NBL Great Weighs in on All-Star Debate

Since incoming NBL CEO Dave Stevenson mentioned his preference to bring back the NBL All-Star Game, NBL circles have been rife with discussion as to if, or when, a return could happen.

The first ever NBL All-Star Game took place in Adelaide’s Apollo Stadium, where Team East defeated Team West 153-148. Leroy Loggins was named as the first ever All-Star Game MVP.

Over the next 30 years, 17 different All-Star Games would be held in varying capacities. The teams were split into east and west, north and south, Australians and imports, and even featured games against the Boomers.

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Melbourne’s Chris Goulding took home MVP honours in the competition’s most recent iteration of the event – back in the 2012-13 season – and Goulding’s United teammate Brad Newley, who himself won All-Star Game MVP honours back in 2005, would welcome the return of the event under the right circumstances.

“A lot of things have changed over the years as far as monitoring players and strength and conditioning and these kind of things that make me question whether clubs would be happy to have players released for a weekend in the season,” Newley told NBL Media.

Brad Newley sits with his All-Star Game MVP trophy in 2005.

“I know there’s always a little bit of conjecture around the FIBA breaks, so I’m not sure how that would work with an All-Star Game.

“I guess you might need to incentivise it a little bit more than what it was back then – I think we played for flight vouchers about 20 years ago.

“I don’t know if that was even what we played for. The pride of being selected as an All-Star was what it was.”

Newley was just 20 years old when he won the All-Star Game MVP, in what was one of the most electric rookie seasons in the history of the NBL.

In addition to shining among the competition’s brightest stars, Newley was named as the league’s Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. He would add an All-NBL Second Team recognition to his cabinet, before departing these shores for a career in Europe in 2007.

“You can uncover some great players in some of those All-Star games, because you have a bit of free reign to do some things that you probably can’t do in your regular games,” Newley continued.

“You look back, Chris (Goulding) kind of got a bit of a launch out of an All-Star Game, myself and Joe Ingles were lucky enough to play in those games when we were kids and it helped put us onto the scale a lot quicker.

“I look at it more for the young guys as a bit of an exposure thing that they could potentially come through.

“I don’t think there’ll be an over 35s All-Star Game, they’re played Monday nights at MSAC, so I’ll stay away from that at the moment.”