Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan and First Nations People Contribution to the NBL

Artwork by Luke Penrith

The National Basketball League (NBL) respectfully acknowledges the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land and waterways on which our headquarters are located.

We pay our respects to past, present, and emerging Elders and we commit to caring for these ancient lands to which they have had a connection for thousands of years. We acknowledge their continuous connection to Country and their cultural authority. We extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities of other nations across Australia and the Torres Strait Islands.

We are honoured to be able to establish and maintain our own connection with this history and cultures and will strive to operate in the spirit of those who came before us.

The NBL is proud to have completed implementation of its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and to be moving into delivery of this Innovate RAP.

Basketball is one of the most culturally diverse and inclusive sports in Australia and the second most participated team sport. As Australia’s premier basketball league, the NBL’s aim is to unite our varied and vast basketball communities. As a sport, we have been enriched by the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, referees, and administrators, and we want to support and develop pathways in the game for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Basketball is thriving, and is now in the top 3 most popular sports to play or view globally. Over 1.2 million people played basketball in Australia last year, and the NBL now has a fanbase in excess of 3.55 million Australians. That enthusiasm for basketball gives the NBL a genuine ability to set examples and create opportunities by influencing vast numbers of Australians. Utilising our scope of influence to encourage reconciliation and improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a responsibility that we take very seriously.

The development of the League’s Cultural Safety Framework, which includes (but is not limited to) new rules codified into the Rules and Regulations pursuant to which the competition is operated, constitutes some of our significant measures. However, we aim to foster support and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in everything that we do as a professional sporting code. This principle runs through our organisation, right down to the day-to-day initiatives, which include such things as a ‘Welcome to Country’ as part of the requirements before every NBL game, showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at all venues, producing and showing respect with Indigenous Round-specific apparel for players and officials, and incorporating the telling of stories and connections to country—these are highlights of our ongoing organisational commitment.

Since implementing our Reflect RAP, the NBL has achieved significant success with the initiatives directly referenced within it, and broader, related initiatives. Two of our most powerful initiatives include the commencement of a First Nations talent identification program in Queensland, and our inaugural NAIDOC week partnership with Indigenous Basketball Australia, where we shine a spotlight on the emerging First Nations talent in Australia.

Furthermore, for the first time ever, the NBL celebrated Indigenous Round in 2023 alongside Australia’s professional women’s league, the WNBL. This event was an enormous success, which provided another platform for NBL and WNBL players to tell their stories of success. The Reflect RAP also taught us a lot about attracting First Nations administrators into senior roles within the organisation and also our network of clubs, and the NBL is currently incorporating best practice processes to ensure First Nations administrators are represented in expansion teams.

A key learning taken from the implementation of our Reflect RAP is the importance of all Clubs establishing meaningful community partnerships—which has necessitated support being offered by the League and its stakeholders to develop and maintain those community partnerships. These community partnerships have proven to be invaluable in assisting Clubs to develop considered and appropriate ways to implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Journeys for their players and staff.

We are now also of a scale as a business that our decisions will have a meaningful impact on the lives and businesses of many others, which also represents an opportunity to make those decisions in a manner consistent with our commitment to reconciliation.

The NBL welcomes all players, fans, and stakeholders to come with us on our reconciliation journey, as guided by this Plan.