Basketball: Calls for greater transparency in the NBL grow louder after leaked report

In the wake of exclusive revelations about NBL clubs’ salary cap spends, a hoops great says its time the league came clean to fans on player wages.

NBL legend Derek Rucker has called on the league to be more transparent with club spends and player salaries, declaring fans deserve to know the truth of how their club is truly performing.

Rucker’s view is shared by several club bosses contacted on Monday, after News Corp revealed last season’s final club expenditure report which highlighted every club’s spend on the cap for the 2021/2022 campaign.

The expenditure report raised more questions about how the league’s soft salary cap system operates and how some clubs are manipulating the exemptions.

Rucker said total transparency would remove the innuendo and give fans and commentators clarity when judging the performance of their team.

“The NBL is one of the few markets in the world where the team spends, and player wages aren’t public,” Rucker said.

Aron Baynes was a big money signing for NBL23 – Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith wants more transparency on player wages.

“We (the NBL) are really sitting on an island by ourselves and it’s probably time to just go ahead and be public with this stuff and let’s see what is what.

“If I’m ripping some guy and he is only on $55,000, then maybe he did a better job and the criticism the player received wasn’t worthy.

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“Everything comes back to the dollar and there is a direct correlation between performance and dollars.

“It would be interesting to be able to evaluate coaches and clubs as well. So, how well did this coach go with his $2 million dollar roster budget?

“If these spends are made public, everyone will know how smoothly or not their franchise is operating.”

The expenditure report showed that the championship-winning Sydney Kings spent $135,000 under the league’s soft salary cap, while three teams exceeded the soft cap including Perth Wildcats with the largest spend at $400,000 over despite failing to make the finals for the first time in 35 years.

Sydney Kings chairman and owner Paul Smith told News Corp on Monday: “We stand by our previous statement that we support transparency.”

Many fans welcomed the revelations about club cap spends, but expressed frustration that further details on how the soft cap works aren’t in the public domain.

The Kings spent $135,000 under the salary cap. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

This includes player salaries and how the marquee player system and injuries work in relation to being included in the soft cap.

For example, teams get concessions for the amount included in the cap for their marquee players – a concession used by every team in the league.

An injured player’s payment comes off the cap for every game missed and is replaced by the substitute’s fee – another concession which aided the Kings last year who despite their stacked roster had stars like Jaylen Adams and Xavier Cooks both miss several games due to injury.

News Corp spoke to multiple team officials on Monday who didn’t go on the record, but would like to see the club spends made public to provide more clarity despite the league and the Players’ Association’s reluctance.

The decision as to whether the salary cap or player wages are made public ultimately sits with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association.

The NBL has previously said it would back figures being made public, but only with the support of the ABPA.

Club spending becoming public knowledge has long been a big debate in the NBL – and the players and coaches agreed in last year’s Players’ Poll when 45 of the 75 participants voted that club spends should be public for transparency purposes.

But players strongly opposed their wages being made public, with a whopping 53 of the 75 against the idea.

Major market teams like Melbourne United and the Sydney Kings have long been accused of having an advantage over regional teams like Illawarra or Cairns, but what is the reality?

Total transparency is the only way the NBL can remove the confusion for fans, who clearly want and deserve to know the truth.

Originally published as Basketball: Calls for greater transparency in the NBL grow louder after leaked report