The National Basketball League features the best players and basketball training in the entire world, and it dominates attention from media and fans around the world, but it’s not the only one of its kind.
It may be located on the other side of the world, and it may be often overlooked, but that’s a major mistake, as the National Basketball League features some great talent as well.
The NBL has a number of players in it that once played in the NBA, so there’s a level of familiarity that fans can enjoy. For example, Andrew Bogut played for the Sydney Kings for two seasons, but he did so after winning two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors. So it’s clear that the NBL can attract some solid players as well.
Currently, Bryce Cotton is viewed as the best player in the NBL, as he was named league MVP in both 2018 and 2020, and led his team — the Perth Wildcats — to title wins in both 2017 and 2019. It’s actually quite impressive what Cotton has done for the team, as his impact was felt immediately. He joined the Wildcats in 2017, and they went on to win the title that very year.
And NBA fans know Cotton as well, as he had played for the Memphis Grizzlies the season before he joined the Wildcats, and was on the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz before that. So there’s more crossover in the NBA than many fans realize.
Sports bettors are well aware of that fact, as those who follow basketball often wager on both leagues, checking out the top Australian online casino reviews to know exactly where they can do so.
And while there are some similarities between the leagues, there are some major differences as well.
For one, the NBA has been around much longer, with its inaugural season having taken place in 1946, compared to 1979 for the NBL. There are obviously some geographical differences as well, as the two are on opposite ends of the globe, with the NBA in the United States, and the NBL in both Australia and New Zealand.
Most importantly, the way the two leagues recruit talent is vastly different. The NBA Draft is an annual event that allows the top players from college basketball and around the globe to hopefully accomplish their dreams of being invited to play in the NBA. Some players get signed as undrafted free agents, but the ones that don’t often end up in the G League, or elsewhere, such as the NBL. And, speaking of the NBL, they’re tasked with scouting and recruiting players that aren’t signed elsewhere, which can be quite a difficult task.
And while these two leagues are fairly different in terms of how they operate, they were both wise enough to suspend play until the COVID-19 pandemic calms down. In the meantime, fans are watching other sports and taking up different hobbies to bide their time, but rest assured, as soon as it all blows over, the NBA and NBL will be back in full swing.
Of course, basketball leagues differ from country to country, and often very much so. The NBA plays one kind of basketball, Australia plays another. And in every country basketball is still basketball, and it’s fun to watch everywhere.