Australian Opals and WNBL star Abby Bishop tells all about adopting her two-day-old niece Zala

Abby Bishop was in the prime of her basketball career when she faced the biggest decision of her life – and only seconds to make it.

Her sister had just given birth but was unable to raise the child and Department of Human Services officers circled around.

Bishop was a star basketball player for the Canberra Capitals and Australian Opals, just 24 years old and with the world at her feet.

Hours later, she huddled in a motel room with a newborn and a hastily packed bag from K-Mart, wondering what to do next.

Bishop faced the life-changing decision when she realized her sister was unable to care for her newborn baby, Zala. Fearing that her niece would end up in foster care, Abby chose to step in and take on the role of Zala’s mother.

“I still remember the moment there were two DHS officers standing with clipboards — I said, ‘No, she’s not going to foster, she’s coming with me,’ I definitely didn’t think twice, she’s family,” Bishop told the Announce sun.

“I had nothing for a baby, literally had to go to the Kmart to get bottles and I bought a cheap stroller and some blankets and clothes and diapers.

“Mum used to own a motel in Darwin, so I got a room for free and here I was alone in a hotel with a two-day-old baby.”

Bishop (pictured playing for the Australian Opals in 2012) was a rising basketball star but had to make the huge decision to withdraw from the 2014 World Championships to prioritize caring for her daughter

Since Bishop made the life-changing decision to adopt her niece, the couple have traveled the world and forged a bond that can’t be broken

Bishop didn’t have much time to collect her thoughts and was immediately thrust into the role of both parent and professional basketball player.

“I was in my basketball days, playing well and I was thinking to myself about how the club would react,” she said.

Amazingly, Bishop was back on the field just two days later with her new baby on the sidelines.

The pair were set to travel the world together, but they faced huge hurdles.

Not many concessions were made to single mothers in professional sports at the time, and Bishop was forced to pull out of the 2014 World Championships.

It was a sacrifice she would make again and again for her daughter.

But the real challenge came the day Zala got old enough for Google – and discovered the true story of her birth and birth mother.

“You’re not my real mother,” she declared.

It was a question Bishop knew would come at some point, but he was never really prepared for.

“I played for Bologna in Italy and Zala went to an Italian school and she didn’t know yet — I was still just a mom,” Bishop said.

“I’d talked to quite a few people about when it’s the right time to tell her, but everyone had said to me ‘you know when to do it, if your guts tell you.’

“But I didn’t get a chance to plan it. My first instinct was to say ‘no, no, no, that’s not true’ because I didn’t know what to do, it was just so sudden.

Bishop enjoys family time with her daughter Zala and her mother, who has been a huge support for the past 10 years

Bishop is still playing professional basketball 10 years later in a career that has included an Olympic bronze medal and three WNBL championships

Bishop celebrates her 34th birthday with Zala, 10 years after split-second decision to adopt her niece

‘The next day I said ‘Zaaals’ and then we sat down and had a good talk and I explained everything to her.

“She’s always been pretty mature, but she went quiet for a while and you could see her little brain ticking.

“She asked a few questions and that was it, she didn’t really bring it up with me again.

“I’m just mom and I think she only said ‘You’re not my real mom’ once when she was in trouble.

‘I’m glad it turned out this way. It didn’t change anything between us and I could tell her the whole story.’