The NBL will host two Christmas Day video games this 12 months after its success in 2022.
The Tasmania JackJumpers, the league’s latest group, are set to fulfill South East Melbourne Phoenix at Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena for the primary recreation of the double-header at 5.30pm.
After spearheading the primary Christmas night time idea final season, reigning champions the Sydney Kings will then host intrastate rivals the Illawarra Hawks at 7.30pm.
Billed as a primary for Australian sport, the Kings conceived and orchestrated the primary Christmas night time recreation final season in a bid to emulate the standard NBA festive clashes.
Former NBA centre Andrew Bogut, a member of the Kings’ possession group, was a driving power behind the idea.
The match attracted greater than 300,000 tv viewers, probably the most of any NBL recreation to that time of the season, and sparked a run of robust residence crowds for the eventual championship-winning Kings.
The Kings have been at all times eager on the prospect of internet hosting extra Christmas matches and the league locked the 2023 editions in on Friday morning.
“After the incredible response we had last year it was important for us to schedule a huge Christmas double-header this season,” mentioned league proprietor Larry Kestelman.
“We were the first professional sport to play a game on Christmas and as our league continues to grow, we want to keep breaking new ground and innovating.”
The NBL will announce the rest of its fixture on April 20.
American teenage prodigy AJ Johnson is poised to participate within the festivities after becoming a member of the Illawarra Hawks as a part of the NBL’s Next Star Program.
The 196cm guard is anticipated to be chosen with a first-round choose of the 2024 NBA Draft and has de-committed from the University of Texas to affix the Hawks.
Illawarra will hope the guard might help them enhance on their last-placed end within the injury-plagued first season of Jacob Jackomas’ teaching tenure.
“Johnson is a tantalising prospect,” mentioned NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger.
“Signing with the Hawks provides him with the perfect platform to work on his game, gain experience in a professional environment, and see his NBA draft stocks rise,” Loeliger mentioned.
Introduced within the 2018/19 season, the Next Star Program permits elite younger expertise to hone their expertise with an NBL aspect earlier than nominating for the NBA draft.
Next Stars are usually not counted in the direction of a group’s quota of three import gamers and former contributors in this system embody present NBA gamers LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
