PERTH, WA -- Senior NBL executives met with Western Australia government officials on Thursday to discuss the prospect of HoopsFest returning to the state, as well as potential expansion, sources told ESPN.
The NBL's owner and executive director Larry Kestelman, and the league's CEO David Stevenson, were at the Western Australia Parliament on Thursday morning to conduct the discussions with the state's deputy premier Rita Saffioti, sources said.
Despite the inaugural HoopsFest having just begun in Perth, the NBL has already shown some satisfaction in the early returns and are open to the event returning to the city, sources said.
The meeting also included exploratory discussions around a second NBL franchise based in Perth. It was stressed that those discussions were in their infancy.
The Wildcats have exclusivity in Perth through the end of 2026.
"I was actually a little surprised that there seemed to be interest there," Kestelman told ESPN, on the prospect of a second NBL franchise in Perth.
"I was surprised by the growth of the population; it actually caught me a little bit off guard. I always, in my mind, had Perth as a one and a half million population city; it's now close to three million people within something like an hour's drive from Perth. It's a pretty big population.
"I'd say my interest is sparked about the idea of a second team, but I also think the Perth Wildcats are such a strong brand here, and such a strong community, that to do a new brand versus the Perth Wildcats is very hard. For me, it's about if an AFL club had an interest, or someone that already has an established fanbase, I would have a look at it.
"I don't love the idea of starting completely from scratch against the Wildcats. It is something we'll explore. The government is interested in the idea of a rivalry, and growing the game of basketball is what we're about. If it brings more fans, I'm interested."
The 2024 HoopsFest began on September 19, with Perth hosting NBL regular season games, WNBL preseason games, a Basketball Without Borders Asia camp, and under-18 Club Championship, and various fan activations around the city.
"The Perth government is happy with what they've seen," Kestelman said.
"They understand it's the first time we're running this brand new concept. The crowds have been great; a sellout tonight... it was a debrief on how the festival's going, and there's an opportunity for both of us to do this again next year, so we're feeling positive about that. We want to do a review, but, generally speaking, I'd love to see HoopsFest become the way we launch the season. I'd love to come back here next year."
With regard to expansion, the NBL has long targeted the Gold Coast as the next franchise to enter the league. Talks with Gold Coast government officials were positive in the weeks leading up to the 2024 NBL Blitz, sources said, but have since been pushed back to the point where the league's new target is for the prospective team to enter ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Potential expansion in Darwin was the other consideration that reached advanced stages but have since died down, sources said.
HoopsFest continues on Friday evening with a matchup between the Wildcats and South East Melbourne Phoenix.