Next frontier: NBL wants a round in the US

The Hungry Jack's NBL is once again thinking big, with owner Larry Kestelman pushing the league’s global ambitions and drawing inspiration from the NRL’s bold opening round in Las Vegas.

“I’ve met Peter (V’landys) and I have a huge amount of respect for him because I think what he is doing with the NRL is fantastic,” Kestelman told Code Sports. “I think he is a visionary and he is someone that, ‘gets shit done’.”

At the time, the NRL’s move to take games into the United States was considered a bold gamble, but within two years viewership had reportedly surged by more than 600 per cent for the 2024 season-opener.

“This is a bit of a dream but I’d love to play NBL games in the US,” Kestelman added. “I’d actually like to take all the clubs to the US for a round. Why not even take our pre-season Blitz and go to the US.

“We’d have to pick our moments and what we do, but I’d like to see pre-season or regular season games in America.”

The NBL underlined its global outlook this year by staging the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament on Australian soil, marking the first time in its seven-year history the event was played outside Europe.

The league then confirmed that the New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Australia for two games against NBL opponents, a landmark moment that represents another historic first for both the NBL and the NBA.

The NBL is riding a wave like never before, and it feels like the next big adventure could be right around the corner.

Read the full story here >> Revealed: NBL’s bid to emulate rugby league’s opening round Las Vegas extravaganza