Adelaide 36ers turn to high-profile lawyer as legal talks with coach Joey Wright continue
The Adelaide 36ers and coach Joey Wright are engaged in legal talks as their messy split and an external review into the club’s basketball operations continue.
36ers
Don't miss out on the headlines from 36ers. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Wright’s no-show as club owner declares ‘line in the sand’
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
The Adelaide 36ers and coach Joey Wright are engaged in a legal talks as their protracted path towards a seemingly inevitable divorce continues.
The club is being represented by high-profile lawyer Greg Griffin as the two parties continue to negotiate the terms of Wright’s exit.
Wright has been coach of the 36ers for the past seven seasons and remains contracted for the next two after he signed a five-year deal in 2017.
It’s understood they reached a verbal agreement on a contractual payout around two weeks ago, but have not yet reached a formal settlement.
It’s unclear whether Wright is walking away from the job or the club is sacking him after it commissioned an external review into its basketball operations.
Wright was invited to the club’s MVP dinner on Saturday night and a place was set for him at the coaches’ table, and while he did not show, the club did not take issue with his absence.
It came as team owner Grant Kelley declared the disappointing end to the season a “line in the sand” moment in his dream to restore Adelaide’s basketball reputation as “title town” following three championships from 1998 to 2002.
Watch LIVE coverage of the NBL Finals with ESPN on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Wright, who coached his 500th NBL career game in the Sixers’ final regular season loss to Perth, has previously said he would stay on as coach next season if the club wanted him.
But in an interview with SEN last week he seemed resigned to the fact that his time at Adelaide was now over and he was unlikely to coach in the NBL again.
“As a group we finished 12-16, three games away from the fourth-placed team, better attitudes and harder work would have maybe curbed that,” he said.
Adelaide officials declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday as the external review into the team missing finals for the past two seasons continued.
MORE BASKETBALL NEWS
Adelaide 36ers lose to Perth Wildcats 79-94 in Joey Wright’s final game as coach
Preliminary findings of the review were presented to Kelley last week, but a full report is yet to be completed.
Wright could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Despite Adelaide’s underwhelming season on the court, the club still drew record crowds to its new home venue at the Entertainment Centre and reported a surge in membership and corporate support.
The NBL finals begin with Perth hosting Cairns on Friday night and Sydney hosting Melbourne on Saturday.
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as Adelaide 36ers turn to high-profile lawyer as legal talks with coach Joey Wright continue