Australian basketball fans now have a dedicated digital home with the launch of Basketball.com.au, a platform set to become the most comprehensive destination for news, views, reviews, highlights, statistics, and video-on-demand content for the sport.
Built by Australians, for Australians, the platform aims to bridge a long-standing gap in basketball media, offering extensive coverage of both domestic and international competitions.
Basketball.com.au was created in response to what its founders saw as a significant lack of dedicated basketball coverage in mainstream Australian media. Anthony Alsop, general manager of Basketball.com.au spoke to B&T highlighting the disparity in coverage compared to other sports, particularly during major announcements.
“There was a gap in the marketplace for basketball media,” Alsop explained. “A great example is today—where the Australian Boomers’ team announced a new coach, a former player. It’s a huge story for basketball, yet in mainstream media, it gets buried under AFL and NRL coverage, appearing 15 pages into the sports section. But for us, it’s front and centre, with multiple articles and bespoke imagery. We’re giving basketball the attention it deserves”.
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With more than 180 Australians currently playing professional and collegiate basketball overseas, including in the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and European leagues, Basketball.com.au aims to showcase these athletes’ stories, ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve. While also showcasing the insane line up of players in the NBL and WNBL.
To bolster credibility and insight, the platform has secured an impressive roster of contributors led by Australian basketball icon Andrew Bogut. The NBA champion, former NBL MVP, and Sydney Kings co-owner will provide expert analysis and first-hand experiences from the highest levels of the sport.
Joining him is NBL legend and commentator Lanard Copeland, who will contribute throughout the NBL playoffs. Copeland, a two-time NBL champion and Grand Final MVP brings over three decades of experience to the platform.
Alsop believes the involvement of such respected figures adds weight to the platform’s content. “When you start a new platform, you have to create credibility,” he said. “We’re a group of passionate basketball people telling these stories, but to the average audience, we need well-known voices they can trust. That’s why we brought in Andrew Bogut, and we’ll soon add former WNBA players to ensure we cover men’s and women’s basketball equally”.
Women’s basketball expert Hayley Wildes, youth basketball scout Mike Houben, and social media-driven content creators Baseline Hoops are also part of the editorial team, helping to ensure a broad and inclusive perspective on the sport.
Basketball.com.au is also committed to increasing the visibility of women’s basketball in Australia, an area often overlooked in mainstream sports coverage. Despite the Opals’ consistent success on the international stage—having ranked among the world’s top basketball teams for decades—many of Australia’s top female athletes remain relatively unknown at home. “Most WNBL players wouldn’t be recognised walking down the street, even though they have incredible talent and are competing at the highest levels overseas,” Alsop said. “Some are probably more famous in Indiana than in Melbourne.”
By dedicating equal coverage to men’s and women’s basketball, the platform aims to elevate the profile of female athletes and create more opportunities for them to be celebrated on home soil.
Beyond gender, Basketball.com.au also recognises the importance of diverse voices in basketball storytelling. The platform is actively working to ensure a range of perspectives, including those from former players, emerging journalists, and social media creators who can connect with younger audiences. “The more voices we bring in, the more we can reflect the full scope of basketball culture in Australia.”
Basketball.com.au is making a strong entrance into the market, leveraging its presence during the NBL Finals Series. Fans will spot the platform’s advertising throughout the Finals, with integrations across NBL Overtime, NBL Finals Pre-game Show, and NBL Now podcast, as well as a new top-of-backboard camera angle debuting during the Finals.
This strategic visibility aligns with the platform’s broader goal: to be the go-to destination for Australian basketball content.
Basketball.com.au isn’t just about covering the top leagues; it’s committed to following players from grassroots to professional careers. Alsop described this approach as “From junior to Boomer”.
One such example is Dash Daniels, the younger brother of NBA player Dyson Daniels. Dash, at just 17, recently signed his first professional contract with Melbourne United. “We want to hang our hat on someone like Dash, following his journey from junior rep basketball in Victoria, through his Melbourne United career, and hopefully to the NBA,” Alsop said.
This long-term, in-depth storytelling is a major focus of Basketball.com.au, ensuring that rising stars receive the attention they deserve early in their careers.
Beyond game coverage, Basketball.com.au acknowledges the cultural significance of basketball globally. “Basketball infiltrates music, fashion, movies, and TV—it’s a cultural sport,” Alsop noted. “Unlike AFL or NRL, basketball has this unique global relevance. We even spoke to Ice Cube for our website recently—he’s written one of the most famous basketball songs and is deeply connected to the sport.”
The platform sees potential to expand beyond just reporting, possibly evolving into a lifestyle and cultural brand.
While Basketball.com.au is owned by the LK Group, which also owns the NBL and soon the WNBL, Alsop is clear that editorial independence is a priority. “We call a spade a spade. If the NBL makes a mistake, we’ll call them out on it. We’re fiercely independent when it comes to covering the game in this country,” he asserted.
Looking ahead, the platform has ambitious expansion plans. “Today, we’re a social media account and a website, but in the next six to 12 months, we’ll launch a mobile app, a streaming platform, and potentially acquire additional broadcast rights,” Alsop revealed. These could include both domestic and international basketball competitions, further solidifying the platform as a major player in basketball media.
With its deeply ingrained basketball culture, extensive coverage across all levels of the sport, and an impressive line-up of contributors, Basketball.com.au is positioning itself as the definitive voice of Australian basketball.
“We’re here to grow the game at every level—participation, fan engagement, viewership, media coverage. If we can get even one more person to go watch a local game because of our content, that’s a win for us,” Alsop said.
For Australian basketball fans looking for a platform that prioritises the stories, talent, and moments that matter most, Basketball.com.au is now the place to be.
