Alison Marie Bales was born on April 4, 1985 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Charles Bales and Dr. Mary McCarthy. She has one sister: Sarah, and twin brothers: J.D. and J.R.

High School
Alison attended Beavercreek High School and played for head coach Ed Zink. She was one of three players selected Associated Press (AP) Ohio Player of the Year and first team AP All-State as a senior, and was one of 10 finalists for the Naismith Award as the National Player of the Year. Alison led Beavercreek to State Championships in 2001 and 2003.

University
Alison attended Duke University where she majored in cultural anthropology. She played basketball for the Blue Devils under coach Gail Goestenkors from 2003 to 2007.

During her freshman year, (2003-2004) Bales missed the pre-season and first 3 games with a knee injury. She played in 24 games and averaged 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 0.5 assists. Indeed, she totaled 29 blocks on the season, which ranked as the fifth-best freshman total in Duke history.

For her sophomore year (2004-2005) Bales started as center in 33 of the 36 games. She was named to the All-ACC Defensive Team, and posted a new ACC single-season record with 134 blocks in 36 games.

In her junior year, (2005-2006) Alison earned NCAA Final Four All-Tournament and Bridgeport Regional MVP honors. She started 23 of 35 contests at center, and recorded 120 blocks to rank second on both the Duke and ACC single-season charts.

In her senior year (2006-2007) Alison was one of 12 finalists for the State Farm Wade Trophy for National Player of the Year, and received a host of other accolades.

She averaged 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 4.4 blocks and 1.1 steals, while starting all 34 contests.

WNBA
In the 2007 WNBA Draft, Alison was the 9th overall pick by the Indiana Fever. She has seen limited playing time.