NBA, Nets continue to grow in popularity in Australia

Welcome Daniel Moore to the list of contributors at NetsDaily. Daniel is a Nets fan from Australia, who is going to help provide a much needed International voice to our community.

With the Brooklyn Nets less than two months away from their season tip off against the Chicago Bulls, things are not only heating up in the birthplace of Biggie, but also quite literally heating up abroad.

While the NBA season is synonymous with chilly weather and raincoats in the US, we here in Australia experience the excitement of NBA basketball with a blazing sun and the odd beer for breakfast.

Thanks to a time-difference that puts us good folk from down under 14 hours in the future, we get to watch our daily dose of basketball at around 10am; and quite a lot of us are watching indeed!

NBA basketball is growing at a rapid pace in Australia. Since the G.O.A.T decided to put basketball on his back in the 90s, we’ve always been a little curious. However, thanks to our Aussie expats achieving continued success on the world’s biggest stage in recent times, basketball is now bigger than ever down under.

Over the past two years, at least one Australian-born NBA baller has been a contributing member of the team crowned NBA champion at season’s end.

In 2013-14, we had Patty Mills light up the NBA finals with precision shooting and lights-out enthusiasm, to help his San Antonio team roll the juggernaut that was the Miami Heat.

He was joined by big man Aron Baynes, who even though was technically born in New Zealand, we still claim as one of our own. (We tend to do this with successful New Zealanders. We did the same with Russell Crowe too, until he became a bit of a dick).

More recently, we had big-man Andrew Bogut win his first championship ring over fellow expat (and part time wrestler) Matthew Dellavedova in a six-game thriller between Golden State and the Cavs.

Couple this with Australia’s interest in the rest of our Aussie reps abroad, and there’s a healthy interest heading into the 2015-16 NBA season.

According to NBA Vice-President, Global Media Distribution, Geraldine Pamphile, Australia has the largest amount of subscribers to International League Pass outside of the United States.

The NBA brand enjoyed a significant growth spurt between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons with Australian League pass subscribers up 121 per cent.

The Nets’ divorce with New Jersey a year later was also well received, with Brooklyn Nets merchandise hopping off the shelves at a record pace, making the team one of the most popular NBA franchises in Australia.

In 2013, Adidas launched their Footlocker-exclusive Brooklyn Nets range with two parties in Sydney and Melbourne to mark the occasion. Both events featured Jay Z’s touring DJ from 2008 - 2010, DJ Neil Armstrong, who hit the decks to bring a little Brooklyn flavor to our shores.

Australia’s love of NBA basketball, and our ever growing backing for the Brooklyn Nets, will no doubt see record numbers again flock to NBA League Pass for another season of what looks to be a younger, more athletic Brooklyn Nets team.

We might not be ALL IN this season, but we’re certainly going to be a fun team to watch.