Because when the NBA teams come over here, not enough Aussie fans will turn up to watch the game... so they're not making a profit and will lose money from the airfare tickets and 5-star hotels.

Maybe we could put Lebron and Kobe up in tents and have them play out of the local YMCA centre to make the costs stack up? We could call it NBA Survivor...

I would think if the Bucks came down and played in Melbourne they would sell out Hisence or even Rod Laver and make a bit of dough. I would fly anywhere in Aust to see an NBA game.

Not a big enough market for it here. Those countries that get the games have a huge NBA following.

You really think that NBA teams would want to come here? Basketball in Australia, I'm sorry, it's a joke. The best in the world ain't gonna come down under, where the sport is struggling majorly.

Yeah ball in Aus. is a joke.

so sad that we have to badly overatte our players now so they can even be noticed in the NBA.

Humpa, spell "over".

Our biggest venue is what, 15,000 ?

So humpa claims its because when they come here no one will turn up..

so first up when did they last come here?

Second, when USA teams last came here they sold out easily - both times in melbourne....pre the olympics with outrageous ticket prices and pre goodwill games with more modest ticket prices.

Our largest venue holds 22,000 - its in Sydney. No question for me that a genuine NBA game would sell out in melb....at 15000+ and would draw possibly that to a game in sydney as well.

Probably just makes business sense - 22m or so sould, many of who are so parochial that they refuse to accept a "Yank" sport, and obsess over being world champions in sports that no-one or a mere handfull of countries play seriously.

Anon. - last time i checked England had a slightly larger population/market than OZ (and was just a quick jump over the pond).

I am sure if we had a pop. of over 30-40m it would be more "sellable" to the NBA (in spite of the parochiality) - but we don't - we are far as well away and thus no NBA games... I guess the NBA looks at the trailing benefits from this kind of thing as well, and to be honest - while the game(s) wouild probably sell out, most people would probably not follow the NBA afterwards anyway...

sould=souls

I don't think its at all that it wont sell out at all.

Its because Australia has 20m people in it and is not the market the NBA wants to target. Not enough population.

There is no doubt that we have some die hard fans and good players here, but it all to do with cash!

Sorry first line doesnt make sence.

Ment to say

An NBA game would, no doubt sell out here. They wont come here ...

I don't think population has anything to do with it.
Taiwan, whose captial is Taipei has 23 million people. NBA Games in Australia and maybe one in New Zealand could work, considering the net population > 24 million, and airfares between Australia and NZ are quite cheap.

Yes Macdub... But as far as i know the only major sport in Taiwan is baseball (and maybe inciting mainlanders - with threats to go full-blown independent). Plus given the fact it is so small (390km long and 140km wide at its widest point) - pretty much anyone who wants to go could acheive it quite easily - so that whole 22m is accessible as potential spectators...

City (?), Poor man's USA (?) - hmmmmmm interesting.

I would have thought we'd have to be a "poverty-stricken USA" (given the USA is kinds "poor" nowadays...)

They could at least show it in "NBA Cares"

I don't think any teams or the NBA are keen on a 16-24 hour flight Down Under and back to the USA. Another highly potential factor.

I reckon distance is probably a major factor - there are just bigger markets closer. But there is no doubt they could sell out a game in both Melb and Syd, in venues the same size as they would play at in most places (incl the NBA) so I think the NBA would come here, it just requires someone with some desire and some marketing skills to sell them on the idea.

There would also be plenty of people in the US these days who would love an excuse to tour down under instead of trying to make sense of those crazy Euros. They just need someone to give them a reason.

If BA wants to grow the sport here, bringing a couple of NBA teams to Australia for exhibition games should be a key marketing ploy within the next 5 years.

Yeah - but we'd probably end up with a visual feast like NYK v MEM... Ewwwww...

Anyone remember the Jam Sessions that used to come to Oz... The only guy i can remember was Stacy King talking to the crowd with a huge smile on his face cause people had no idea how much he sucked - but he was lapping it up...
And the PHX multiple-ball spinner woman...



Gotta love Jordan's sense of humor

- "I hope you've got a jumpshot in that!" - Attrib. to MJ - Referring to a box he saw King carrying in the Bulls locker room...

The NBA will not send young impressionable athletes to Australia.
Half of them will get a local girl pregnant and the other half will be up on sexual assault charges and the figures will be even worse if any of the players meet an NRL player

Yeah Johnny Sack, I went when they had Hersey Hawkins and a couple of others years ago. Nuggets mascot, dunk comps and 3 point shootouts...good times.

Why is the market 'not worth working'? As I understand it, basketball is one of the most played junior sports. There are A LOT of kids out there just waiting to be dazzled by the NBA and turned into basketball lifers.

As someone said earlier, they are playing games in the UK people! I have lived there and there is not a more basketball averse country on the planet. If they can attract NBA games, we can too.

Too many negative people out there. Maybe thats why basketball is struggling at the professional level? We keep attracting all the nay-sayers of the world?

Don't we get the retards from the And1 team out here?

I don't think flight time is that much of a factor. Although there are obviously basketball fans in Australia but when you take the comparison to the countries they are visiting right now, the market is lot bigger.

Even in Taipei NBA is been shown everyday during the season (1 or 2 days/week they show a double header), I think that pretty much says why NBA chooses those countries over Australia. It's not just how much tickets they're going to sell but the promotion to come with that far outweighs ticket sales.

PS: NBL really hasn't given a good name to Aus Basketball either. I remember someone asking me what's happening to Aus Basketball after Bogut said something on US media awhile ago.

Macdub, the difference is in population density. Australia's 20m are spread over a massive area whereas Taiwan's people are crammed into an island you could drive across in a couple of hours. Then there's the fact that basketball isn't massively popular here while it is all the rage in China.