'A beautiful thing': Alex Bunton drives Canberra Capitals' WNBL domestic violence awareness round

March 4, the day the Canberra Capitals host domestic violence awareness round, doubles as Bunton's daughter Opal's birthday.

Opal, the little girl who captures the hearts of everyone inside the National Convention Centre when she races onto the court at the end of a game, is Bunton's why.

Because basketball isn't just about Bunton anymore. Not much is.

That's why she is the driver behind the Capitals' player-led domestic violence awareness round, to be held when Canberra host the Perth Lynx in their final game of the season.

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Bunton spoke about being a victim of domestic violence not just for herself, but for anyone experiencing the same trauma.

"I brought myself to a place where I knew I had to be transparent. I was in a position where I was emotionally and mentally okay sharing my story, because I knew it was going to help people," Bunton said.

"It wasn't hard for me to realise the situation I was in was going to help so many more people, and not just myself.

"It's a very hard place to be in when you're alone, and basketball has helped me come out of this. To have women around me who are not just fighting for me, but fighting for everyone else, is a beautiful thing.

"It's such a taboo subject from the stigma society has created for it. It's amazing to have a different story this time, to have a different voice. It's not just my voice, but my team and the Caps as an organisation. To have some personal emotion behind it is going to be huge."

Where Bunton stands today seems a world away from where she was in 2019.

The former Australian basketball star was retired from the game and suffering in an abusive relationship. Her former partner would be convicted and receive a suspended sentence and probation in court for two counts of assault creating actual bodily harm.

Now she is back on the court - continuing a stirring comeback following 11 knee surgeries - and in a healthy relationship, with a daughter whose smile is infectious.

Bunton has promised this is just the start.

Fronting a media conference flanked by co-captains Britt Smart and Jade Melbourne, and an AFP officer, she vowed to push a domestic violence awareness round onto the WNBL's radar in the hope of it becoming a league-wide initiative.

"If you asked me when I was coming back to basketball, I didn't even picture this could be a thing. I pinch myself to just believe this is going to be bigger than us, bigger than myself," Bunton said.

"We're trying to create that stepping stone for it to become bigger. It's bigger than us, so it shouldn't just be a one-time thing. It's not going to be tokenistic. It should be spoken about all the time.

"We got the AFP involved who came and told us some more of those hard subjects to talk about with DV. To have more of that seriousness coming from people who deal with it every single day, that helped the team have more of an understanding, especially for the people who haven't been a victim of domestic violence.

"That's something huge about this round as well, so more people know about it. It's not just for victims, it's for people around to be able to help."

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