NBL owner Larry Kestelman says the explosion in audience growth places the league in the top-tier
The massive growth in audience this year means the NBL should be considered in the same tier as the AFL, NRL and BBL according to owner Larry Kestelman.
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Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford must be on his best behaviour during the NBL’s upcoming championship series, as another outburst could lead to a suspension which has the potential to derail the Kings’ title defence.
It comes as Buford has vowed to be more respectful towards officials following a host of indiscretions that’s left the Kings mentor walking a fine line between fines and time on the sidelines.
NBL officials will be keeping a close eye on Sydney coach’s behaviour throughout the grand final series against New Zealand, which tips off on Friday at Qudos Bank Arena.
Buford, though, is determined to move past the headlines involving referees.
He declared he wants to bury the hatchet with veteran referee Chris Reid, who he has vocally criticised over on-court decisions dating back to last season.
Buford was fined $10,000 and handed a suspended one-match ban for insinuating Reid held a bias against his team and writing profanities on the officials’ door following a close loss to Illawarra.
In Game 2 of last year’s grand final series against the JackJumpers, Buford was fined $375 after angrily kicking the LED advertising signage, resulting in damage to the panel.
These incidents prompted Buford to visit a psychologist to deal with his temperament.
A fortnight ago, he received a league fine for saying “Chris Reid sucks” on the broadcast following an incorrect call during Sydney’s semi-final loss to Cairns.
Buford hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Reid, but he insists it isn’t personal.
“We’ve had some dialogue over the years, but I respect him as an official and we’ll move forward,” Buford said about Reid, who is in the mix to referee the championship series between the Kings and Breakers.
“It’s just something that happened in the moment.
“I mean, they pick the best for the finals and we’re happy to have whoever they have.
“I just hope that our guys can focus on the basketball between two great teams.”
Sydney hasn’t played since defeating Cairns in the deciding semi-final game on February 19, but Buford isn’t concerned.
Star Xavier Cooks has a simple message for the Sydney Kings’ haters … ‘talk all you like’.Â
— NBL (@NBL) February 26, 2023
Get ready for the Championship Series showdown between the @SydneyKings and the @NZBreakers, starting on Friday, March 3. pic.twitter.com/uIoRMP95gF
He says the Kings have made the most of the one-week FIBA window to fine tune broken bodies before ramping up preparations to beat the Breakers.
“We used the week to give some guys some time off, so it has been good.
“It was a lot about getting some guys healthy and we didn’t focus too much on New Zealand.
“We just wanted to focus on us and our habits, but this week will be a bit more scout prep and making sure that we are firing on all cylinders on Friday.”
Sydney is strong $1.40 favourites heading into Friday’s opening championship series game against New Zealand ($3.00).
The Kings also lead the season series 2-1, although the Breakers won the most recent clash back in round 16.
Buford is preparing for a battle at both ends of the floor against a talented yet tough New Zealand side.
“Defensively they are up and in you and physical,” he said.
“They want to make life at that end difficult to bring the game to a grind and play limited possessions.
“Whereas we are probably at the other end of the spectrum.
“Then offensively, they are really good at the pick and roll.
“They are space it really well and you’ve got to make some decisions on what you what to give up. We’ll just have to be locked in and know what our coverages are and execute really well.”
Buford believes Sydney’s star power, depth and selfless play puts the men in purple in the perfect position to beat the Breakers.
“We’ve got really good players,” he said.
“We’ve got the league MVP in Xavier Cooks, a First All-Team guard in Derrick Walton Jr, DJ, Tim Soares and Justin Simon.
“I mean, we’ve also got a great bench to back those guys up. It is a pleasure to coach them, so they give me a lot of confidence.”
2022/2023 NBL Championship Series: Game 1
Friday, March 3:
Sydney Kings vs New Zealand Breakers at Qudos Bank Arena from 7.30pm and Live on ESPN and Kayo
‘WE HATE THE KINGS’: LEAGUE MVP HITS OUT AT RIVAL FANS
Matt Logue and Michael Randall
Sydney Kings star and NBL MVP Xavier Cooks has taken a cheeky dig at Perth Wildcats fans, as online hatred towards the Kings ramps up in the lead-up to the championship series against New Zealand.
