Keeping the NBL alive:
Powerhouse NBL clubs, the Saints and Sharks, might not be featuring, but Brendon Egan hears how organisers expect the retooled competition will still be a success.
NATIONAL Basketball League boss Justin Nelson has swatted away criticism of the reformatted competition like a centre protecting the rim.
Live every New Zealand sport, the NBL, in its 39th season, had to adapt in a vastly altered Covid-19 landscape.
The retooled NBL Showdown will run over six weeks at Auckland’s Trusts Arena, starting Tuesday night, and feature seven teams and 84 players. A new trophy will be presented to reflect this isn’t a typical NBL season with homeand-away games.
Missing from the competition will be NBL powerhouses, the
Wellington Saints, Southland Sharks, and last year’s beaten finalists, Hawke’s Bay Hawks. The Saints and Sharks have won the past seven NBL titles.
Their absence has caused some to question the credibility of the NBL Showdown. Longtime Saints owner Nick Mills and Tall Blacks and Breakers star Corey Webster have been two of the most outspoken critics.
Player welfare (limited preseason time leading into the competition) and the heavy financial burden were the key reasons the Saints, Sharks, and Hawks were reluctant to participate.
The Sharks and Hawks were supportive of the makeshift competition going ahead and several of their players will be involved, having been selected in last Thursday’s inaugural NBL draft.
‘‘I think those teams are missing out on something really special at an incredibly important time for our game,’’ Nelson said.
‘‘I understand and respect the reasons they’re not playing, but if you look at the coverage and traction that basketball has had in the last month by virtue of the concept we’ve put together, it’s arguably made basketball more talked about in New Zealand than ever before.’’
Nelson disputes the argument that whoever wins the NBL Showdown will have an asterisk next to their name, without the ‘big three’ involved.
The league had to evolve and think outside the square for 2020.