‘Exciting times’ as NBL season gets under way
WELCOME to the Hungry Jack’s NBL 2017/18 season, the 40th season of one of Australia’s longest running national sporting competitions.
These are exciting times for Australian basketball as it welcomes our new naming rights partner Hungry Jack’s back to the NBL 30 years after it signed its first naming-right partnership.
Last season we saw record crowds attend NBL games across Australia and New Zealand in what was one of the most competitive and exciting seasons in the league’s history.
Every game was broadcast live on Fox Sports and NBL TV and live-streamed to millions of fans in China.
We welcomed the Brisbane Bullets back to the NBL and fans enjoyed a first-class entertainment experience at stadiums across the country. The season climaxed with an exciting Grand Final series won by the Perth Wildcats, their second consecutive NBL Championship.
This season we will unveil NBL Game Time presented by Kmart, our marquee game simulcast live on Fox Sports and SBS at 5.30pm on Saturday. SBS will also broadcast games live at 3pm every Sunday with the ABC also broadcasting games on Friday evening.
We will celebrate our 40th season with a special “Heritage Month” in January. Clubs will mark the occasion by wearing heritage-themed jerseys as we celebrate the history of the NBL.
All these initiatives will build more exposure for the sport and help us reach new fans. Basketball is already the second highest participation sport in the country with around one million participants and we want them to be part of the one of the world’s premier basketball leagues.
We have a record number of Australians playing in the NBA and over winter we saw two NBL players, Terrance Ferguson and Torrey Craig, selected by Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
This is a great endorsement of the NBL and shows we are a legitimate pathway to the NBA. The standard of athletes and level of professionalism has never been higher and the world is taking notice.
During the off-season we staged our first NBL Combine to help unearth the next stars and staged games between the NBL and the Chinese national team here and in China. We also saw a number of NBL players and coaches participate in the NBA Summer League.
In an NBL first, three teams, the Sydney Kings, Melbourne United and Brisbane Bullets travel to the US to play in the NBA pre-season, playing Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns.
This is momentous for the NBL, our players, clubs and Australian basketball and we hope it can become a regular fixture.
Thank you to all our clubs, players, corporate partners, broadcasters and media for your ongoing support. Most of all we thank the fans for their passion and loyalty.
The sleeping giant of Australian sport is awake. We now have an opportunity to take basketball in Australia to the next level and inspire a new legion of fans. We hope you enjoy what promises to be an exciting season. Jeremy Loeliger is the chief executive officer of the NBL