NBL players could be pitted against basketball superstars Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Rudy Gobert during a trio of NBA pre-season matches in the United States.
The Sydney Kings will face Utah in Salt Lake City on October 3, with the Jazz roster boasting Gobert and Australians Dante Exum and Joe Ingles.
Ingles has signalled his intention to play the game.
“As an Aussie who began my career in the NBL and now entering my fourth season with Utah, I am very proud of the growth of the game in my home country and can’t wait for the Jazz and Salt Lake City to play host to Sydney this fall,” he said.
Melbourne United are to meet Westbrook and George’s Oklahoma City on October 8 and the Brisbane Bullets will play the Phoenix Suns on October 13.
But the two latter fixtures may be problematic given the games will be played after United and the Bullets’ opening NBL games.
Melbourne will have six days until their next NBL fixture against Adelaide on October 14, but the Bullets are scheduled to play two days later on the 15th against New Zealand.
“This is a huge moment for Australian basketball. For the NBL to be able to play some of the biggest teams in the world shows how far our league has come,” NBL owner Larry Kestelman said.
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