Following a ground-breaking agreement to showcase last year’s Sal’s NBL Showdown across the United States, ESPN will once again partner with the Sal's NBL making all 93 games of the League’s 2021 season available to stream live and on demand on ESPN3 and the ESPN App.
Working through the League’s international agent, Spalk TV, the ongoing relationship with ESPN follows on from a successful first season that saw New Zealand’s 40-year old National Basketball League beamed throughout America in 2020 at a time when sport around the world had literally stopped completely.
League General Manager Justin Nelson was delighted to receive the good news.
“We are understandably very happy that ESPN will again be partnering with the Sal’s NBL and taking Kiwi hoops to basketball fans right across the United States.
“This follows on from a successful first season with ESPN that saw so many people connecting with New Zealand basketball for the first time,” said Nelson.
Nelson was pleased the League was not slowing down and once again raising the bar during what he describes as a real growth period.
“Not only does the agreement with ESPN enhance our reputation to deliver on the big stage to our partners, but it also provides New Zealand players with a platform to show the biggest basketball market on the planet what they’ve got to offer.”
“Together with our valued partners at Sky Sport, along with a number of other partners both here in New Zealand and abroad, we are seeing a rise in Kiwi basketball and that’s great for business.
“Taking the Sal’s NBL and so many of our homegrown players to a basketball-mad audience across the United States via ESPN is fantastic for New Zealand.”
One of the funnier stories to emerge from the viewers watching games on ESPN last year were the emails the League received asking about the player with the mullet!
“Yes, a very true story. We were quite amused at how many people were emailing us from America asking us about Jarrod Kenny’s mullet, especially from those wanting to know if it was real. We knew right away people were tuning in and watching,” said Nelson.
