A BIG NOD TO OUR US FORCES
PRIDE IN AN EVER-GROWING GROUP OF NBL ALL-STARS
LANARD Copeland will feel like a proud dad pacing the sidelines when he sees the strong NBL connection at this year’s NBA All-star Weekend.
The world was a different place in 1992 when Copeland left the US bound for Australia to sign with the Melbourne Tigers as the franchise’s star import. The global basketball community was Chicago Bullsmad as Michael Jordan led the Bulls to their second championship, and Australia’s NBL was a blip on the hoops radar.
“Plus, the internet wasn’t a big thing like it is now, so the average American had little to no knowledge of the Australian league,” Copeland said.
“So, it’s amazing to see so many former NBL players now making their mark in the NBA and at the All-stars.”
Today, the NBL is a legitimate breeding ground for the NBA. The league’s Next Stars program – introduced in 2018-2019 to contract overseas players and develop them in Australia to give them the best chance of being drafted into the NBA – has proven to be a successful stepping stone.
The concept has helped the likes of Terrance Ferguson, RJ Hampton, Lamelo Ball and Australia’s own Josh Giddey take the step to the world’s best
league. Throw in more experienced players using the NBL as a platform to the NBA via short-term stints, like former Sydney King turned Houston Rocket Jae’sean Tate, and there is no denying Australia’s breeding ground status.
As a result, the NBL will have a strong presence at this
year’s All-star Weekend, with Giddey, Tate and Ball all competing in the Rising Stars game.
Giddey also has a spot in the Skills Challenge while former Illawarra Hawk Ball is the first NBL player to play in the game.
Then there is Boomers veteran and ex-melbourne Tiger Patty Mills – who is enjoying a career-best shooting season with Brooklyn and has been named in the Three-point contest. Copeland can’t wait to spend this weekend on his couch as he proudly watches the NBL contingent strut their stuff in Cleveland.
“All these guys are putting on a show at the moment– it’s great to see,” he said. “Lamelo is making the NBA his own, Giddey’s rookie season has been remarkable, and Tate is a great story to go to the Houston Rockets via a successful stint with the Sydney Kings.”
The NBL’S rise to respectability in NBA circles hasn’t come quickly. It has taken time and patience to regain the world’s best league’s trust after the domestic league in Australia fell off a financial cliff prior to Larry Kestelman purchasing a majority stake in 2015.
Since then, Kestelman has set up the annual NBL versus NBA pre-season games while the two competitions work closely when it comes to recruiting talent. It’s a strong connection the NBL boss freely admits he didn’t see coming when he bought an Australian league deep in millions of debt.
“When we took over the league, there was so much work to be done, it was hard to even think forward to having multiple former NBL players competing in All-star weekend events,” Kestelman said.
“It is a credit to our clubs, partners and fans that the league is now in a position where we not only attract, but successfully develop, All-star level NBA players.”