NBA maiden Melbourne Series milestone moment

Article posted by Coliseum, March 26^th, 2025

Image: NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) recently announced that the NBA team New Orleans Pelicans will play two preseason games against the NBL teams in Melbourne this October marking the first NBA games in Australia.

‘NBA’ stated that the Pelicans will play the NBL teams Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on October 3^rd and October 5^th, 2025 with the NBL serving as the official promoter and organizer of the Melbourne Series.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and one in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world. The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world with more than 2.5 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with the renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.

Melbourne (Australia)-based the National Basketball League (NBL) was founded in 1979 and is regarded as the world’s best domestic basketball league outside of the NBA. Currently composed of 10 teams (nine in Australia and one in New Zealand) the game attendances, TV viewership, digital traffic, and fan engagement have skyrocketed following a transfer of outright ownership to Larry Kestelman (Australian businessman) in 2015.

The 40,000-plus-capacity Melbourne Park is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne (a large complex of sports stadiums and venues), Victoria, Australia. Since 1988 the Melbourne Park has been home of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament played annually in January.

‘NBA’ further stated that in addition to the games the NBA, the NBL and the Pelicans will conduct NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and lifestyle events leading up to and during the week of the games including a Fan Night on October 4^th. The NBA and the NBL also plan to expand their grassroots basketball development efforts in Asia-Pacific at the youth and elite levels in the coming years.

The announcement was made recently in Melbourne by the New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin, the NBL Executive Director and Owner Larry Kestelman, and the NBA Asia Head of Strategy Rajah Chaudhry.

The Pelicans currently feature two-time NBA All-Star (the annual All-Star game hosted each February by the NBA and showcases 24 of the league’s star players) Zion Williamson (American basketball power forward), the 2022 NBA All-Star Dejounte Murray (American basketball guard) and the 2015-2016 Kia NBA Most Improved Player CJ McCollum (American basketball shooting guard). Tickets for the games and the surrounding events will go on sale at a later date.

The announcement builds on the NBA and NBL’s prior collaborations that began in 2016. Seven NBL teams have traveled to the United States to play 24 preseason games against the NBA teams. The NBA collaborated with the NBL twice to host ‘Basketball Without Borders’, the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA’s – the world governing body for basketball) global basketball development and community outreach program in Australia (2016 in Melbourne and 2024 in Perth).

To date, nine players from the NBL’s Next Stars program (an innovative player development program that is unique to the Australian NBL) have been drafted directly from the NBL into the NBA including the French basketball player Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City Thunder), the Australian basketball guard Josh Giddey (Chicago Bulls), the American basketball player LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), and the 2024 No. 2 overall pick the French basketball center Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards).

Observed New Orleans Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson, “We are honored to be part of this historic occasion for basketball in Australia. This collaboration with the NBL and the NBA to bring the Pelicans to Melbourne provides an exceptional opportunity to engage with our global fan base and share the rich spirit and culture of New Orleans with the basketball fans in the region. We look forward to competing against the Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix and collaborating with the NBA and the NBL to inspire and develop the next generation of athletes across the Asia-Pacific Region.”

Exulted Dennis Lauscha, New Orleans Pelicans President, “This is an exciting moment for our organization and a testament to the growing global impact of the NBA. Bringing the Pelicans and the NBA to Australia for the first time is a proud milestone and we are thrilled to be part of this unique opportunity to engage with the fans in Melbourne. We look forward to competing against two outstanding NBL teams and creating unforgettable memories for our fans. This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a lasting connection between the Pelicans and the basketball community in Australia.”

Maintained Larry Kestelman, NBL Executive Director, “The significance of the above announcement for basketball in Australia and the NBL can’t be overstated. Hosting an NBA team in Australia has been a long-held dream for everyone at the NBL and to see this initiative finally come to fruition after a 15-year journey shows that much can be accomplished when you ‘Dream Big’. I want to thank Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner), Mark Tatum (NBA Deputy Commissioner), Michael Ma (Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of NBA Asia), and the team at the NBA for being open to this amazing vision and for their continued support of our league.”

Remarked Rajah Chaudhry, NBA Asia Head of Strategy, “These historic games and the surrounding events will not only be a celebration of basketball but will also serve as a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in Australia. We look forward to working with the Pelicans and the NBL to make this a memorable week for the teams, the players and most importantly the fans.”

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