Anger over the Australia-USA exhibition match debacle ramped up this week as the ACCC became involved in helping frustrated fans get ticket refunds for the historic two-game series.
With multiple Team USA stars pulling out of games, fans have claimed they were misled by false advertising campaigns that included a number of NBA superstars. Even when the actual USA squad was announced it featured stars like James Harden, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. And the Aussie team was set to include NBA stars Ben Simmons, Jonah Bolden and Dante Exum. However, just one day out from the first game at Marvel Stadium, all of these players have made themselves unavailable for a variety of reasons.
Who would have thought 12 months ago, when the plan to bring the NBA’s biggest stars to Melbourne was front-page news, that we’d find ourselves in this position? The games still have many seats available and there are sure to be more empty seats if people get their desired refunds.
It’s a sad state of affairs for what was supposed to be a game changer for Australian basketball.
The big question is: is all this hoopla (pun intended) justified? Or is the anger of these so-called fans simply misguided?
(Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Rather than focus on what’s missing, let’s take a look at what’s still in play. On Thursday night, arguably the best Australian basketball team ever assembled will play in front of the biggest crowd ever seen for a game on these shores. Yes, Simmons is missing. So is Exum, Bolden and Thon Maker. Don’t forget Ryan Broekhoff too. But it is a credit to Aussie hoops that even with those outs the Boomers will still field a team that includes six players with NBA experience, including two with championship rings.
You have Andrew Bogut, the No. 1 draft pick of 2005 and a championship player. You have Matthew Dellavedova, another champion who is notorious for his aggressive and physical style of play. You’ve got Joe Ingles of the Utah Jazz, a player who has excelled in Australia and in Europe and who is now a phenomenon in America known for his sharpshooting.
You’ve got Patty Mills, a veteran point guard of the San Antonio Spurs who continues to contribute to both club and country in so many ways. Throw in Aron Baynes and Mitch Creek and you’ve got six NBA stars – and the word star is completely justified for all these guys. And that’s not to mention the NBL stars like Chris Goulding and European star Jock Landale. This is no amateur team.
On the other side you’ve got what many might call a second-string USA team. But that team includes Donovan Mitchell, Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum as well as Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton. Yes, the US won’t field its best team, but the team they will field is still filled with NBA talent. It’s a younger team, but many of these guys are the future of the NBA.
As for the game itself, the same crew that convert football stadiums for NCAA final four games will take the reigns at Marvel. Massive multimedia screens and an NBA-worthy court setup will make this an experience like nothing seen in Australia. And everything else aside, these are the final hit=outs for two teams considered medal hopes for the upcoming World Cup. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this?
The problem we have here is that Aussie fans are still too focused on the NBA. The National Basketball Association is arguably the biggest, most profitable and most popular sporting product in the world – in fact it is probably one of the biggest entertainment products full stop. There is no other basketball competition in the world that comes close to the NBA. The flow-on effect for Australia is that most Australian fans are more interested in the NBA than our local competition.
The truth of the matter is that many Aussie hoop ‘fans’ wouldn’t be able to tell you who plays for the Opals, who our best local players are or even who won the NBL championship last year (shock, horror!). The sad reality is that when these exhibition games were announced, many fans chose to view it as an NBA extravaganza rather than a historic, home-soil match for our Boomers ahead of an extremely important World Cup campaign. And now that Little Johnny won’t get to see LeBron James or Steph Curry play, what’s the point of going?
It’s even sadder given Australian basketball is thriving at the moment. You might even say it’s the best it’s ever been. NBA representation aside, the local game is going gangbusters. The NBL has reached new heights with international acclaim, fantastic media coverage, a new free-to-air deal with SBS, an extremely competitive competition players across the world are looking at and huge signings, including two of the biggest NBA prospects in America
We’ve just crowned champions in the inaugural NBL1, a new feeder series that gives the best men and women ballers in the country the opportunity to showcase their skills. On the international stage we’ve seen recent medals for the Opals, under-19 girls, under-17 girls, men’s and women’s 3×3 teams and the Rollers wheelchair team. Participation and interest in basketball is at an all-time high across the country.
It’s sad to think that even with all this positivity fans are still not interested enough in Aussie hoops to want to sit courtside and cheer on our lads on one of the biggest stages possible. It is an insult to Australian basketball that people are turning their back on these games. Yes, ticket prices are expensive and, yes, we were misguided by advertising, but we’re still getting a pretty bloody good deal. We should be throwing our full support behind it regardless of how many NBA players show up.
We should be showing the world how much we care about the sport. Instead, I fear that there will be a lot of empty seats at Marvel Stadium on Thursday and Saturday, and while it will still be a spectacle and a fitting send-off for both teams as they head to China, it could have been so much more. A sad state of affairs indeed.
Liam Clark
Roar Guru
It’s disappointing how many players dropped out of the match, however there were still a variety of young NBA talent on the USA team and the Aussie team is no pushover. However, I was disappointed to see the seating troubles and the fact that Simmons dropped out
Winnie the Pooh (Emperor of China)
Guest
Sad state of affairs. I enjoyed the match on tv and the commentary. Sorry for the mugs that bought tickets to attend. But really, what did you expect to see? A lot of you have been to this stadium for other sports. A basketball court is similar to a tennis court in size. The promoters need to be run through by the law. They sold us a dud on a super sized scale. The game itself was pretty good and Australia got hammered by a superb USA team. What should be happening is the FIBA Cup needs to be on free to air tv, so we can actually promote the sport. What the hell are FIBA doing selling the rights to a tiny viewership network. I'll rip it off the web, so they won't be getting my money. Thanks Rupert ya c$%&!
