The Story Behind the Painting: The ball felt smooth in my hands, the weight familiar yet distant—like an old friend I hadn’t seen in too long. I spun it on my fingertips, feeling the energy buzz through me. Basketball had always been my escape, my passion, my dream. But in Coober Pedy, where the courts were quiet and the games were just memories, that dream had started to feel out of reach.

Then the WNBL Lightning team came. They didn’t just bring basketball—they brought hope. They reminded me of what it felt like to run the court, to hear the steady bounce of the ball, to feel the adrenaline rise as the net swished. I realised then: my dream hadn’t disappeared—it had just been waiting for its moment.

So, I painted. I poured everything into it—the movement, the connection, the fire inside me that refused to fade. The basketball at the centre wasn’t just a ball—it was my dream, surrounded by the stories of where I’d been and where I was going. When I handed the piece to the Lightning team, I wasn’t just giving them a painting. I was sharing a part of my journey.

This piece reflects Keira's personal dream of reconnecting with basketball and the fire it sparked within her—not to be confused with traditional Dreaming stories of Aboriginal culture.