've crossed paths with and the lifelong friendships you've made along the way. That's what I look back at most fondly about my career to date.

"Obviously, there have been some setbacks on that journey, but a big part of my personality is my resiliency and determination.

"You don't get to 250 games without overcoming challenges that arise, including falling out of love with the game, so much so that I thought I'd played my last WNBL game a few years ago.

"Thankfully, playing 3x3 helped me fall back in love with the game, so I feel very grateful to have reached this milestone.

"All those experiences have helped me grow as a person, both on and off the court, which is really pleasing and something I'm proud of."

Despite a disrupted pre-season and start to the WNBL26 campaign, which saw Wilson miss the first two games as she recovered from knee surgery, the Lynx have a 3-1 record heading into Round 4.

"We haven't had an ideal pre-season and had a lot of balls to juggle, but I think we've done really well to start the season 3-1, considering everything that's been thrown at us," Wilson said.

"It's been a 'next player up' mentality to fill those voids, which speaks volumes to the depth of our squad. That's an element we probably lacked last season, and I have no doubt it's going to bode well for us as the year progresses."

Wilson's Lynx host the Southside Melbourne Flyers on Sunday from 6.30pm AEDT at the Perth High Performance Centre. Tickets to the match, which will be broadcast live on ESPN and 9Now, are still available here.