Last season’s National Basketball League All-Star Game was a coming out party for NBL rookie and eventual NBA draftee, Nathan Jawai. One year before that, then-rookie Brad Newley strutted his stuff en route to the MVP award in the same game. He too went on to be drafted — by the Houston Rockets — in the subsequent offseason.
The NBL All-Star Game may not always have the same flair and excitement of it’s NBA counterpart, but it is still a highlight on the Aussie basketball calendar.
Adelaide reporter, Boti Nagy, today revealed that the game will not take place this season. One of the themes of this season in the eyes of many fans and media-types is that of a season to merely fill the gap between now and when the league blows itself up and revamps into a new format. As Nagy referred to it, a “tread water” season.
Removing the all-star fixture will only enhance this opinion. There are obvious financial shortcomings in the NBL at the moment and perhaps the decision was a no-brainer for those with the financial information behind the scenes, on a profitability basis. However, it is still a shame for us the fans.