The Kings’ success — and arrogance, according to rivals — has led to the franchise becoming the NBL’s most disliked team.
Case in point a tweet from former Tasmanian premier and staunch JackJumpers fan David Bartlett: “Don’t worry Kiwis, we hate ‘em too,” he tweeted with an image of Australia and NZ all pink, in reference to the Breakers’ colours, with a tiny purple dot representing the Kings that was supposed to be in Sydney, but might have been just slightly north of the Harbour City.
The post prompted rival fans to pile on with their hatred for the Kings — especially those in the red army.
Cooks, though, is embracing the hate and specifically called out the Wildcats’ faithful.
“A lot of those people are just people out west bored at home and tweeting stuff,” Cooks said.
“I care when we go into an arena, and we get booed. That kind of fuels me up and gives me energy, but the Instagram and Twitter I don’t care about.
“I don’t post on Twitter that much – that isn’t my type of life – but if people want to talk on social media, they can talk all they like.
“I love it – either way it is creating a buzz around basketball.
“Either you love the Kings or you hate the Kings, it’s creating a buzz in Sydney and that is what it is about.
“Changing the whole era of basketball in Sydney is what I’m most proud of during my time with the Kings.”
NBL BLINDSIDED BY NBA’S LATEST BOLD PLAN
The NBL is usually across every detail involving the NBA but it was blindsided when the idea of a mid-season tournament involving international teams was recently floated.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed he was weighing up the possibility of an in-season competition between NBA and clubs from around the world.
“It may be that, at some point, there’s an in-season tournament, but it includes clubs from outside the NBA,” Silver said during last week’s NBA All-Star Weekend.
NBL boss Larry Kestelman said the NBA’s concept wasn’t currently on the Australian league’s radar.
The NBL season ends in mid-March, which would prevent the two grand final teams from partaking in any tournament in the US.
The league could send one of the other eight teams, but you also want your best to take on the NBA’s finest.
“We have heard rumours that they may be open to the idea of teams from overseas coming but I have not spoken or heard (from the NBA) so it’s not something that is a discussion right now,” Kestelman said.
“We’re looking at how to innovate ourselves as to what else we can do within our season and outside our season as we move into the future.”
Melbourne United and Boomers big man Isaac Humphries — who has NBA experience — said Silver’s idea could open up opportunities for Australian hoopers in the US.
“It’s a crazy world over there so any chance that we get to go over and experience that or anyone gets to go experience that, I think it’s great,” Humphries said.
United and Boomers teammate Peatling agreed – if it was done the right way.
“It’d be a great thing but it’s a long way to go to play against a team if they’re resting all their stars, too,” Peatling said.
ALL EYES ON NBL
NBL owner Larry Kestelman believes exploding broadcast ratings and audience numbers back up the feeling at headquarters that the league is finally a legitimate contender in the Australian sporting landscape’s “media wars”.
NBL23 has delivered a near-50 per cent spike on last season’s audience on broadcaster ESPN and Kayo platforms.
Live telecasts have proven enormously popular, up 46 per cent on last season, and NBL games outrate most NBA broadcasts three-to-one. Reach across ESPN and Kayo’s stable has skyrocketed to 1.4 million people — a 38 per cent jump on NBL22.
For Kestelman, it’s a ratings “hoodoo” the league has battled to conquer for years and he believes it’s proof the NBL “has finally arrived” as a genuine player against sporting heavyweights the AFL, NRL and cricket.
“We’ve finally got to the critical mass that I feel like we’re a true worthwhile contender in what heavyweight matches are around media wars — we’re in the game now,” Kestelman said.
“Before, we were maybe a little bit of a second-tier product on television. A decade ago it was a product that didn’t resonate on the screen.
“But we’ve done a lot of work to learn how to story tell better, improve what the product looks like, we’ve innovated and what you see now is the next level of where basketball has been.
“I feel like this year we have arrived.”
