![Canberra Capitals player Rae Burrell. Picture by James Croucher Canberra Capitals player Rae Burrell. Picture by James Croucher](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/9bd16ba3-f2fa-4fb1-8e24-305a21f5dcf7.jpg/r0_413_8071_4951_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Rae Burrell left the glamour and bright lights of Los Angeles to make her mark in the WNBL with the Canberra Capitals, and reboot her young career with a bit of Hollywood flair after some injury setbacks.
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The 22-year-old originally from Las Vegas is determined to get her basketball back on track, having finally recovered from a severe knee injury which limited her game time for the LA Sparks in her rookie year in the WNBA.
"Perseverance, hard work, and passion - those three things is what got me to this point, and that's what's going to keep me going to the next," Burrell told The Canberra Times.
![Rae Burrell wants to win a WNBL championship with the Capitals. Picture by James Croucher Rae Burrell wants to win a WNBL championship with the Capitals. Picture by James Croucher](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/e37964c9-2d0d-4c42-bd6f-54de4a4dbd04.jpg/r0_71_7972_5067_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"When I got here, I was still having to strengthen it and work on some stability stuff. But the team gave me a plan to work on, it went smoothly and now we're prepared for the first game.
"This was the first big injury that's put me out for this long. It's way more of a mental battle than a physical battle. You have to be patient.
"The coaches and the girls have all been supporting me, and been keeping my mentals good, so I've just been able to trust the process."
![Rae Burrell has a passion for fashion. Picture by James Croucher Rae Burrell has a passion for fashion. Picture by James Croucher](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/854ac91f-c4c5-460e-bf16-1b9feef56727.jpg/r0_182_8192_4788_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Getting back on the court playing full contact five-on-five in the lead-up to the Capitals' season-opener against the Bendigo Spirit on Friday night has given Burrell confidence she's ready to go full throttle at this season.
Off the court Burrell doesn't lack confidence at all. In fact, she's got swagger to burn.
Inspired by NBA stars doing the same when she started college at Tennessee, when Burrell got to the WNBA she became famous for her pre-game fits which wouldn't look out of place on a fashion runway.
The forward amassed 30,000 followers on Instagram, had GQ giving her shoutouts, and the attention even landed her a stylist who became one of her closest friends.
"It's actually crazy," Burrell said.
"She would just dress me, and then next thing we'd just see pages post about me. Once they realised I was coming with an outfit, they were kind of looking for me at that point.
"It just came to me, but I loved it."
Her stylist, along with her 30-plus collection of carefully stored Jordan and Yeezy sneakers, couldn't all make the trip to Canberra, but she's still hoping to bring a bit of that LA flair to the National Convention Centre when she can.
"I couldn't fit them all in my luggage, but I brought a select few shoes over in a carry-on bag," Burrell said.
"I'll see how the vibe is. If we are taking pre-game pictures, I'll get on it.
"I really had a passion for shoes for the longest time, so then I needed some outfits to go with those shoes.
"I really like streetwear, or stuff that's outside of the box, baggier outfits, girlier outfits - I like to switch it up.
"I like feeling good about yourself, and when you put that nice outfit on, you feel the best. When you feel good, you play good."
Canberra's pace and way of life is a tad slower to that of the home of Hollywood's A-listers, but Burrell has settled in fast thanks to her friendship with fellow American Capitals recruit, Dekeiya Cohen. And together the pair have been "pleasantly surprised" by what Canberra has to offer.
"I'm enjoying Canberra right now, because LA is so fast. I miss that a little bit, but I came out here to focus on basketball," Burrell said.
"So it doesn't bother me that it is a little bit more quiet.
"I'm pleasantly surprised that it's not much different than America actually. Y'all got good food out here.
"Other than driving on the opposite side of the road... I had to get used to that after I hit a few curbs, but I like seeing all the different types of animals, the birds are so colourful, and it's really green with good scenery."
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