THE NBL’s decision to look inward for its official apparel partner is something the league believes will help with the sustainability of basketball in Australia.

On a cold, windy Monday afternoon, on the rooftop of the Ultimo Community Centre in Sydney, the NBL officially unveiled the jerseys for the 2018-19 season, in collaboration with First Ever.

Despite negotiations with the ‘biggies’ of the apparel world, the NBL opted to join with the company whose CEO is Justin Kestelman, son of the league’s majority owner, Larry Kestelman.

“It adds to the sustainability of the sport if we try to keep revenue streams within the industry,” Loeliger told foxsports.com.au.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be within the NBL, but to keep as much leakage as we can from happening, is important. I think we’re really on the same page, with most of the other basketball stakeholders in the country now, in terms of, it’s no longer a question about self-interest; it’s about a greater interest for a greater good.

“Then, realising that, if there’s more water in the bathtub, everyone’s boat floats. What we wanna do is our bit, from an apparel point of view, making sure that some funds are going back into basketball, in one way or another.”

At the launch were new Sydney Kings centre, Andrew Bogut, as well as Melbourne United’s Chris Goulding, the Brisbane Bullets’ Cameron Gliddon, the Perth Wildcats’ Damian Martin, the Cairns Taipans’ Alex Loughton, the Illawarra Hawks’ Emmett Naar, and the New Zealand Breakers’ Thomas Abercrombie.

First Ever will produce the NBL’s jerseys, along with basketball-related street clothes. It was also provide uniforms for grassroots associations across Australia.

According to Loeliger, one of the more esteemed apparel companies put forward an offer that was similarly well rounded, but the Kestelman-run outlet got the nod because of the potential to create a cyclical revenue stream. Loeliger also dismissed any criticisms of the NBL doing business with a company operated by the son of the owner of the league.

“The most compelling offer that was put to us was one that was actually pretty similar to what we’re currently doing with First Ever, in terms of a whole sport approach,” Loeliger said.

“Ultimately we made a decision where, this is something we think we can compete, and that it’s going to add to the sustainability of the sport, and we can maybe do that better if we keep it in-house, rather than go to a third party.

“It’s what we do: we take risks, we test things. We either succeed or, if we fail, we try to fail quickly. We’re not failing quickly yet At the moment, everything’s pointing in the right direction. Larry, Justin, the NBL, and myself are gonna push this barrel and see where it leads.

“This is not an instance of First Ever taking money out of the sport. It’s Larry putting money into the sport again, through another vehicle.

“It’s certainly something that’s intended to make a profit, at some point in the future, but, I can tell you, the path of least resistance, and best bottom line, would’ve been to go with the recognised brand who came to us with a similar proposal to do a similar type of thing.

“This is a riskier venture. I hadn’t really thought of this from a conflict point of view, per se, because no one team is better off than any other. This is money that will go back into the sport. If First Ever was to turn a profit, it would b going back to the big red number that the NBL is currently making, as opposed to, if this was a Nike or Under Armour, that money would be lost to the sport.”

Kestelman’s goal is for his partnership with the NBL to create a culture around apparel that the NBA currently has with its fans.

“The basketball jersey is such an integral part of the game and it has really evolved over the years,” Kestelman said.

“We want NBL fans to feel the same passion and connection to the jersey as fans do in the NBA and we’ve drawn inspiration from the athletes and the fans with these designs.

“The launch of the Official NBL Store presented by First Ever celebrates the intersection of athletic and street style during an exciting time for Australian basketball.”