The NBL’s heavy focus on young audiences and families has even helped it overtake the AFL on social media app TikTok — 287,500 to 268,400 — thanks to a 125 per cent increase on last year.
The league is on a winner with the female audience, too — nearly half (46 per cent) of all people who watch live games are women.
So what’s next?
League estimates put the number of basketball fans in Australia at about five million but Kestelman is keen to broaden its target to attract more attention from the general sports fan.
“The growth potential is endless, we’ve got a long, long way to grow,” he said.
“If we can grow by 20-30 per cent a year, that’s our goal.
“The sport grows through media partners, so we’ve got News Corp, we’ve got ESPN, we feel like we have a good group behind us with Kayo that will deliver that growth for us.”
ESPN BROADCAST STATISTICS FOR NBL23
Regular season Live NBL games:
-Reached 1.4 million total people — up 38 per cent on NBL22
-Audiences increased by 46 per cent — on the back of a 36 per cent jump in NBL22.
-Digital TV viewing — which makes up 38 per cent of total NBL audience — grew by 38.
-Top live telecast delivered 66,300 viewers and reached 137,000 total people.
Demographics:
-Highest reach growth was in the 18-24 age bracket, with 57 per cent increase.
-People aged 35-44 watched an average of 7.5 games in NBL23.
-46 per cent of the live NBL audience are women.
-Female reach improved by 38 per cent.
-NBL has overtaken AFL in followers on TikTok thanks to a 125 per cent increase.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR SPURNED SAMMY MAC?
NBL great Sam MacKinnon left the Brisbane Bullets with a “heavy heart,” but he remains determined to stay involved in basketball.
Mackinnon is on the lookout for another opportunity in hoops after the Bullets made his general manager of basketball role redundant, following an internal review.
Crosscourt can reveal the two-time NBL championship winner recently reached out to the South East Melbourne Phoenix about potential opportunities.
Mackinnon has assembled a broad basketball resume, including roles as an advisory board member, assistant coach, general manager of basketball and — albeit for a short time — interim head coach.
It will be fascinating to see where he lands next — and which club is willing to give him a shot.
Regardless, Mackinnon will always have a special place in his heart for the Bullets, despite power struggles with fellow powerbrokers that led to his contentious departure.
He left an emotional message on his Instagram account during the week.
“Throughout my 30 years in basketball, some of my fondest times have been with the Bullets, because of the great people we had there,” said Mackinnon, who played 459 NBL games for five clubs.
“To the players, I wish you all nothing but success for the future whether it be in Brisbane or elsewhere.
“It was always an absolute joy working closely with you all and watching you grow and develop, not only into great players, but great men.
“It has been an honour to work for one of the NBL’s foundation clubs that has such a rich history and I wish Justin and the coaching staff all the best for the future years.
“As for the future, I’m truly excited for what is next.”
HOME KAY-MING ON THE CARDS?
A national camp back in Melbourne is a reminder of what Olympic rose-gold Boomer Nick Kay is missing as he dominates in Japan.
Out of contract with Shimane Susanoo Magic at season’s end, dual-NBL champion isn’t sure what his next move will be, but admits the FIBA window “makes you enjoy being in Australia so much more.”
“I’m also enjoying my time in Japan, so we’ll see what happens,” Kay said.
“The best thing about this camp is it doesn’t matter where the guys are playing or what’s next for them, it’s about this one week we’re together and going out there and doing our job by winning two games.”
Kay captained the Boomers in two dead-rubber World Cup qualifiers on Thursday and Sunday, playing with current and former Wildcats in good mate Mitch Norton, Todd Blanchfield and Rhys Vague.
The Tamworth-born big man is a beloved figure in Perth, where he helped lead the Wildcats to back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020.
He would just about have his pick of NBL clubs if he decided to return to Australia, where he was Rookie of the Year in 2016 and twice a member of the All-NBL First Team.
But any fans outside of Perth shouldn’t get too excited: “I am hoping to get back at some point, I don’t know when that will be but WA is home now so it will be great to be able to get back and play for those Wildcats at some point again,” the 30-year-old said.
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