Gee
Roar Rookie
A fool and his money are soon parted, then they whinge about it on twitter. 100k+ idiots is a nice windfall for the organizers, some sweet & easy coin.
Steve
Guest
Point taken. But regardless, the fans are right. It’s their money and they paid good money (many of whom also booked flights & accomodation) because they expected to see higher caliber talent. If i had to sit on a plastic garden chair and look up to a raised court with half the stars missing I definitely would not be happy. They’re paying for, and expecting a product which was advertised but not delivered. Bottom line.
T
Guest
I think the point you are missing is the top dollar price paid for these tickets! Happy to support basketball and give the Boomers a send-off but to put it in perspective NBL games are around $40 per person, tops! & people have paid $100s and $1000s for these tickets to see the top players! No one would have spent this much on tickets knowing the lineup Today! Take a look at Gumtree and you'll see the true value of these tickets! people who paid $200 for a ticket are selling them for $50 anfd $1000 tickets around $400... just to try recoupe some funds...... what a joke!
astro
Roar Rookie
Some pretty harsh comments on what I thought was a perfectly fine article about an unfortunately situation...Even without the stars, the game will be fun to watch and there's enough talent on both sides to make it worth watching. I think the real shame though, is not that Harden, Curry and Lebron aren't here...FIBA teams are always weaker than the Olympic Team USA rosters and the big stars will always take the rest during the offseason. To me, its that the best young players arent taking this opportunity to grow and develop their game. In 2010, Team USA was weak on paper. The guys who played the most minutes were vets like Billups, Iggy, Odom and Rudy Gay, alongside a 22yr old Durant and a young Derrick Rose. The tournament helped put Durant on the radar as a potential great. He was amazing. This year though, the best young players have largely snubbed Team USA. Guys like Towns, Booker, Fox, Bagely, Trey Young, McCollum...These should be the guys playing. And if they were, I dont think people would be complaining as much. Fact is, this is not a "second string Team USA"...its like a 15th string Team USA. Assuming Walker, Middleton and Lopez make it, they'll have a total of 5 All Star appearances on the roster...Last Team USA had 33. I don't expect casual NBA fans to know who Joe Harris is, or Derrick White, or even someone like Myles Turner. Anyway, its a shame more big names arent here, but either way, am looking forward to the game!
Nathan Rivalland
Roar Rookie
As much as it's disappointing to not get the huge names. We are still getting relatively spoilt. Donovan Mitchell, Tatum, Brown, Smart, Kemba, Kuzma, Middleton. Only bad call they made was not keeping Adebayo in the squad. The man is way better than Plumlee and just as good as Myles Turner.
Blake Standfield
Roar Guru
When you walk into the casino dressed like a twelve year old you’re going to get ID’d.
Max power
Guest
The lack of quality in your argument is shown by the use of “little Johnny” Forgive people for wanting to see stars
Max power
Guest
You ain’t wise. Who are you to question someone about the racism they encounter ?
Ad-O
Guest
No sport guarantees that its biggest players will play every game. Especially when they are meaningless friendlies. And it doesnt get much more meaningless than international basketball. International rugby league comes close but at least teams beat Australia in a one off game every now and then. Some sports just offer more as domestic club tournaments.
Wise Old Elf
Guest
Scammed. I feel bad for Larry Kestelman and his gang that went to a lot of trouble and expense for this shimozzle. It's a big black eye to the sport and the players, like Ben Simmons just shit on the sporting public in this country. Don't bother lecturing us with your racial nonsense Ben. This country must have looked after you to get you to where you got. As for the Americans. Bunch of mercenaries. Imagine if the soccer teams acted like this. There would be no world cup.
Simon Chang
Guest
Show us your ticket and tell how much you paid to watch them.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I can't believe people actually thought the big names would play in these games. There was never a chance. It concerns me how gullible people can be.
Boo-urns
Roar Rookie
That said if I lived in Melbourne I’d probably turn up to see Popovich and Jingle Juice in person.
Boo-urns
Roar Rookie
Fans don’t turn up for exhibition matches in most codes... I’ll turn up for a meaningful match between the Socceroos and Kuwait but if they want to charge the same price for Socceroos v the world all stars or Barcelona I’m not going. Also, all of the US players pulled out of international duty months ago - this is their team for the whole FIBA tourney.
MattyP
Guest
4 NBA rings with Boomers. Bogut, Mills, Telly & Baynes all have one...
K
Guest
Poor argument that simplified many layers of frustration regarding the highlighted final player availability but also the patchy team selection in Australia’s part and the absurd gap between marketing led expectations and the final reality of the on court product If the promoters over invested in fancy screens and scoreboards, that’s no substitute for what’s on the court The biggest non disclosure in this article is that these games have been priced as if we were getting Harden, Curry and Simmons. Drop the pricing to that befitting the final team make ups and there would be no empty seats or demands for refunds