Conky
Years ago
With the NBA Lockout, exhibition games like the two taking place in the Philippines this weekend are proving to be quite profitable, with one source with knowledge of the deals saying that KOBE BRYANT, KEVIN DURANT and DERRICK ROSE are being paid more than $400,000 apiece for their weekend of work (reminder: tax-free). Nice PART-TIME work!
It seems everyone wins from this. The fans over there get to watch their NBA heros live (basketball CRAZY in the phillipines!), all other fans get some new highlightes coming through the internet, and the players get paid heaps too. I think its one of the richest men the the phillipines who is running the show over there.
Isaac
Years ago
I assume everyone saw the Kobe alley-oop over there?
Looks massive from this angle.
ineedmore
Years ago
And I'm left scratching my head again. No in Australia has the kind of money some one in the Phillipines does?
The_Champ33
Years ago
They have Manny Pacquiao who has his own team and plays. He'll fork out the cash and show the NBA players a good time and it's been done as you see.
Manny Pacquiao.
Isaac
Years ago
ineedmore, they have almost 100 million people and basketball is very popular over there. We have far fewer and basketball ranks far behind various other sports that get media and sponsor attention.
Each of those players got, what, $400k? When Footlocker put up $250k for HSH, it was massive news in Australian basketball.
That $400k was for one appearance. I think most clubs would be stretched to offer much more than that for a full NBL season and cover their costs. (Note that I said stretched - obviously not impossible.)
ineedmore
Years ago
That's a lot of people. But I wasn't thinking clubs, more entrepreneurs really.
The sport just don't have the profile here unfortunately, but you can't tell me someone doesn't have the money.
Just frustrating when you see these amazing things getting done in other countries that I believe have an inferior quality of league compared to our own.
Isaac
Years ago
Those big money entrepreneurs here are going to be (realistically) attracted to AFL first, etc. We got the odd one liking basketball but it's not as common. Groves has been and gone. Cowan has been and gone. Tinkler is around but trying to start a team, not bring NBA players out for an exhibition game. Meanwhile in China, there are a lot of very rich people in and around basketball, combined with huge government support - because the population and their interest supports it. Not quite so in Australia.
ineedmore
Years ago
Ah well, at least we had the Firepower dude from Sydney and the crook from Adelaide. :)
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An Australian basketball forum covering NBL, WNBL, ABL, Juniors plus NBA, WNBA, NZ, Europe, etc | Forum time is: 8:46 pm, Wed 24 Apr 2024 | Posts: 968,026 | Last 7 days: 754
