Basketball has been forced to a back seat as the Opals deal with more off-court issues just months out from their tilt at a sixth consecutive Olympic medal in Rio.
Superstar Liz Cambage slammed fellow national squad member Alice Kunek over a photo she posted on social media of herself dressed as rapper Kanye West in "blackface" at an end-of-season WNBL party.
Cambage, whose father is Nigerian, said she was "shocked" and "disturbed" by the behaviour.
"People wonder why I have issues with some @BasketballAus teammates, I've been dealing with these behavior since we were kids," she posted on Twitter.
Kunek, who plays for the Melbourne Boomers, deleted the post and apologised soon after, saying she never meant to offend any teammates, fans or people in the community.
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She also called and left a message for Cambage - who is playing in China - on Monday, hoping to apologise directly and resolve any issues.
Both players have since been lambasted for their actions across social media.
While Kunek has been criticised for her painted face, Cambage has come under fire for publicly airing her grievances.
Basketball Australia chief executive Anthony Moore was admittedly disappointed by the incident but hoped the pair would sort out their differences.
If not, the matter would be addressed by Opals coach Brendan Joyce and former mentor Jan Stirling when Cambage is back in Australia at a team camp in Canberra next month.
"We'd certainly prefer incidents like this not to occur but the unfortunate reality is they have, so we deal with what we're confronted with," Moore told AAP.
"We'll go through that facilitated discussion, but that's for Jan and Brendan to work out what that process is at the right time when all the athletes gather."
The March camp is the first of four scheduled between now and the Olympics.
It will be Cambage's first since being dropped for last year's Oceania Olympic qualifiers after working at a music festival instead of attending a compulsory training camp.
Her decision was criticised by fellow Opal Rachel Jarry, to which Cambage responded on Facebook by calling a characterisation of the pair as good friends as a "sick joke".
The bad blood still lingers, with Cambage telling the Herald Sun earlier this month issues remained unresolved.
The Opals are considered a strong medal chance at the Rio Olympics, having claimed one at every Games since 1996 - except gold.
They may have to do it this time without superstar Lauren Jackson, who is battling to overcome a persistent knee injury.
She is giving herself until March to decide whether she'll be available.
Regardless, Moore is "absolutely confident" the Opals' charge towards a medal is on track.
"These are highly professional athletes in the Olympic squads that get together with a single view to try and medal the Olympic Games," he said.
"We're after the biggest and shiniest gold medal, which has eluded us."
Following the Kunek incident, BA - with the support of the Australian Basketballers' Association - has vowed to take a leading role in educating players on racial and religious vilification at national team camps and championships.
The Boomers have also announced a review of its processes around educating players on sensitive social issues.
