Eddie McGuire supports NBL boss Larry Kestelman in shock bid to take over the basketball league
Media mogul and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire is “dumbfounded” by the shock takeover bid to oust NBL boss Larry Kestelman, declaring basketball was a “joke” before Kestelman saved the sport.
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Media mogul and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire is “dumbfounded” by the shock takeover bid to oust NBL boss Larry Kestelman, declaring basketball was a “joke” before Kestelman saved the sport.
A record-breaking season has been rocked on the eve of Sunday’s deciding grand final game by a leaked email which detailed a bold attempt to unite the NBL’s 10 clubs and force Kestelman to sell.
Illawarra Hawks owner, oil billionaire and Trump loyalist Jared Novelly is behind the push for leadership change amid integrity and financial transparency concerns.
McGuire doesn’t know Novelly, but said any effort to remove Kestelman would be foolish given the work he has done to reignite the Australian basketball league from the scrapheap to its best ever position.
READ MORE: ‘Trump-style bully tactics’: Inside shock NBL hostile takeover bid
The ex-Collingwood head honcho has the highest of respect for the NBL’s boss – who he puts on the same administration pedestal as the AFL’s commission and racing and rugby league’s Peter V’landys.
“That is the echelon I put Larry Kestelman in from watching him actually make it happen in basketball, so if somebody can run a competition better than Larry has I’d like to see it,” McGuire told Code Sports about Kestelman, who secured a majority 51 per cent stake in the NBL in 2015.
“I’m not an owner, but from somebody that watches these things closely, I would have thought of all the sports competitions in Australia, the NBL would almost be last on the list of people complaining about it, how it is run and its future.
“Larry has literally turned the NBL into a powerhouse, but it was once a competition that got a mention in the media more out of charity.
“Not that long ago the NBL was seen as the example of how to muck things up in a big way and basketball was completely dead.
“I remember when Larry stepped forward to take on the NBL most people thought this was one of the greatest follies we’ve seen.
“But the genius of him owning the competition and not having to put every decision through a committee, has single-handedly saved basketball in Australia.”
McGuire – whose company Jam TV is production partner of the NBL – has been around sport’s administration long enough to understand that not everyone will agree.
He even said he previously knocked back Kestelman’s advances to be involved in NBL ownership “because I didn’t want to go near basketball because it was just a never-ending drain of finances and frustration”.
McGuire understands the importance of challenging to grow, but urged Novelly to share his ideas and grievances through the proper channels at the top.
Not that long ago the NBL was seen as the example of how to muck things up in a big way and basketball was completely dead.
“If Jared has great ideas, then I know what we do at the AFL, you put forward your idea and the commission work out what is best for the clubs and the competition,” he said.
“Plenty of times what I thought was the best thing for Collingwood wasn’t the best thing for the competition and vice versa.
“The NBL is in its best position since the glory days of the late ’80s and early ’90s, at which time it set fire to itself and cost itself probably 25 years of growth.
“I’d hate to see that happen again.”
McGuire revealed Kestelman had the 1000 attendees at last week’s SportNXT summit in Melbourne eating out of his palm.
The NBL boss was on a panel with David Griffin – the New Orleans Pelicans executive vice-president of basketball operations – just days after announcing a historic agreement to bring the Pelicans to Australia to take on the NBL’s United and Phoenix this September.
McGuire believes Kestelman has widespread respect as the flag-bearer for reinvigorating a second-tier sport from rock bottom.
“Larry’s stewardship of the NBL should be the market case for all these other second and third-tier sports that are just dying on the vine in Australia,” he said.
“He put in his own time, money and drive. He went and got the best possible people.
“Now we’ve got the NBA’s Pelicans coming to Australia, the competition is regarded as one of the best feeder competitions to the NBA in the world.
“Our young players have got a pathway to the big time and Larry now has visions for the WNBL to take the same strides forward that it deserves.”
NBL clubs have expressed frustration about not receiving a big enough slice of the competition’s revenue pie.
However, for the first time in league history each club has received a dividend over the past four seasons.
And this figure is only expected to rise with the NBL in discussions with leading TV networks like Channel 7 about potential broadcast deals.
The fans are also flocking to the NBL. This season has attracted 1,129,449 fans with one game to play on Sunday - an 86 per cent increase since 2014/15.
Former Sydney Kings co-owner Dorry Kordahi was involved in the NBL during its lowest periods.
Kordahi – who was at the Kings during the Firepower scandal in 2007 that led to the NBL terminating the club’s license – believes it would be a recipe for disaster if the club owners took full control of the league like in past years.
“Back in 2009, the league was weak — there was no clear direction, and team owners were largely looking after their own interests,” Kordahi said.
“The competition lacked unity, and the overall structure was in disarray. At the time, I was vocal about the need for change, and it was clear the NBL couldn’t survive without a major reset. Fast forward to today, and it’s incredible to see how far the league has come under Larry Kestelman’s leadership. There’s now a clear vision, strong central governance, and a unified approach that’s lifted the professionalism and profile of the sport in Australia. The NBL is thriving, and it’s a credit to the direction and discipline that’s been brought to the game.”
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