The legacy on future generations of Indigenous communities these sporting teams could bring would be enormous

Picture this. In five years’ time, Darwin has a fully fledged NBL team.

PICTURE this. In five years’ time, Darwin has a fully fledged NBL team which plays home games out of the Darwin Convention Centre at the Waterfront.

Weeknights and weekends during the traditionally slow wet season the Waterfront precinct’s pubs and restaurants would be heaving with thousands of basketball fans and those just wanting a good time.

A pumping Waterfront would be just one of the many benefits an NBL team would bring.

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And the fact the NBL is prepared to test the waters in the Top End with a second-tier club is a sign the competition is seriously considering making Darwin the home of a potential expansion franchise.

It comes as talk of a Territory AFL team and a new city stadium has dominated the headlines.

Both plans indicate there is a wider appetite for the Territory to enter the national sporting stage on a more permanent basis beyond the fleeting visits of the major sporting codes once or twice a year.

The legacy on future generations of Indigenous communities these sporting teams could bring would be enormous, let alone the untapped playing talent that is undoubtedly out there yet to be discovered.

Let’s make it happen.