Photo credit: NBL1
In 2019, basketball in Australia took a brave new step, launching a secondary competition that was partnered with the NBL.
Now, seven seasons on, the NBL1 has spread across the country to become the premier level of hoops behind the top tier competitions, the WNBL and NBL.
At times, this position seemed a long way away, with COVID-19 derailing just the second year of its existence and what was supposed to be the debut seasons of the North and Central conferences.
As some clubs have dropped out around the country, others have stepped up, with an emphasis on digital and social media execution to help grow their brands and the profile of the league.
However, still at the core is the quality of basketball.