Isaac
Years ago
Adelaide All-Star Game confirmed
To be held by the league rather than the club, and no mention of a three-point comp.
Hopefully they come to their senses and add it. Drag out the program to make a day of the event for local fans, and broadcast selected highlights via Fox.
Here's the press release:
5 September 2006Make a note in your calendar!
ADELAIDE TO HOST NBL ALL-STAR GAME
The National Basketball League (NBL) has announced that Adelaide will be the venue for the Philips Championship's annual showcase event, the 2006/07 NBL All-Star Game, and the Philips Slam Dunk Competition.
The 2006 NBL All-Star Game will be played at The Dome, home of the Adelaide 36ers, on Saturday November 25.
It will mark the first time since 1995 that the NBL All-Star Game has been held in Adelaide.
NBL Commissioner Rick Burton said the move to bring the game back to Adelaide should help ensure the continued resurgence of basketball in South Australia.
"Adelaide has always been one of our strongest markets and we are therefore delighted to announce that the City of Churches will see the best of the best from around the Philips Championship in action at the Dome for the NBL All-Star Game," said Burton.
"With the 36ers having gone through some important changes in recent months, we believe the return of the All-Star game to Adelaide is a strong vote of confidence by the NBL in this city's team and its fans. We hope that 25 November becomes a celebration of the continued resurgence of both the 36ers program and the NBL."
At the official announcement at the Dome, it was revealed that the League would host the event in 2006 rather than the 36ers club itself.
"Since re-introducing the All-Star Game to the Philips Championship calendar three years ago, the feedback we received from the three host cities was that event could benefit greatly by being staged by the League office rather than stretching the resources of our teams," Burton said. "We agreed with that assessment and were only too happy to have the All-Star Game evolve into a League-run event which is held in the venue of one of our teams."
Adelaide 36ers new owner Mal Hemmerling said having the All-Star Game at the Dome was an exciting prospect for South Australian basketball fans.
"Adelaide fans have always been acknowledged as some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the League, so we are ecstatic that this avidity has been rewarded with the chance to see all the best players from around the Philips Championship in action on our own floor," said Hemmerling. "This is a great opportunity for SA basketball fans and the sports community. SA sports fans will actively support the event."
The NBL has also revealed that the Slam Dunk competition will return in 2006, with Philips as the naming rights sponsor of the popular contest. The Philips Slam Dunk Competition will see six of the NBL's high-fliers compete by invitation.
The popular game format of Australian All-Stars versus World All-Stars will be retained, with ten players to be selected to each side.
In a revamp of the selection process for the All-Star Game, a panel of NBL legends will select the two teams with fans then able to vote via the official NBL website (nbl.com.au powered by Sportal) to select the starters. The positions of teams on the Philips Championship ladder at the end of Round 8 will be used to determine which coaches will be given the honour of leading the All-Star teams.
The All-Star Game was successfully re-instituted by the NBL in 2004 in Melbourne and has gained momentum over the last three years after being hosted by Townsville and Sydney.