The NBL plans to expand become a reality on the 2nd of September 2018 when businessman Romi Chaudry was granted the license to the NBL’s ninth franchise.
The team now known as South East Melbourne Phoenix, an apt name that incorporates history and a nod to the future all at the same time, is a clear example of the league’s commitment to once focus on league expansion for the first time since the Brisbane Bullets were added to the league in 2015.
Besides Brisbane, which arguably only was admitted into the league due to NBL executive director Larry Kestelman financing the club, adding new teams to the league hasn’t been on the agenda since 2006.
Then the NBL was seemingly poised to head into a new level of prosperity and popularity following the success of large market teams of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
Seeking to capitalise on this rise, the league would go on to grant licenses to three new teams, the Gold Coast Blaze, the Singapore Slingers and a second Melbourne team, the South Dragons.
Initially, this push did spark a level of interest around the nation. Due to a number of factors, however, all three of these new clubs (and others) would fold by 2012 or in other cases, earlier. This turbulent time for the NBL was well publicised, as the league underwent significant financial troubles.
Recently, however, since undergoing a league re-brand, the NBL has made a number of positive moves, culminating in greater fan interest and more coverage in the mainstream Australian sports media.
With improvements across the board, from the competitive standard of play to media coverage and in game fan experience, the league is certainly headed in the right direction.
This upcoming period will be crucial for the league. On an overall level, interest in basketball within Australia has never been higher. According to a report conducted by Roy Morgan research, more than 1 million Australians in 2018 played basketball, either occasionally or regularly. And this is just the documentation of organised games, not taking into account the countless men and women, young and old, regularly playing pickup ball.
Beyond participation, interest in the NBA has skyrocketed in this country. With the accessibility through social media, NBA league pass and increased coverage on ESPN Australia, basketball is more available than ever.
In 2019, Australian NBA fans are not just simply aware of the league, but many are across its every facet. With the success of Ben Simmons, NBA basketball also garners more of a mention on Australian media more than ever before.
This thirst for basketball in Australia has definitely facilitated more crossover interest in the NBL as a result. As the level of play increases, more and more stout NBA fans will hopefully begin to support their homegrown league.
Similar to some soccer fans perspective on the EPL versus the A-League, some fans will inevitably always favour the NBA as it is the apex of basketball around the world. Many of these fans will simply dismiss what they consider to as a lower-level league. This is why the NBL should seek to (where possible) schedule games in order to avoid conflict with live marquee NBA match-ups.
For instance, both of the Melbourne United grand final home games took place on 2:30pm Sunday AEST, directly competing with matchups between OKC vs Golden State and the Lakers and Celtics. While it is true that sometimes these situations are unavoidable, it is crucial that the NBL is at least aware of it.
Another key move has been the infusion of personalities such as Corey Homicide Williams, who not only provides entertainment but also cares about both the games and the league as a whole. The former league MVP has been unafraid to make bold predictions, call out players on Instagram and provide in-game analysis, including a unique insight into the perspective of imports.
The recent success of big city teams Melbourne United, Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers has also played a role in overall fan interest and participation. In the period prior, a league dominated by the New Zealand Breakers, Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats would fail to capture the imagination of basketball fans across Australia’s major population centres. For comparison, even a league as prominent as the AFL would struggle to market a Greater Western Sydney vs Gold Coast grand final.
Hopefully, the addition of the South Melbourne Phoenix will spark an inner-city rivalry between the two clubs, similar to that of the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the A-League. If the Phoenix are successful, a Phoenix vs United playoff match-up would be the ideal outcome for the growth of the NBL throughout the city.
This upcoming season, however, will be a test to see just how much basketball fans in Melbourne will throw their support behind the NBL. If Melbourne United can see sustained support and continue to grow alongside the Phoenix then this push for expansion will be a success.
The potential for effective expansion is there, and the thirst for basketball definitely does exist in Melbourne. There is, however, significant risk in this move. Based on the at-times volatile history of the NBL, in which many teams have come and gone, league management has fallen into the trap of pushing all of their chips into the pot.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix will be a good test to determine the current state of the NBL. As far as how it will play out, we can only wait and see.