NBL on ESPN – ESPN is once again your home of the 2023-24 National Basketball League, with 150+ games including every regular season and NBL Finals game LIVE – and the new season kicks off in a major way, seeing SEVEN live games across the opening four days, beginning Thursday September 28.
The new National Basketball League season begins LIVE on ESPN, Thursday September 28 with a huge Throwdown XXI between Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 7.30pm AEST.
A new look Melbourne United will be led by Cleveland Cavaliers NBA draftee Luke Travers, Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding forming perhaps the most impressive starting five in the NBL this year.
NBA legend Scottie Pippen will be courtside taking in all the action of the all-Melbourne season opener, as he reunites with fellow Chicago Bulls NBA championship dynasty member Luc Longley, at a sold-out Throwdown XXI.
Friday September 29 then sees a live NBL double header and two big games back-to-back.
At 7.30pm AEST, the Brisbane Bullets welcome the Adelaide 36ers to Queensland to start the new campaign live on ESPN.
Two sides that will hope to be big improvers in NBL24, having finished 8th and 9th on the ladder and missing the finals last time out.
Following at 9.30pm AEST, Perth Wildcats host the Tasmanian JackJumpers live on ESPN.
Perth and the JackJumpers both come into the new season after impressive form at the NBL Blitz, where they went three for three across the tournament.
The JackJumpers have set a high bar in their short time in the league, a platform the Wildcats will hope to challenge.
NBL Next Star prospect Alexandre Sarr will have everyone in the league watching, along with a host of NBA scouts. The 18-year-old 7-foot Frenchman is a projected first round NBA draft pick and should help ignite a charge for the Wildcats this season.
Saturday September 30 sees another two live games, beginning at 5.30pm AEST in New Zealand, where the Breakers face off with Cairns Taipans.
The Breakers went all the way to the Grand Final last time out, taking Sydney to the limit. The expectation is the New Zealand side will be contenders once more, with redemption on their minds.
Both New Zealand and Cairns have their own NBL Next Stars, who are set to light up the NBL.
The Breakers unveil Lithuanian Mantas Rubstavicius, who at 21, has already represented his country and spent five years in the professional ranks – which has him considered as the most readymade Next Star the program has ever seen.
Cairn’s exciting prospect is Bobi Klintman, labelled an ‘NBA prototype’. The NBL Next Star is expected to go high in the 2024 NBA Draft, given his international experience and all-round skills, length, size and ability to score.
Then at 8pm AEST Saturday, we get our first look at defending champions – the Sydney Kings – in a season opening clash with fierce rival Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong.
The Sydney Kings will be seeking a third straight NBL Championship as they enter a new era in NBL24. Only two teams have achieved a championship three-peat in the league’s 44-year history – the Kings from 2003-2005 and the Breakers in 2011-2013.
Mahmoud Abdelfattah is the new coach in charge, following Chase Buford’s departure and reigning MVP Xavier Cooks and star shooter Dejan Vasiljevic have both moved on to the NBA.
Ex-league MVP Jaylen Adams is back, and DJ Hogg, Denzel Valentine and ex-NBA and Australian Boomer Jonah Bolden join the Kings, ensuring another stacked squad for Sydney.
As always, ESPN will have hoops fans covered with in-depth coverage across the season, with a stellar lineup of studio programming, to complement the on-court action.
Nothing But Net is ESPN’s brand new basketball offering, delivering the latest basketball highlights, breaking news and insights across the major NBA and NBL developments.
ESPN’s The Jump also returns for another year, with an hour-long wrap of all the latest NBL news and discussion. The show for the growing number of Aussie hoops fans, with big takes, big guests and big energy.
NBL24 will also see ESPN continue to deliver NBL fans the action how they want it, with NBL Mini’s and On-Demand replays available across VOD and ESPN’s social media channels.
ESPN remains ‘Your Home for Hoops’ with the network delivering basketball fans countless hours of exclusive NBL, NBA, WNBL, WNBA, NCAA and FIBA action all year round.
NBL on ESPN – NBL24 Opening Week on ESPN
Thursday September 28
5.30pm AEST, NBL Slam, ESPN
6.30pm AEST, NBL: We Got Next, Inside NBL24, ESPN
7.30pm AEST, Melbourne United vs South East Melbourne Phoenix, ESPN
Friday September 29
7.30pm AEST, Brisbane Bullets vs Adelaide 36ers, ESPN
9.30pm AEST, Perth Wildcats vs Tasmanian JackJumpers, ESPN
Saturday September 30
5.30pm AEST, New Zealand Breakers vs Cairns Taipans, ESPN*
8pm AEST, Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings, ESPN
Sunday October 1
2pm AEDT, Adelaide 36ers vs Melbourne United, ESPN
4pm AEDT, South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Perth Wildcats, ESPN
*New Zealand Breakers games will not be available via ESPN in New Zealand.
ESPN and ESPN2 is available on Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV and SKY NZ.
Media Release – ESPN
Link to ESPN HERE
NBL on ESPN
TV Central ESPN content HERE
NBL on ESPN
