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Logue Down: Up to date news and whispers out of the NBL

The footy codes like to think they have a monopoly on the sporting fixture, but the NBL and AFLW are giving them a run for their money in one key metric.

Matt LogueMatt Logue
@mattlogue7
6 min read
December 9, 2022 - 7:30AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
The Basketball Show 2022/23 | Brisbane Bullets

Here is further proof that the NBL and Australian basketball, is growing in popularity.

Google Australia has released its most-searched topics in 2022, including the top 10 in sport.

The NBL came in at No.10 ahead of the NRL and AFL in a big result for the booming Aussie league.

Major global sporting events, the Australian Open tennis and the FIFA World Cup head the list.

It wasn’t that long ago when the NBL had no chance of featuring in a top-10 most-googled sport list, which is a testament to the league’s improvement.

SHAQ CURIOUS ABOUT STAKE IN NBL

NBL owner Larry Kestelman plans to lock in global commercial partners next year to secure the competition’s future, with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal one of his options.

Kestelman has received a “huge” amount of interest from investors keen to be involved in the Australian league, but he wants partners who can offer more than dollars.

It’s why he is holding serious conversations with potential partners like four-time NBA champion and a worldwide superstar in O’Neal, whose popularity extends beyond basketball.

Kestelman stressed he won’t look at his investing options for at least another six months, but the man nicknamed ‘Shaq’ is a genuine option.

“He (Shaq) has definitely left that door open,” Kestelman said about O’Neal, whose net value as of December this year is $400 million (US) while he has 27.9 million Instagram followers.

Shaquille O'Neal has taken an interest in investing in the NBL.
Shaquille O'Neal has taken an interest in investing in the NBL.

“He is interested. He is a very shrewd businessman, and he is having a particularly good look at it (the NBL).

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“When he was over here earlier this year, he asked the right questions, and it has his curiosity.

“That is a conversation that we’ll continue with him.

“He would be one of those ambassadors that if he did buy into a club or the league, it would be interesting because of his voice and influence.

“He is definitely on the radar both ways. He is having a look and we’re having a look, so there is definite interest there.

“The only partners we’ll bring on will be more strategic and not purely financial.

“It’s about growing our global brand, so we can make ourselves more relevant in Asia and US.”

O’Neal is already working closely with Kestelman via Reebok Australia.

Kestelman recently secured the exclusive distribution rights for Reebok in Australia and New Zealand.

O’Neal is a brand ambassador for Reebok in the US, so the NBL boss thought it was a no-brainer to secure the champion centre on a separate ambassador deal for Reebok Australia.

Shaquille O'Neal during his NBA career playing at the Los Angeles Lakers alongside fellow great Kobe Bryant. Picture: NBAE/Getty Images
Shaquille O'Neal during his NBA career playing at the Los Angeles Lakers alongside fellow great Kobe Bryant. Picture: NBAE/Getty Images


The NBA great linking with the NBL is a prospect Kestelman could only dream of when he took over a broken Australian league on the verge of collapse in 2015.

The competition had one sponsor in Wilson basketballs, the league had no broadcast and there were genuine fears for its long-term future.

In the space of just seven years, Kestelman has turned his 7 million investment into one of the greatest success stories in Australian sport.

The NBL is now a respected global brand as arguably the second-best league outside of the NBA.

The league has also become a genuine pathway and breeding ground to the world’s best competition, as shown through current stars like LaMelo Ball and Australia’s own Josh Giddey.

“To be where we are now, “I’m super proud,” Kestelman said in a week when he celebrates his 1000th NBL game as the league’s owner.

“When I took over the league it was pretty bad, but I believed in the sport.

“Now we’ve got some of the best companies involved, wonderful broadcast partners, crowds and the sport is flying.

“I’m also a little happy for myself because it all could’ve gone very wrong.”

Thankfully, Kestelman’s gamble has paid off, and the NBL is booming as a national and international product.

He isn’t satisfied, though, and he is determined to maintain the NBL’s upwards trajectory and grow league’s global reach.

COOKS SNUB A DRIVING MOTIVATION

Sydney Kings star forward Xavier Cooks is playing with a point to prove, according to Kings teammate Dejan Vasiljevic.

Cooks has starred this season, prompting his coach Chase Buford to declare him the league’s best player by a mile.

According to Vasiljevic, the Ballarat-born forward has plenty of motivation to perform ahead of Thursday’s top-of-the-table clash against the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland from 5.30pm (AEDT).

“He (Xavier) was playing great last year and should have been on the First Team All-NBL and should have been in the conversation for the MVP,” Vasiljevic said.

“He has been playing unreal basketball and there is motivation to it with the World Cup coming up next year.

“He also understands that this is his time to try and make the jump to the NBA and it’s so much fun playing with him because he makes life so much easier.”

PHOENIX’S EYES ON FROLING

Explosive import guard Tyler Harvey is always a key focus for teams who face Illawarra Hawks.

But South East Melbourne coach Simon Mitchell says improving Boomer Sam Froling, on Thursday, will be a key focus when Phoenix host Hawks.

The big man picked Melbourne United apart on Monday night to the tune of 29 points and nine rebounds and Mitchell has impressed upon his tall brigade that they must match the 22-year-old‘s workrate to keep him in check.

“He‘s a guy who gets himself going. When he’s doing the dirty work, I feel like that lends itself to the more blue chip element that he’s got,“ Mitchell said.

“So, when he‘s hitting the boards and he’s getting on the floor and he’s doing a little bit of that I think it enables his post-game and then his jump shot, and I think when his teammates see him doing the little things really well, I feel like that builds their confidence in him to go at him.”

South East Melbourne is conscious of Illawarra Hawks star Sam Froling’s impact. Picture: Getty Images
South East Melbourne is conscious of Illawarra Hawks star Sam Froling’s impact. Picture: Getty Images

The Hawks, now healthy and with new import Michael Frazier beginning to acclimatise, go into the clash having snapped a nine-game losing streak, so Mitchell is wary his side will need to bring its best to hold them off.

LIKE: It’s easy to get excited for next year’s men’s basketball World Cup with so many Australians starring across the globe, especially in the NBA. Boomers young guns Josh Green (Dallas), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans) and Josh Giddey (OKC) are all balling out with standout displays. Green has been particularly impressive for the Mavericks. The Sydney-born shooting guard exploded in a big win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, dropping 16 points and adding four rebounds and five assists in a memorable 31-minute stint. Green’s continued development is hugely positive for the Boomers ahead of next August’s World Cup in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The Australians are loaded with world-class talent, and it’s the squad’s youngest members who are shining the brightest.

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman is facing a tough challenge in NBL23. Picture: Getty Images
Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman is facing a tough challenge in NBL23. Picture: Getty Images

DISLIKE: People calling for the head of Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman following United’s substandard 5-10 start to season are off the mark. Of course, Vickerman must take on responsibility for United’s poor results, but it’s unfair to question his head coaching job. In his five years at Melbourne, he has three top spot finishes and two titles. Vickerman faces a tough task to make the playoffs this season, but United has also had its fair share of setbacks. This includes: losing rising big Ariel Hukporti on the eve of the season to Achilles rupture while gun guard Shea Ili had no pre-season and has battled concussion symptoms for three months after a pair of head knocks. Vickerman is one of the league’s best coaches, and he’ll rise again.

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Originally published as Logue Down: Up to date news and whispers out of the NBL

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