The National Basketball League (NBL) may not be well-known to the masses just yet. However, as far as Australian basketball is concerned, this quest for expanded exposure and popularity isn’t all that far away. Or has it just begun?
With the most Australians ever playing in the NBA right now, plus many more being invited to summer tryouts, the NBL and Australian basketball can hold their heads high in accomplishment. But there is more to be done and more to achieve as the NBL seeks a higher status nationally and globally.
Since its inception into the professional Australian sporting landscape in 1979, the NBL has just celebrated its 40th year as a sporting body. I personally thought this was an amazing feat for such a niche league in Australia which has always been overshadowed by the much more popular football codes of NRL and AFL.
Of course, the NBL’s season does not run parallel with that of the NRL and AFL as it would never survive in terms of crowd attendance or financial viability. However, despite its perceived ‘good health’, the league hasn’t always been thriving in the limelight. From teams going defunct to teams even resorting to consortium’s and business ‘saviours’ to keep their beloved clubs alive, the NBL has been through a lot over the years.
The Hobart Devils, Canberra Cannons and West Sydney Razorbacks are just a handful of examples of teams whose inception into the league looked promising at the time but unfortunately didn’t stand the test of time. It has only been until very recently that with the changeover of ownership of the NBL that the league is starting to once again make some noise.
For all of us ‘Gen Y’ children we all remember the hype, fanfare and excitement that basketball brought with it in the 1990’s. This decade saw Michael Jordan emerge as one of the world’s greatest sporting heroes, who still many today consider the greatest of all time. Even from the likes of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and the popular ‘Space Jam’ movie it was obvious basketball was alive and well at this time.
What was even greater was that America’s success also had a flow on effect with the NBL. Before we knew it we too were also getting swept up in the excitement surrounding basketball at this time. This was the golden era of basketball and really put the sport on the map in Australia. These were great times.
Now we look at today. How is the NBL and Aussie hoops really looking? Have we continued the success of the 90’s? Well maybe not quite yet. However, there is one man in particular who is projecting basketball in Australia once more back onto the sporting mantelpiece for all to see. This is new owner and operator of the NBL, Larry Kestelman. Since his insertion at the helm of Australia’s premier basketball league, Kestelman has seen an evident boost on and off the court to Australian basketball.
Kestelman took the reigns of the NBL over in 2015 and has been an avid supporter of the sport he loves. Investing millions to strengthen the league he has already come up big, organising a 9th team for the league next year (with a 10th to come) as well as striking a 3-year deal with broadcasting giant Channel 9 to screen NBL games twice a week. This is not to mention expanding NBA preseason involvement this year with 6 NBL teams matching up against 8 North American teams in fully televised matches.
Whilst not one NBL team came away with a ‘W’ in the North American continent, there were two games decided by less than 10 points, and even high praise given for a lot of current NBL players by NBA coaches and players.
In essence without Kestelman’s involvement in the NBL today, much would be unknown to the world about just how good the Australian league is. While notable progress has been made by Kestelman, he isn’t the only reason why the NBL and interest in basketball in Australia has seen recent growth.
Put simply, the current rise of Aussie players in the NBA has been a product in itself. Early on it was Bogut who made history for Australian basketball and was selected as the number one pick in the NBA Draft for 2005.
Today it is the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and of course Ben Simmons (last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year and 1st round draft pick) who have all played their part in showcasing Australian basketball talent to the world. This hype of Aussies in the NBA has even spread to the NBL and the league can be thankful for its highest crowd numbers last season ever.
We also cannot look past the return of Andrew Bogut to the NBL which has been a massive coup for the league and its exposure nationally. Bogut has without a doubt become the figure head in promoting the NBL as a top quality basketball league this year. He has also helped the Sydney Kings gain a bigger fan base, whose crowd numbers have dwindled in recent years. As a result – season ticket sales have already increased significantly for the Kings this year.
Our Aussie NBA stars and Kestelman’s true enthusiasm and vigour for the sport of basketball has definitely propped up the NBL into higher publicity. But there is also one player NBL fans may remember who actually did just as big things for the league. This was Terrance Ferguson, and when Joey Wright and the Adelaide 36ers decided to recruit the shooting guard, he was noted as being the next big player to be drafted by the NBA. Whilst Ferguson didn’t pan out as the most standout player for the Sixers, what he did bring with him was a lot of NBA scouting attention.
It wasn’t long before scouts were all across the NBL in the 2015-16 season and our league, unbeknownst to most at the time, was actually getting the attention it deserved. Some of the standout players for the Sixers that season, like Nathan Sobey and Mitch Creek were even invited to NBA summer camps, while other NBL players were also being paid close attention to for scouting purposes. It was since Ferguson’s inception into the NBL that Australian basketball has become undoubtedly more well-known by the NBA and subsequently the world.
Going from strength to strength – can we safely say that the NBL is slowly but surely coming back to its glory days? With the vision and leadership of Mr Kestelman and those doing us proud in the NBA, may we even surpass the success of the 90’s, touted as the ‘golden era’ of basketball? I personally think that yes, this is all very possible. At least within the Australian sporting landscape alone.
For so long has the mass popularity of football – whether it be soccer, Aussie Rules or rugby – taken centre stage in Australian sports. It’s time for a new era of great Australian basketball. This all starts with a new and improved NBL and I think this is exactly what we are on the cusp of right now.
As a sports-mad nation, basketball is finally starting to get noticed again and receive the respect it deserves. What better way than through our very own league of the NBL. Here’s to its continued success and may this success never falter.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
