World-class owners propel NBL from near collapse to the global spotlight
A Wimbledon finalist, tech giants, countless ex-NBA stars, a Trump loyalist and Australia’s chair for Tesla. See who are the people taking the NBL forward.
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A Wimbledon finalist, tech giants, countless ex-NBA stars, a Trump loyalist and Australia’s chair for Tesla.
The NBL possesses a colourful collection of owners across the league’s 10 clubs.
For a competition on death’s door just a decade ago, it is now littered with world-class owners in a show of strength for the competition’s global rise.
CODE Sports takes a look at each club’s owners and how they influence the NBL, on-and-off the court.
MELBOURNE UNITED
The NBL’s big market club has a group 11 owners with broad business experience in both Australia and abroad.
United’s owners don’t possess big public profile like a Nick Kyrgios at the Phoenix, but they all accomplished business people in their own right.
From an Australian of the Year nominee in Aaron Sansoni to the CEO of world’s largest suppliers to the garden and hardware industries in Simon Hupfeld, Melbourne has an elite collection of owners.
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
When it comes to big names across the sporting world, it’s hard to go past the South East Melbourne Phoenix’s ownership group.
Australian tennis star and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has jumped on broad at the Phoenix alongside a host of current and ex-NBA players.
Kyrgios – a basketball tragic who loves his Boston Celtics – brings South East Melbourne broader exposure on the global sporting stage.
Former NBA players Al Harrington, Josh Childress, Zach Randolph and free agent John Wall provide the club with significant profile and financial backing.
Australian Boomers and Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum is the Phoenix’s influential owner given his popularity Down Under.
Exum’s business connection to South East Melbourne helps the club lure young Aussies to engage with the club.
The Phoenix’s majority owner Romie Chaudhari is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur who has spent his career developing real estate projects, building companies and making investments in a wide array of businesses.
SYDNEY KINGS
It’s fitting the Sydney Kings’ ownership group has two of the biggest names in Australian basketball given the Kings’ longstanding big market status.
Legendary Boomers Andrew Bogut (reported net worth of $116 million) and Luc Longley give the Kings enormous power and respect in the basketball landscape.
Bogut and Longley achieved it all in their stellar careers, which helps the duo become the ultimate recruiters for Sydney because players respect them.
The Kings’ ownership group is headed by the Denholm family.
Robyn Denholm – the Australian chair of Tesla – leads the way as Sydney’s owner. Denholm – who doubles as the owner of the WNBL alongside NBL boss Larry Kestelman – has an estimated net worth of at least $460.7 million.
Her son and daughter – Matthew and Victoria – also serve in executive director and CEO roles respectively.
South Coast-born businessman Paul Smith and ex-NRL head of commercial in Paul Kind are also owners in Sydney.
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
A bright era will be born on July 1 this year when the JackJumpers become officially owned by Altor Capital – a Brisbane-based investment firm. The company is primarily represented by Chief Investment Officer Ben Harrison. Altor Group purchased a 51 per cent stake in the JackJumpers this year and will assume full control in 2027.
Altor is a leading alternative asset manager, investing via funds and SPV’s in growth orientated companies and has operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. NBL boss Larry Kestelman previously owned Tasmania.
Harrison told media the Altor Group is committed to preserving the JackJumpers’ culture and continued success within Tasmania.
He said the expansion of MyState Bank Arena to increase seating capacity will be a key priority for the company moving forward, hoping to address the ongoing demand for access to games.
CAIRNS TAIPANS
Cairns has always been a non-for-profit community owned club, but the Taipans are in advanced talks to secure private ownership.
NBA champion Patty Mills has been linked to the Taipans in a potential owner/player role, but the club refused to comment when contacted.
The club’s naming rights sponsor – Kenfrost Homes – is also understood to be in the mix to purchase the Taipans.
Privatisation, no matter who it is, would be a major game-changer for the North Queenslanders given the community structure has provided the club with significant challenges.
Cairns has long struggled to retain high-level talent, while the franchise was placed into voluntary administration in 2008.
The Taipans are hoping these dark days will be over if the club can successfully become privatised in the coming weeks.
ADELAIDE 36ERS
The Adelaide 36ers’ rise in recent seasons has largely come on the back of the club’s sole owner Grant Kelley – who has been the Executive Chairman of Adelaide Basketball Pty Ltd since 2017.
Kelley, and company Holdfast Assets, has overseen the club’s move from its traditional home at Findon to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and more recently the Sixers’ signing of five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton.
In addition to his role at the 36ers, Kelley has served as Chief Executive Officer at Vicinity Centres and of City Developments Limited.
He served as Deputy Chairman at Pulteney Grammar School and as Councillor to the Asia Society Policy Institute.
BRISBANE BULLETS
The Brisbane Bullets haven’t tasted championship success in 18 years, but the club is doing its best to rise again with a knowledgeable ownership group.
Chairman Jason Levien is an American sports executive, investor and law professor. He is joined by local investor Ben Haan – the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Tectonic Investment Management Pty Ltd.
The Bullets have also lured former NBA players to the ownership group, including Hall of Famer George “The Iceman” Gervin and two-time All-Star and NBA champion Khris Middleton.
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
In March this year Kiwi-American businessman and lawyer Marc Mitchell acquired the Breakers, joining forces with local figures Leon Grice (Deputy Chairman), Stephen Grice, and Sean Colgan. Former owners Paul and Liz Blackwell re-join as shareholders, with Paul serving as a director.
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
The reigning NBL champions are owned by Crest Sports and Entertainment and led by Jared Novelly – an American-born businessman and Trump loyalist.
Novelly – the son of an oil baron worth an estimated $1.4 billion – has been appointed the US’s ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.
The Hawks figurehead is currently locked in a legal battle with NBL boss Larry Kestelman over claims the league lacks financial transparency and has conflicts of interest in the business space.
PERTH WILDCATS
Perth-born businessman and cyber security entrepreneur Mark Arena is the majority owner of the Wildcats.
Arena – a passionate Wildcats fan who created a company that sold intelligence on cyber threats – purchased a 52.5 per cent stake in the NBL club for a reported $21 million in August last year.
He will pay another $15 million in 2026 to receive an extra 37.5 per cent and can then buy the entire club in 2028.
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