It’s not quite the NBA but the NBL is Australia’s premier basketball league and (at times) boasts some great talent from all across the world. Initially it begun in 1978 and attracted only a few hundred people per game but now, games are played in prime-time television spots and in some of Australia’s biggest sporting arenas. The NBL is increasingly seen as a solid platform for players who would go on and play at the Olympics or World Championships.

Although potentially seen as the Diet Coke of sport offerings in Melbourne right now, the NBL is steadily carving out it’s own niche. Not only is it a place where former NBA players come to put their skills on display (most recently with former NBA player, Steve Blake) but it’s also a league where players can do their best to impress NBA scouts. That’s every baller’s one goal: to play in the NBA.

To add to this exposure, Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs) was named as the first official ambassador of the NBL in the league’s attempts to increase awareness to indigenous and multicultural kids all across Australia in an initiative that focuses on community involvement and basketball participation.

So make sure you add the NBL to your watch list. Tickets can be hard to come by, so get in early and enjoy your game day.