For Robyn Lewis, Sunday’s Super League Basketball Play-off Final at The O2 will mean more than just one final opportunity to lift silverware.

It will also bring the curtain down on a remarkable professional career.

After 12 seasons in the professional game, the 31-year-old 5’3” guard will retire following Caledonia Gladiators’ showdown with defending champions B. Braun Sheffield Hatters in London — fittingly on the biggest stage the domestic women’s game has ever seen.

“I’m calling these last four years my bonus basketball degree, because they have felt like a bonus for me,” Lewis smiled. “I just feel like for several reasons now is the right time to step away.”

For Lewis, this decision has not been rushed or emotional. Instead, it has been carefully considered across the course of a season she entered already knowing would likely be her last.

“At the start of the season, I came in knowing this was probably going to be the last one,” she explained. “So right now I feel really settled. It wasn’t a last-minute thing, I’ve had time to process it and I’m excited for that next chapter.”

That next chapter arrives with her career away from playing continuing to grow, but Lewis leaves the game with enormous pride in what this current Caledonia group has achieved — particularly in reaching the club’s first-ever Play-off Final.

“We’re so excited to be heading to The O2,” she said. “A few of us were joking after winning our semi-final against Essex that we’d finally broken the semi-final curse, because we always seemed to fall at that stage in this competition.”

Now, one final challenge awaits against a Sheffield side who edged Caledonia in February’s Betty Codona Trophy Final and have become fierce rivals across the course of the season.

“We’ve loved the challenge of battling Sheffield all year,” Lewis said. “I feel like we both play a little harder when we’re against each other. They’ve got the better of us a few times and we’ve beaten them too, so there’s a rivalry there.”

That Trophy Final defeat remains fresh in the minds of the Gladiators squad, but Lewis believes the lessons learned there could prove invaluable heading into Sunday’s rematch.

“We were disappointed with how we performed in the Trophy Final,” she admitted. “We went away from our identity and having so many players who hadn’t competed at that level and on that stage meant we as a group were a little overwhelmed.”

This time, however, the focus is different.

“The focus needs to be on enjoying it and having no regrets,” Lewis added. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve definitely made more of a focus on appreciating playing on these big stages, because I know how few and far between these games are.”

That perspective has only deepened as her career has progressed. Across more than a decade in the professional game, Lewis has witnessed enormous growth in women’s basketball across Britain — growth perhaps best symbolised by a sold-out O2 Arena hosting Sunday’s Finals.

“To play in a sold-out O2 is wild, honestly,” she reflected. “To see the growth of the game over my 12 seasons playing, it’s unbelievable. This is the biggest the women’s game has ever been.”

Lewis speaks with immense pride not only about the occasion itself, but also about the role her teammates and the wider Gladiators organisation have played in helping elevate the women’s game.

“We have no egos, we work for each other and we want to keep this season going as long as we can,” she said. “It’s certainly been one of the most enjoyable groups of people I’ve played with.”

That togetherness has become central to Caledonia’s identity this season and a huge reason behind their success.

“You can get to this stage of the season and be tired, ready for summer,” Lewis said. “But we’re built different and eager for Sunday.”

Now, with one final game remaining, Lewis has the opportunity to walk away from basketball exactly where every player dreams of finishing: competing for a championship on the biggest stage imaginable.

“It’s overwhelming in many ways,” she admitted. “But I’m deeply grateful and hope to help make one last bit of history this weekend.”