The Adelaide 36ers are set for a faceoff with their prodigal son, with the NBL and NBA announcing today that the team will be travelling to America to play two games, against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns.
Their first game against the Thunder will feature some familiar faces, primarily Australian Josh Giddey, who spent the 2020-21 season with the team and won Rookie of the Year honours, before being drafted by the Thunder with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Thunder continued their NBL fascination a year later, taking New Zealand Breaker Ousmane Dieng with the 11th pick of the most recent NBA Draft.
NBL ✘ NBA IS BACK!
— The NBL (@NBL) August 25, 2022
The @Adelaide36ers are heading to 🇺🇸 in October to take part in two @NBA preseason games!
First up they take on the @Suns on Oct 2 followed by their old mate Josh Giddey and his @okcthunder squad on Oct 6.
Full details at https://t.co/5ikawismSd #NBLxNBA pic.twitter.com/Siqg4kMHrE
Not to be outdone, the Phoenix Suns also feature a player with experience against Adelaide, Jock Landale, the former NBL Finals MVP who spent the previous season with the San Antonio Spurs before being traded to Phoenix in the off-season.
The 36ers have considerable experience playing against NBA squads; they took on the Utah Jazz in 2018 and 2019 as part of the NBAxNBL games that became a key part of the beginning of the NBL season.
And while there have been no games between the two leagues in two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, both the NBA and NBL are excited to welcome the return of such games, and the growing relationship between the leagues.
“We are delighted to see the Adelaide 36ers travel to America for the NBA preseason,” NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said.
“After two years without games between NBL and NBA teams, we are thrilled to see them return as it emphasises the growing and strengthening the connection between our two leagues.
“These preseason games are always a highlight of our calendar, and we look forward to them once again becoming an annual occurrence.”
Adelaide 36ers owner and chairman Grant Kelley mirrored these statements, saying that he sees these games as an opportunity for his team to prove themselves on the world stage.
“We are honoured to participate in the upcoming NBA preseason schedule for the third time, after previously playing the Utah Jazz in 2018 and 2019,” Kelley said.
“We always want to test ourselves against the best, and for basketball that is the NBA.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the club both on and off the court and one that will open doors for our organisation.”
Held as part of the NBA preseason, these games will be held on the second and sixth of October, respectively, before the NBA season gets underway on the 19th of October.
For Adelaide, these two games will mean they miss the first two rounds of the NBL season, with their first game coming in round 3 against the Tasmania JackJumpers.
