The NBL will host two Christmas Day video games this 12 months after its success in 2022.
The Tasmania JackJumpers, the league’s latest staff, are set to satisfy South East Melbourne Phoenix at Hobart’s MyState Financial institution Enviornment 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 middle 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, essentially the most of any NBL recreation to that time of the season, and sparked a run of robust house crowds for the eventual championship-winning Kings.
The Kings had 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 unimaginable response we had final 12 months it was essential for us to schedule an enormous Christmas double-header this season,” stated league proprietor Larry Kestelman.
“We had been the primary skilled sport to play a recreation on Christmas and as our league continues to develop, we wish to preserve breaking new floor 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 Subsequent Star Program.
The 196cm guard is anticipated to be chosen with a first-round decide of the 2024 NBA Draft and has de-committed from the College of Texas to affix the Hawks.
Illawarra will hope the guard will help them enhance on their last-placed end within the injury-plagued first season of Jacob Jackomas’ teaching tenure.
“Johnson is a tantalizing prospect,” stated NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger.
“Signing with the Hawks offers him with the right platform to work on his recreation, achieve expertise in an expert surroundings, and see his NBA draft shares rise,” Loeliger stated.
Launched within the 2018/19 season, the Subsequent Star Program permits elite younger expertise to hone their expertise with an NBL facet earlier than nominating for the NBA draft.
Subsequent Stars are usually not counted in direction of a staff’s quota of three import gamers and former contributors in this system embody present NBA gamers LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng.
