US basketball heavyweights have called on the NBA to bring a historic first match to Australia after the huge success of last month’s NFL blockbuster in Melbourne.
Two time NBA MVP Steve Nash and triple champion Udonis Haslem declared the groundbreaking San Francisco 49ers-LA Rams clash at the MCG set a precedent the world’s best basketball league should follow with its own historic first regular season match down under.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nash and three time Miami Heat championship winner Haslem, also hailed the return of Melbourne born-and-bred Ben Simmons to the NBA after a year on the sidelines, believing he could get back to his best despite injury and mental health battles.
Nash told the Herald Sun the NFL’s Melbourne masterpiece offered a blueprint for regular season matches in Australia the NBA could not ignore.
“I think it would be great,,” he said.
“It is a long way, so it’s how they manage that.
“I think the Rams chose to come in late (to Melbourne) and there was a lot of controversy about that. Was it the right decision?
“But it would be phenomenal to have a game in Australia.
“Australia has a great NBA fan base and to get a game down there would be cool.”
Haslem said: “Why not have a game in Australia?
More than 100,000 fans packed the NFL Melbourne game, with both teams chartering Airbus A380s packed with flatbeds so their star players could rest on their way to and from Australia’s sporting capital.
Haslem said if the NFL could do it, so can the NBA.
“I definitely think the NBA can do it, we’re more recognisable,” he said.
“The NBA is so global, you could put an NBA team anywhere to perform at the highest level and fans are going to come.”
Former Phoenix, Dallas and LA Lakers star Nash, who coached Simmons at Brooklyn in 2021-23, said it was “great” the “super talented” former No. 1 draft pick had been given a second chance.
“It was sad to see him go through his injuries and stuff and come out of the league,” he said.
“But to have him back and have that will to want to play and get back is really important and it looks like he’s found it, so I’m excited for him.
“Hopefully he can find an important role and have a huge impact.”
Nash, an analyst on NBA on Prime alongside Haslem, said there was no reason Simmons can’t return to the form that made him a three time All Star at Philadelphia if healthy and headstrong.
“It’s definitely possible,” he said.
“For his size and athleticism, even if he’s not back to his full athleticism he’s such an elite athlete physically.
“And then his ability to make plays for others is rare.
“Combine those two things, the size, the athleticism, the passing and the play making – that’s a combination that a lot of teams are out for.”
Haslem revealed he had seen Simmons working out on his comeback trail while in Miami.
“I’ve had a front-row seat to some of the process and some of work he’s put in to get to this point,” he said.
“He’s worked extremely hard … so I’m giving grace, man. I wish him the best and I hope everything works out for him.”
He said proving doubters wrong could give Simmons a new edge.
“I believe in him. I am happy for Ben,” he said.
“I am very happy he went through whatever he had to go through to get to this point and hopefully he comes out on this side better this time.”
He said Simmons was “a special talent.
“We all forget how talented Ben Simmons is and what he was able to do when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers.”
The NBA will this year stage regular season matches in Paris and Manchester and has previously played “global games” in Tokyo, London and Mexico City.
The closest Australia has come to NBA action was the New Orleans Pelicans playing Melbourne’s NBL teams in two sold out pre-season matches in 2025.
Peter Rolfe travelled to New York as a guest of Prime Video.