San Francisco 49ers-LA Rams clash <\/a>at the MCG set a precedent the world\u2019s best basketball league should follow with its own historic first regular season match down under. <\/p>\nBasketball 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.<\/p>\n
Nash told the Herald Sun the NFL\u2019s Melbourne masterpiece offered a blueprint for regular season matches in Australia the NBA could not ignore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would be great,,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a long way, so it\u2019s how they manage that. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Rams chose to come in late (to Melbourne) and there was a lot of controversy about that. Was it the right decision? <\/p>\n
\u201cBut it would be phenomenal to have a game in Australia. <\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia has a great NBA fan base and to get a game down there would be cool.\u201d <\/p>\n
Haslem said: \u201cWhy not have a game in Australia? <\/p>\n
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\u2019s sporting capital.<\/p>\n
Haslem said if the NFL could do it, so can the NBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think the NBA can do it, we\u2019re more recognisable,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe NBA is so global, you could put an NBA team anywhere to perform at the highest level and fans are going to come.\u201d <\/p>\n
Former Phoenix, Dallas and LA Lakers star Nash, who coached Simmons at Brooklyn in 2021-23, said it was \u201cgreat\u201d the \u201csuper talented\u201d former No. 1 draft pick had been given a second chance. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was sad to see him go through his injuries and stuff and come out of the league,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut to have him back and have that will to want to play and get back is really important and it looks like he\u2019s found it, so I\u2019m excited for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully he can find an important role and have a huge impact.\u201d <\/p>\n
Nash, an analyst on NBA on Prime alongside Haslem, said there was no reason Simmons can\u2019t return to the form that made him a three time All Star at Philadelphia if healthy and headstrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely possible,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor his size and athleticism, even if he\u2019s not back to his full athleticism he\u2019s such an elite athlete physically.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then his ability to make plays for others is rare.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombine those two things, the size, the athleticism, the passing and the play making \u2013 that\u2019s a combination that a lot of teams are out for.\u201d <\/p>\n
Haslem revealed he had seen Simmons working out on his comeback trail while in Miami. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a front-row seat to some of the process and some of work he\u2019s put in to get to this point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s worked extremely hard \u2026 so I\u2019m giving grace, man. I wish him the best and I hope everything works out for him.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said proving doubters wrong could give Simmons a new edge. <\/p>\n
\u201cI believe in him. I am happy for Ben,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said Simmons was \u201ca special talent. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe all forget how talented Ben Simmons is and what he was able to do when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers.\u201d <\/p>\n
The NBA will this year stage regular season matches in Paris and Manchester and has previously played \u201cglobal games\u201d in Tokyo, London and Mexico City.<\/p>\n
The closest Australia has come to NBA action was the New Orleans Pelicans playing Melbourne\u2019s NBL teams in two sold out pre-season matches in 2025. <\/p>\n
Peter Rolfe travelled to New York as a guest of Prime Video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"US basketball heavyweights have called on the NBA to bring a historic first match to Australia after 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