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“We are too unorganised ... the gap was massive, and the trust factor wasn’t there.”
It means that Kestelman knows the stakes on this trip. The Pelicans’ travelling party includes 35 players and coaches, 40 support staff, 43 family members, 25 entertainment staff and 17 media and statistics staff.
“We have to make sure we don’t let down the NBA’s trust in us,” Kestelman said.
“No pressure, but we have to deliver an amazing experience for them.”
American basketball is extremely popular in Australia, which has the most subscribers to the NBA League Pass service outside the US, allowing fans to stream games live. There are 13 Australians on NBA rosters heading into the new season, and the country “punches above its weight” when it comes to playing the NBA 2K video game and buying NBA merchandise. The tickets to the two games in Melbourne this weekend sold out within hours; 160,000 people signed up for access to just 28,000 tickets.
But NBA clubs have declined to travel here. Travel distance and the need to service bigger markets such as China and Europe have long been the excuses.
New Orleans forward Herb Jones (left) trains in Melbourne on Wednesday.Credit: Eddie Jim
So the Pelicans and their 160-strong touring party are being extended every possible luxury in the hope that high-flying superstar Zion Williamson and his “Pels” will spread the word that Australia is a fitting destination for future NBA games, possibly with clubs featuring Australian stars such as Josh Giddey’s Chicago Bulls or Dyson Daniels’ Atlanta Hawks.
Officials from the NBL, Visit Victoria, the state government, Melbourne Park, the Pelicans and the NBA have been working together for 18 months to bring the tour to life.
NBL chief events and project officer Alex Hamilton has used her experience with tennis’ Australian Open in shaping the offerings to the visiting Pelicans which began with “bespoke flight and food” to a seamless tarmac arrival at Melbourne Airport, where the Pelicans were shuttled from plane through customs and off to their hotel as fast as possible.
Her approach mirrors how the Australian Open has won over the superstars of tennis, who used to complain about travelling here.
“It’s about that the players are No.1 and their support teams are No.1 as well – if we can make them not have to think about anything at all, that makes a difference,” Hamilton said.
“Nothing is too much to ask. Nothing is too big. How can we work together to make some magic for everyone?
“It starts with ‘brilliant basics’ so arrival, transport, accommodation and food, but then it’s just those little extras.
“Every single room will have a little koala and a gift pack we’ve worked on with Visit Victoria, just those bits and pieces and touches.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman.Credit: Getty Images
“We have basically stood up a 24/7 player concierge service so any question, any request can be serviced immediately. Whether it is where do we want to eat tonight or what’s Melbourne’s best laneways – being able to provide help like that is really amazing.”
Pelicans boss Joe Dumars praised the care shown to his side.
“I’ve done a lot of travelling with the NBA to Abu Dhabi and all the [NBA’s] Global Games and Australia has done an excellent job of putting this on for us,” Dumars said.
NBL staff will be operating the games, which will be played on an NBA-size court under NBA rules. The Pelicans have brought their mascot and dance team to recreate the atmosphere of an NBA home game.
Joe Dumars, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations.Credit: AP
Kestelman admits Australia can’t afford the price tag to bring two NBA teams out, so he set his sights on one team – and it has worked.
“I think it’s public knowledge that places like Abu Dhabi and others pay them $US50 million [$75.7 million] to show up with two teams. It’s very commercial and Australia is already such a mature market,” Kestelman said.
“We already have the second-biggest NBA League Pass users [outside the US] – the NBA is not a new thing here and for them to grow the game, it’s not as big a priority when you look at the potential of other parts of the world.
“So we didn’t pass on that criteria, and we could never offer them the most money – that’s why it is a difficult exercise to convince them to come here.”
The NBA’s head of strategy for Asia-Pacific Rajah Chaudhry outside Melbourne Park.Credit: Eddie Jim
But he is hopeful of luring more NBA teams to Australia.
“The clubs have already been approaching us about the future,” Kestelman said.
“Our first targets are always teams with Australians, so when we first started with New Orleans, they had Dyson Daniels there. We have already had early conversations, but our focus is on a quality event.”
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Organisers are also out to charm the fans who attend this weekend’s games and those who visit Bounce Nation, the fan zone set up outside Rod Laver Arena. Retired NBA superstars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will be appearing at several events.
Hamilton said between 750-1000 people would be working each day to make the tour and the events come to life, while hundreds more helped in the preparation and lead-in.
Rajah Chaudhry, the NBA head of strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, grew up in Sydney and has proudly watched this event come to life.
“The full end of the spectrum is Australia where we have great fandom, we’ve got lots of NBA and WNBA players coming through, and it is really about how we engage fans and add value to their experience and that’s where these games come into it,” Chaudhry said.
“I used to watch a lot of NBA as a kid growing up in Sydney and I never really thought about it coming here, but I’ve thought about it a lot of the last few years. I’m super excited, proud and a lot of people have put a lot of effort into bringing it here.”
United and Phoenix will take the game to the Pelicans, something NBA teams don’t always get from pre-season clashes with other teams.
“The reason we do this is to grow the game and keep building the profile of the NBL. You can’t underestimate this one point: the NBA does not trust easily,” Kestelman said.
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“That the NBA trusts the NBL to host and run these games and partner with us is enormous. The way the [basketball] world works now, if it is a 24-hour clock, you’ve got NBA games that take up eight hours, you have Europe that usually takes up eight hours and then there is us.
“There is the rest of the world and they really look to us as a partner in this region.”
Ten, Amazon Prime and NBA League Pass will broadcast both games live.
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