Grant Simmer has beaten Team NZ three times in a row . . . and he’s got them in his sights once more
NZ’s National Basketball League will celebrate its 40th season in 2021 and its GM tells Brendon Egan the time has come to build on its popularity.
Buoyed by the success of the Showdown, the National Basketball League [NBL] wants its 40th season to be a slam dunk in 2021.
New Zealand’s men’s NBL will return to a home-and-away 10-team competition next year, with the 11-time champion Wellington Saints, fellow powerhouse the Southland Sharks, and Hawke’s Bay Hawks all back on the hardwood.
Those three sides sat out the Covid-19 inspired NBL Showdown event, which saw seven teams competing over six weeks at Auckland’s Trusts Arena in June-July.
The Showdown, which featured an inaugural player draft, where talent was dispersed among the teams, was a hit both on and off the court at a time where minimal sport was on.
If the Showdown hadn’t got off the ground, NBL general manager Justin Nelson said New Zealand’s flagship men’s league faced an uncertain future in 2021 and beyond.
‘‘I said right from the start that the threat to our business was extinction. It was really important we kept breathing and thankfully we had the strong support of our partners, of seven teams, and of 84 players.
‘‘I will be in my position grateful to all of those people for a very long time because they have positioned, not only the league to be viable going forward, but they have helped to strengthen it substantially.’’
Joining the Saints, Sharks and Hawks will be the seven Showdown sides, the Auckland Huskies, Franklin Bulls, Taranaki Mountain Airs, Manawatu¯ Jets, Nelson Giants, Canterbury Rams, and champion Otago Nuggets.
The NBL, which has been around since 1982, is one of the great survivors of New Zealand sport. While many other domestic competitions in this country have undergone different guises or fallen away, the NBL has managed to stay alive.
Nelson wants the league’s 40th season to be a celebration of its longevity, teams and the many larger-than-life characters who have graced the court and wowed fans.
The 2021 season will tip off on April 24 with Showdown champions, the Nuggets, taking on the 2019 NBL champions, the Saints, in a mouth-watering opener.
Each side will play nine home games and nine away games, with Sky Sport again broadcasting every clash. Showdown games were also beamed into the United States via ESPN 3’s digital platform – something that will happen again with the NBL, which Nelson said was important for the league’s international reach and exposure. Fans remained the NBL’s most important people and Nelson said it was pivotal teams could play at their home stadiums around the country in 2021.
‘‘For us to be in a position and planning to go to a full home-andaway season with more than 90 games, I’m rapt. What we did and what we achieved in 2020 made that possible.’’
The NBL Final Four will be contested over July 22-23, with six cities in contention for hosting rights. A decision on the successful venue is expected just prior to the start of the competition.
To mark the NBL’s 40th birthday, the league will name its top40 players from the last 40 years. The formidable task will be decided by a yet-to-be confirmed five-person panel.
Another change for 2021 will see teams allowed two restricted (import) players, compared to the usual three. With overseas players unable to feature in the Showdown because of border restrictions, homegrown Kiwi talent shone in large minutes on court. The teams had all agreed to move to two imports per side, which would allow New Zealand players to continue flourishing.
A competitive balance system, which was set to be used for the 2020 NBL prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, will also be used to promote an even playing field.
Any player that wishes to compete in the 2021 NBL will need to register for free agency from November 1, with the free agency period opening November 16.
‘‘ The fascination that people had with a competitively balanced competition can’t be understated,’’ Nelson said.
‘‘What our teams have taken away from that is that’s the future of our league. At the same time we want to make sure that the teams that traditionally find it harder to bring in revenue, compared to some of the teams higher up on the ladder, we want to make sure we are pushing for excellence in those areas as well.’’
The NBL is striving for all 10 teams to have fulltime general managers, a goal they are close to reaching, Nelson said.
Basketball is booming in New Zealand, with participation numbers on the rise, and it being the fastest-growing sport in the country.
Nelson said they wanted to tap into that and get strong crowds to games, increased television viewership, and more people interested in the NBL – which he believed the Showdown and draft concept had achieved this year.
He was thrilled several potential new commercial partners were close to being finalised.
‘‘One thing that 2020 proved to us [about] the player draft is it got everyone talking, whether they were ardent basketball fans, or passive supporters, and for many who knew nothing about the league. They all started talking about the NBL.’’ Something Nelson is eager to flow on into 2021.