NBA game in 
 Australia a 
 matter of 
 'when, not if'










 Basketball











 Roy Ward




 NBL managing director Larry 
 Kestelman says it's a question of 
 when, not if, Australia will host an 
 NBA game.
 


 The NBL joined with the Victorian
  government and Basketball Victoria
  to announce Victoria will host 
 the NBA Basketball without Borders
  camp in   June including a 
 number of NBA players and coaches.There
  is no set time, year or venue
  for an NBA game in Australia 
 and questions about a suitably 
 sized stadium remains a significant 
 stumbling block when the NBA has 
 large venues and lucrative opportunities
  in China and other parts of 
 Asia.
 But Kestelman, Basketball Australia
  and this country's NBA players
  are lobbying hard to have a 
 game come to Australia.
 Kestelman and NBL general 
 manager Jeremy Loeliger have positioned
  the NBL to play a major 
 role in handling the logistics for the 
 BWB camp, run with partners 
 FIBA World, which will see the 
 best 40 Asian under-18 boys train 
 at Dandenong Stadium under NBA 
 coaches and then play an all-star 
 game at The Arena in Geelong.
 The camp will also include a Victorian
  under-18 girls section and 
 a Victorian under-14s section 
 while the visiting players and 
 coaches will also run  community
  outreach activities under
  the banner of the NBA 
 Cares program.
 Retired Atlanta Hawks legend
  Dominique Wilkins has 
 been rumoured as a possible 
 attendee
 Kestelman said the camp was 
 the first step towards an NBA 
 game in Australia and the NBL 
 had built up a strong connection 
 with NBA management in the 
 nine months since their first 
 meeting.
 "I don't think a game is the 
 last step but it's on the road 
 map," Kestelman said. 
 "It's more a question of when 
 rather than if any more."
 But Kestelman added the 
 NBL and Australian basketball 
 would need to make a good impression
  on the NBA by running 
 the camp well.
 "A lot of it is down to creditability
  and delivery," Kestelman 
 said. "The NBA is a very professional
  organisation  and their 
 business is basketball and sport 
 -  they will not accept anything 
 but a professionally run event.
 "We can talk a good talk but 
 they want to see how we do the 
 walk."